If you're in your 30s or over, you'll know how quickly your skin can start to show changes. For me, it began with redness across my cheeks, dryness around my nose and fine lines creeping up in the eye area. It was nothing dramatic, but enough to make me think that I need to pay more attention.
I know what you're thinking - it’s easy for you to say, you own a clinic. Although I have access to plenty of treatments at Dr MediSpa, since launching the Dr Somji Skincare range in 2024, it's been the only skincare I trust alongside my regular treatments.
But I didn't just want to rely on how my skin looked or felt after using the products - I wanted measurable proof, so I got a skin scan.
What my skin scans revealed
At Dr MediSpa we use the VISIA skin imaging device, which goes beneath the surface to measure biological skin age alongside markers like UV damage, pigmentation, redness, wrinkles and texture. Every score is a percentile and the higher the score, the better the skin is doing.
According to the scan images, at 34, my TruSkin Age came back as 27. I was thrilled. But it was the individual scores that were more interesting. My wrinkle score was 51% and texture was 61%, which were my weakest areas. My spots scored 94%, pores 86%, redness 86%, brown spots 85% and UV damage 95% - all strong starting points.
Two years on, at 36, I had another scan and my TruSkin Age is still 27, which means my skin isn’t ageing as fast as I am. Here’s what I have been doing to maintain my skin.
My day-to-night routine
I start every morning with the Dr Somji Nourishing Cream Cleanser. I’m prone to that annoying, flaky dryness around my nose, especially in the winter and most cleansers just strip my skin and make it worse. This one contains soothing oils and extracts to leave skin feeling super clean and comfortable.
Next up is the Dr Somji Signature Serum Light. It’s packed with so many skin-loving ingredients like regenerative green tangerine exosomes, moisture-boosting hyaluronic acid, balancing niacinamide and strengthening ceramides, and it’s also a brilliant base for make-up.
UV damage is cumulative, and my slight dip in the UV score (from 95% to 88%) has made me want to be even more militant with my sun protection. I use the Dr Somji Vitamin C Daily Defence Moisturiser SPF30 every single morning. This protects against UV damage, keeps my pigmentation stable and skin bright thanks to the added stabilised vitamin C and peptide, matrixyl synthe 6. Going forward, I will be more persistent with reapplication on sunny days and also make sure that I am applying enough.
A few times a week, especially when my skin feels sensitive, I use the Dr Somji Exosomes Barrier Repair Serum alongside the Dr Somji Anti-Redness Concentrate. I apply the concentrate only on areas that need immediate soothing. My redness score has dipped slightly from 86% to 76% over two years and this is something I'm working on with continued use of these two products.
At night, I always finish with the Dr Somji Anti-Wrinkle Concentrate around my eyes, followed by the Dr Somji Night Recovery Cream. These two products have made a huge difference to my skin over time. We formulated the night cream with encapsulated retinol, so you get all the anti-ageing benefits without the dryness and irritation that often puts people off using retinol.
Over time, our skin naturally becomes thinner, drier and more prone to fine lines. Texture and wrinkles are two of the biggest indicators of skin ageing. At 34, my VISIA scores for wrinkles and texture were 51% and 61% - these were areas I really wanted to focus on in my routine. With consistent use of these products alongside my wider routine, I’ve seen a major improvement. Now at 36, my wrinkle score has increased to 81% and texture to 91% - a 30% improvement in both areas.
I may be two years older, but my skin is in better health than it was - and that's down to using the right skincare consistently.
For full transparency, I do combine my routine with occasional in-clinic treatments, but the scans prove that products play a key role.
Skincare is a journey, not a quick fix. My pigmentation and redness are still a work in progress, but with my skin measuring nine years younger than I am, I know the routine is working - and I’ve got the scans to prove it.
Henal
