Would you see and feel noticeable improvements in your skin’s tone, texture and luminosity with a simple routine that fits into your everyday life? Would it also provide a strong and resilient skin barrier, which would mean your skin aged more slowly? In this month’s blog, I’ll explain how you can achieve this and why healthy skin can help supercharge your salon treatments.
When I speak to clients, many often tell me they want a simple routine. I also hear that clients are unsure about what to use, that their skincare choices are ineffective, and, worse, that their skin has been irritated by active products designed to give a glowing, youthful complexion. As most high-street and online skincare products are designed for a wide audience, they often do so by appealing to the senses through clever marketing, sleek packaging, fragrance, and offers. However, your skin may not be getting what it needs to be healthy.
Dermaviduals is different; it prioritises the health of the skin barrier and, subsequently, the health and balance of the entire skin. Formulations are based on skin science without the marketing hype. As a Corneotherapist working in Fleet, Hampshire, I chose Dermaviduals as the ultimate skincare solution to help my clients maintain healthy skin. When things go wrong, I repair, strengthen, and rejuvenate my clients’ skin safely and effectively, providing them with a sense of confidence that comes from working with the skin’s physiology.
5 Key differences between Dermviduals functional skincare and High Street skincare
Let’s explore what makes Dermaviduals so effective compared to most other skincare.
1) Treat the cause vs. the Symptoms
High Street
Skincare is typically formulated for a specific skin concern, such as ‘dry skin’ or ‘sensitive skin’, and is designed to address the symptoms. Much like medication, you could have regular heartburn and take an antacid; however, that wouldn’t address the root cause.
Dermaviduals
The principle of Dermaviduals skincare is to care for the stratum corneum, which is the top layer of your epidermis and forms part of your skin’s defense system, known as the skin barrier. This barrier is crucial for maintaining your skin’s health and balance. When the skin’s barrier is strong, your skin is calmer, maintains its hydration levels better, and is more resilient. Dermaviduals prioritises the health of this barrier, ensuring your skin gets what it needs to be healthy.
Why it matters: A healthy skin barrier will have a normal amount of Transdermal water loss and maintain hydration levels.
As a result, the skin is resilient to irritation, cellular communication is optimal, and irritation from treatments such as Microneedling is minimised, allowing the skin to recover faster.
2) Functional Ingredients vs Sensory Add-Ons
High Street
High-street skincare can contain ingredients such as emulsifiers and fragrances designed to give products a luxurious feel and perfume. Still, these can harm the skin barrier and lead to irritation. Active ingredients may be weak or ineffectively delivered into the skin, resulting in little to no effect. There’s also too much choice, which can lead to decision fatigue, and you end up just grabbing what looks good or is on offer!
I also find that clients who present with skin concerns tend to try many different products in an attempt to find the right solutions; however, once the skin is out of balance (a condition known as dysbiosis), it can no longer recalibrate itself, and a multitude of skincare products can lead to further upset.
Dermaviduals
Dermaviduals functional skincare contains biomimetic ingredients that work in harmony with your skin’s physiology. These ingredients are physiologically similar to those of the skin itself and derma membrane structure, a unique blend of Phospholipids, ceramides, squalene, sterols and triglycerides, to care for your skin’s barrier. Dermaviduals is free of fragrance, colours, emulsifiers, silicones, mineral oils, amines and preservatives.
Why it matters: No skin irritants, bio-mimetic ingredients that work with your skin’s physiology, better delivery, can repair and restore skin barrier functions, skin is resilient and can slow the natural ageing process as skin health is optimised. Healthy skin is more responsive to skin rejuvenation treatments.
3) Bespoke Blends vs Fixed Formulas
High Street or Online Skincare
You are buying the same products as everyone else, without knowing if your skin will get what it needs. If your skin doesn’t respond well, the easy solution ends up being to buy extra products; once again, these could be unsuitable, too harsh and an unnecessary purchase.
Dermaviduals Prescriptive Skincare
Alongside pre-formulated skincare, Dermaviduals can be truly personalised with tailor-made Prescriptive creams, serums, and masks. Over 30 potent formulations can be uniquely combined to deliver anti-inflammatories, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, plant extracts and other skin-strengthening ingredients deep into the skin. These powerful ingredients can penetrate and merge with the skin’s barrier via an advanced delivery system. The active ingredient is contained within a sphere (liposome or nanoparticle) made from phospholipids, which are similar to those found in the skin cell membrane. Once the Active ingredients have been delivered into the skin, they can target and correct skin concerns.
Why it matters: Having the right skincare that delivers what your skin needs in real time eliminates trial-and-error with products and wasted money. You get what you need, no more, no less.
4) Repair-Led Progress vs Quick Fix Cycles
Many high-street and online products, as well as some beauty salon treatments, focus on exfoliation through peels, scrubs, microdermabrasion, and more. These give your skin a misleading short-term glow-up effect, but this is at the cost of the integrity of your skin’s barrier. Compromising the skin’s barrier can lead to inflammation, irritation and possibly hyperpigmentation over time. Regularly removing your skin’s barrier this way and soothing the redness or ‘glow’ isn’t beneficial for your skin and can cause problems, including sensitivity, inflammation, and spots.
Dermaviduals’ approach is all about normalising the skin by nurturing its barrier. Through Corneotherapy, we aim to repair and restore the skin barrier’s functions, normalising hydration levels, lipid content, skin pH, and the skin’s microbiome. Only after the skin has responded and is looking calmer and feeling comfortable can I focus on introducing Actives to stimulate skin rejuvenation. By respecting the skin barrier and not forcing the skin, you can see steady progress in your skin, with improved tone, texture and clarity.
Why it matters: When your skin is in homeostasis, you can tolerate and benefit from advanced treatments and actives without constant setbacks.
5) Practitioner-Guided Care vs Trend-Led Buys
High-street
Clever advertising, special offers, must-have products and influencers can leave you thinking the latest skincare product is just what you need. The truth may be somewhat different, and there is typically no follow-up or support after your purchase.
Dermaviduals
Dermaviduals is only available through trained skin specialists, who can remove the guesswork and guide you confidently along your skincare journey. Your skin communicates through its outward appearance. I can assess your skin, its history, and environment to determine what your skin needs at any given time and make adjustments accordingly, empowering you to take control of your skincare routine.
Why it matters: Working with me or another Dermaviduals therapist ensures that your skin barrier has what it needs and that your skin is respected and not overtreated, which can lead to problems now or as you age.
What Some of My Clients Say
Maria July 2025 – Rosacea
Jo’s dermaviduals facials and products, that my rosacea has improved immensely. Plus, I find it so liberating that I no longer succumb to new products hype and promises for better skin
Sue September 2024 – Rosacea
For the first time, people have mentioned how good my skin looks. I have rosacea and now my skin looks calm at last! You wouldn’t even think I had the condition. So what have I been doing? After several years of trying so many products I finally found Jo Hannan and Dermavidual treatments that work specifically for my skin, and most importantly I don’t react to them! I now use them exclusively, the products that have worked for me extremely well are the Cleansing milk with DMS, the Prescriptive High Classic moisturiser and OM R serum for reactive skins. I am extremely happy with the result and the condition of my skin.
Conor August 2024 – Eczema
I have been going to see Jo now for the last few months and can see a visible difference with the quality and clearness of my skin. I have suffered with eczema on my hands for most of my adult life, with most products used to help the situation but not clear it. In just a couple of months this is almost fully cleared up. Jo has great knowledge and experience, and also provides a bespoke treatment to suit my particular skin. Would definitely recommend!
How Smart Home Care Supercharges Your
In-Clinic Treatments
When it comes to caring for your skin, I use the analogy of the Cupcake. Let me explain. Assuming you want your healthiest, most radiant complexion, think of the cake itself as your home care, the icing as your in-studio treatments, and consistency as the cherry on top. How you care for your skin at home makes a significant difference to the results of your treatments. Let’s break it down here:
1. Your skin is in better condition when you arrive
Have you ever booked a facial treatment in desperation, feeling that your skin needs some expert care? You leave with your skin feeling much softer and hydrated, only to find that it is back to how it was before your treatment a week later.
Depending on your treatment, this is likely due to your home care, which does not adequately support your skin’s needs. When your home care supports your skin, it will be calm and hydrated. This means that your skin behaves more predictably, allowing me to focus more on the rejuvenating aspects of your treatment and send you home with beautifully plump, radiant skin that stays boosted for longer.
2. Faster recovery
Treatments such as microneedling work by producing controlled trauma to the skin, which then triggers a healing response (for microneedling, collagen induction). However, your skin barrier must be strong; otherwise, you may experience excessive inflammation, redness, and increased downtime. When the skin is healthy, not only does it tolerate Microneedling better, but your skin’s cellular responses, which (ultimately) signal skin improvements, are optimised, resulting in better outcomes.
3. Results last longer
Your results will last longer as your skin is regulating itself as it should.
When your barrier isn’t compromised, your skin:
- Retains its hydration better
- Is calmer and less reactive
- Defends itself from UV and pollution
- Oxidative stress is controlled and not excessive (oxidative stress is a cellular response which ages the skin)
- Its microbiome and pH are balanced – and working for your skin
- Cellular renewal is optimised
- Skin is calm
- The skin looks healthy and bright, with a smooth texture.
Final Thoughts
Healthy, well-supported skin doesn’t need to be forced; it needs to be understood.
Dermaviduals’ customised, skin barrier first approach means your home care and in-studio treatments work in harmony, not at odds. The benefit of this approach is steadier progress, fewer flare-ups, and real lasting results.
If you’d like a tailored plan, I’m here in Fleet, Hampshire and happy to help you get started with a consultation. I will assess your skin, its environment, your lifestyle, and how I can support you.