Dr. Anita Sturnham is an internationally renowned doctor specialising in Dermatology. With over 20 years of medical experience, she founded Nuriss Skincare and Wellness clinics in London and the luxury skincare range DECREE. She sees medicine as an art and a science and believes in a ‘less is more philosophy'. Her integrative approach places strong emphasis on supporting the skin from the inside out.
Here at SANN we share the same philosophy with DECREE in terms of cutting through the clutter of the beauty space and we absolutely love your concise but results driven product line up. Can you please tell us a little more about the less is more approach?
Over my 20 year medical career I have studied thousands of people’s skincare routines and I have evidence that the products that people use really do impact skin health. The most common issues that I was seeing in the clinic were self inflicted, with people over using skincare products, overloading the skin, over exfoliating and not using products consistently. Constantly chopping and changing products can send the skin into meltdown. I found that skin conditions improved simply after decluttering and simplifying people’s home routines.
We launched DECREE with eight core products laid out into daily and weekly protocols. Everything is designed with beautiful textures and to keep things simple. Our packaging gives you the exact dosage for your face and neck, labeled AM and PM and the outer packaging also lists the dosed active ingredients and explains why we have used each ingredient.
We empower you to understand what you are feeding your skin and challenge the widespread belief that you must buy multiple products to target different skin concerns, for different ages and skin types. There are a number of key ingredients that are multi-functional and beneficial for all. Skincare can be simplified.
What are the key differences between a summer and winter skincare routine, and why is it important to adjust our regimen with the seasons?
I try to start my patients with core skincare products that can be used all year around and require slight tweaks depending on the season. Healthy skin requires a simplified and consistent routine. Common skin complaints I see in my clinic during seasonal changes are pigmentation, dullness, loss of radiance, dehydration and increased sensitivity. As you move into the colder months you may need to make adjustments to counteract the colder temperatures, dry air and indoor central heating systems - all of which can cause havoc on our skin.
Our priority for healthy skin all year round, is to focus on supporting a healthy skin barrier. The skin barrier functions like a brick wall. The bricks are your skin cells and the mortar are the lipids and ceramides. In the colder months, ceramide production reduces and the mortar becomes ineffective so there are gaps between the bricks/ skin cells. Moisture escapes and skin becomes dehydrated.
People often ask me if drinking more water will help their skin - if your skin barrier is compromised it does not matter how much water you drink, your skin will not retain it. So everything we do needs to be focused on building a healthy and robust skin barrier.
Here are my top tips to boost your skin barrier:
1: A good decluttering session can be the best thing you do for your skin. All skin types benefit from reducing their regimens to a simple and structured daily routine, using a small number of products consistently without overloading your skin.
Go through your products and throw away anything that is past its sell by date. Check the period after opening (POA) date and discard products that are past this date. Often, after 6 or 12 months, the product will not only potentially be ‘inactive’ but also contaminated with bacteria. Anything that has separated or changed colour significantly should also go into the bin.
2: Take away the things that strip and compromise your skin barrier: double cleansing, oily balm cleansers, facial brushes or scrubs, strong exfoliating cleansers , fruit acid toners, fruit acid serums and overusing acid or enzyme masks. If you are using any of these you are at higher risk of developing skin problems.
3: Simplify your cleansing routine. If you are using a complicated double cleanse routine, oil or balm cleansers, exfoliating cleansers or foaming cleansers you may need to replace them with a gentle, more nourishing option.
Generally, cream or gel based cleansers are more hydrating, less stripping and more barrier protective. If you like a gentle lather, look for cleansing ingredients, such as apple amino acid surfactants, and other ingredients such as Rose water, Glycerin which is a natural humectant that draws moisture into the skin and hyaluronic acid. Instead of washing with a textured flannel or facial brush, try using a silky cloth instead. Decree Light Cleanse acts as the perfect morning cleanser.
4: Review your actives. If you are using vitamin c, in the form of Ascorbic acid, with niacinamide, you may need to switch to a vitamin c derivative, such as ascorbyl glucoside. The former can be slightly more drying and trigger inflammation, especially in sensitive skin types. Decree Protect Elixir contains a blend of multitasking antioxidants, including Niacinamide and a Vitamin C derivative.
In the evening, if you are using retinoids and your skin feels dry, tight or sensitive, consider changing the type you are using, the number of days of using it or diluting it with your moisturiser. Decree Treat Tincture is a strong retinoid that can be used all year around.
5: Optimise your moisturiser. Look for barrier repairing ingredients such as essential fatty acids, ceramides, squalane and niacinamide - these all allow for a healthy well functioning barrier. A good moisturiser for all seasons should contain 3 types of ingredients. Humectants (like glycerin and hyaluronic acid), occlusives (squalane, shea butter, jojoba) and skin conditioning emollients (such as safflower or apricot kernel).
However, the point of difference should be the texture. I recommend to have both a light and rich textured moisturiser, ideally with the same active ingredients, such as Decree Peptide Emollient Veil and Decree Peptide Emollient Veil +, the latter being the richer of the two. Be empowered to choose the texture that suits your skin on the day. Reserve stronger exfoliation for once a week.
Why do lips get so dry particularly in the summer months?
Lips can become dry due to increased sun exposure, UV damage, dehydration and lack of humidity in the air. Excessive licking of the lips can strip away natural oils and moisture, leading to dryness. Additionally, air conditioning and dry air can further exacerbate the issue, as the lack of humidity can cause the lips to lose moisture.
What is your favourite colour for the lips?
I love tinted hydrating lip balms with a really subtle and natural pink shade, the SANN Solid Lip Serum in Morning Dew is beautiful and ALWAYS use an SPF!
And finally, what are your absolute travel must haves?
My key travel companions are my Decree Discovery set, which contains the full AM and PM Decree skincare range in a luxe mini size. I also take my Beauty Complex collagen by Revive Active and my collection of sunscreens. SuperGoop or Heliocare for the face and am currently using Child’s Farm SPF 50 lotion for my body, taken from my daughters collection as I adore the formulation for my sensitive skin. A hat and sunglasses complete my skin essentials travel kit!
