Your skin shouldn’t feel tight after cleansing

Your skin shouldn’t feel tight after cleansing

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It’s easy to give more thought to your serums and moisturiser than your cleanser. After all, you’re washing it off a minute later, and the serums and creams have all the good stuff, right?

But the cleanser you use every day can make a huge difference to how your skin feels and how well its protective barrier functions. If your skin starts feeling really tight and making you want to reach straight for the moisturiser after washing, I think you need to read on.

Your skin’s natural protective layer

The surface of healthy skin is naturally slightly acidic. You may have heard this called the acid mantle. It helps support your skin’s protective barrier and the microorganisms that naturally live on its surface.

Your skin also relies on its natural oils to help hold moisture in. Cleansing needs to remove makeup, sunscreen and daily dirt while leaving enough of those protective oils in place. It should feel clean and comfortable, without that tight, stripped feeling. If it does, then the cleanser is over doing it.

When cleansing is too harsh

Some cleansers remove more oil than your skin can comfortably lose. Traditional alkaline soaps can also disturb the skin’s naturally acidic environment. You might notice flaking around your nose, rough patches or products starting to sting when they didn’t before. Over time, harsh cleansing may contribute to dryness and irritation.

Even oily skin needs gentle care. If you’re dealing with congestion and breakouts, it’s understandable to want a really thorough cleanse. But washing until your skin feels squeaky-clean can leave it feeling sore and dry as well.

The Prologic cleansers we recommend

There are a few options in the Prologic range that we can choose from, depending on what your skin needs.

Cream Cleanser: for dry, ageing and sensitive skin

Prologic Cream Cleanser is one we often consider for skin that’s dry or needs a gentler cleanse. It contains lecithin, vitamin E, avocado oil and jojoba oil to support the skin barrier while cleansing. If your skin has become drier as you’ve got older, or often feels uncomfortable after washing, give this one a go.

 

Gel Cleanser: for acne-prone and congested skin

Prologic Gel Cleanser contains salicylic acid and is designed for skin prone to breakouts. We may recommend it when acne or congestion is a concern, taking into account how sensitive your skin is and what else you’re using.

 

Skin Intelligence Cleanser: for pigmentation concerns

The Skin Intelligence Cleanser is part of Prologic’s specialised pigmentation range. It contains lactic acid, along with lecithin and linseed oil to support the skin barrier. I’d usually recommend this as part of your home care when we’re working on pigmentation and uneven skin tone.

Let’s have a look at what you’re using

If your skin feels tight after cleansing, is persistently dry or flaky, or feels congested and dehydrated at the same time, mention it at your next appointment.

Bring your cleanser along, or take a photo of the label. I’d be happy to look at it with you and explain what I’d recommend for your skin.

👉 Book a skin consultation with Jemma

~ Jemma

Not sure? Let's chat

Why Prologic ingredients are specifically chosen

Perioral dermatitis: Why your skin might be reacting

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When I’m choosing skincare for a client, I’m looking at what it is doing for the skin barrier, how it is supporting hydration, and whether it makes sense for the skin I am actually looking at.

Prologic is built around corneotherapy, so the focus is on supporting the outer layers of the skin and helping the barrier function properly.

Some products feel lovely when they go on, but I’m more interested in what they keep doing once they are on the skin.

Why Prologic starts with the skin barrier

Your skin barrier helps keep water in, irritants out, and the skin more comfortable day to day. When the barrier is working well, the skin usually feels calmer, stronger and more settled. When it is disrupted, the skin can start to feel tight, dry, rough, reactive or inflamed.

The outer layer of the skin is often described as a brick-and-mortar structure. The skin cells are the bricks, and the lipids around them are the mortar holding everything together.

So when we talk about barrier-supportive skincare, we are talking about ingredients that help support the structure of the skin itself.

The ingredients Prologic uses

Skin-identical lipids

Prologic uses skin-identical lipids such as ceramides, cholesterol and free fatty acids. These are part of the skin’s own barrier structure, which is why they matter so much in corneotherapy. Instead of just coating the surface so the skin feels soft for a while, these ingredients are chosen because they make sense for the lipid matrix in the stratum corneum.

When the skin is dry, reactive or slow to recover, I often want to look at the lipid side of the barrier. Hydration matters, but if the skin’s lipid structure is not supported, the skin can still keep losing water and feeling unsettled.

Physiological oils

Prologic also uses oils that are more compatible with the skin, including jojoba, macadamia, rice bran and plant-derived squalane. These are chosen because their fatty-acid profiles work well with the skin’s own barrier.

For inflamed or struggling skin, heavy or poorly matched oils can be too much. I want oils that help replenish the skin without leaving it feeling overloaded.

Kiwi Seed Oil and Omega 3

Kiwifruit Seed Oil is one of the Prologic ingredients I really love. It is rich in Alpha Linolenic Acid, an essential Omega 3 fatty acid. From a skin point of view, Omega 3 is useful because it plays a role in barrier function and water loss.

It is also lightweight, which matters. Some oils feel too heavy when the skin is already inflamed or compromised. Kiwifruit Seed Oil gives lipid support without that greasy, smothered feeling.

Hydration support

Prologic uses humectants such as glycerin, sodium lactate and hyaluronate to help support hydration. Humectants help draw and hold water in the skin, but hydration needs to sit inside the bigger barrier picture. If the skin does not have enough lipid support, that water can disappear quickly. I prefer formulas that consider water and lipids together, because the skin usually needs both.

Mamaku Black Fern

Mamaku Black Fern is another ingredient Prologic has spoken about for barrier repair and hydration support. It helps reduce transepidermal water loss, which is the water that escapes through the skin when the barrier is not holding hydration well.

Soy Lecithin

Soy Lecithin helps keep oil and water together in a formula, which gives the product a smooth and consistent texture. From a corneotherapy point of view, the more interesting part is that lecithin is structurally compatible with the skin’s own barrier lipids.

Some conventional emulsifiers can keep behaving like surfactants once they are on the skin, especially when water or perspiration are involved. Prologic uses Soy Lecithin because it helps with formula stability without working against the skin’s own lipid structure.

Coco Glucoside

Cleansers are often where barrier-impaired skin gets into trouble. A cleanser might only be on your face for a short time, but if it leaves the skin tight, squeaky or uncomfortable, it is probably doing more than simply cleaning.

Prologic uses Coco Glucoside in its cream cleansers. It is a non-ionic cleansing agent derived from coconut and glucose, and it gives a gentler cleanse without that harsher surfactant feel. I much prefer a cleanser that leaves the skin clean and comfortable, rather than one that makes the skin feel stripped.

What Prologic chooses to leave out

Prologic is also very intentional about what it does not use. The range avoids ingredients such as fragrance, silicones, mineral oil, harsh surfactants like SLS and SLES, synthetic colours, and certain conventional emulsifiers that do not fit with its barrier-focused approach.

Fragrance is a good example. A product can smell beautiful and still be a problem for reactive skin, especially because some fragrance compounds can oxidise and become more sensitising over time.

Silicones can give the skin an immediate smooth feel, but Prologic chooses ingredients that are more compatible with the skin’s own barrier structure instead.

With surfactants, the issue is often that they clean too aggressively. SLS and SLES can remove oil very effectively, but for a compromised barrier, that can leave the skin feeling stripped and depleted.

How I choose Prologic for clients

If you are interested in Prologic, you can book a skin consultation in clinic, or complete the Online Consultation Form if you are not local to the skin clinic in Dunedin. Once I have looked at your skin and your current routine, I can recommend the Prologic products that actually make sense for you.

👉 Book a consultation to talk through the best option for your skin

~ Jemma

Not sure? Let's chat

Is your skincare helping your skin, or slowly disrupting it?

Is your skincare helping your skin, or slowly disrupting it?

Understanding what your products are really doing in the skin

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One of the reasons I was so excited to host Rachel Robertson at Skin Health Studio is because she brings such a deep and practical understanding of skin, ingredients, and formulation.

Rachel is the founder of Prologic Skincare, but her experience goes far beyond creating a product range. She began her career as a skin therapist, has completed postgraduate study in cosmetic chemistry, personally formulates the Prologic range, and is recognised internationally through her work in corneotherapy. She understands what happens in real skin, and she understands the science behind the products we use on it.

During our Prologic VIP Evening, Rachel spoke about something I think more clients should understand clearly. Your skincare is never just the active ingredient written on the front of the bottle. The full formulation matters, and how all of those ingredients sit together can change how your skin responds.

This is especially important for skin that is already inflamed, reactive, acne-prone, pigment-prone, dry, or barrier-impaired. These skins often do not need more intensity. What they really need better support, better formulation, and a routine that makes sense for where the skin is actually at. 

Why cosmetic chemistry matters for real skin

Cosmetic chemistry looks at how skincare products are created, preserved, delivered, and tolerated by the skin. It helps explain why one product can feel beautiful for one person, while another person becomes more reactive.

Quite often, clients come in using products that look good on paper. The ingredients sound right and the routine seems sensible. But their skin still feels tight, red, congested, dry, or unsettled. In those cases, we need to look at the full formula to find potential issues.

A product may contain a high qyality ingredient, but if the surrounding formulation is too stripping, too fragranced, too active, or simply wrong for that skin, the result may not be supportive.

Ingredients that can slowly unsettle the skin

Rachel spoke about a few ingredient categories that many people see on skincare labels but do not always understand. Preservatives were one of them.

Preservatives are needed in many skincare products, especially formulas that contain water. They help keep products safe to use by preventing bacteria, yeast, and mould from growing.

Phenoxyethanol

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative. Its job is to help stop bacteria, yeast, and mould from growing in a product, especially once it has been opened and used.

It is very common in skincare and is considered safe within regulated limits. The thing to understand is that it does not benefit the skin itself. It benefits the formula.

For many people, it is not a problem. For very sensitive or eczema-prone skins, it can sometimes be irritating, especially when it appears across multiple products in a routine and the skin barrier is already under stress.

Chlorphenesin

Chlorphenesin is also used as a preservative. It helps protect a product and keep the formula stable.

It is generally considered low risk at normal cosmetic use levels, but some skins can still react to it. This is where sensitive skin becomes a little more complicated. An ingredient can be considered safe overall and still be unhelpful for a particular person’s skin.

If your skin is stinging, red, itchy, or constantly unsettled, ingredients like this can be worth reviewing as part of the whole routine.

Imidazolidinyl urea

Imidazolidinyl urea is a formaldehyde-releasing preservative. This means it helps preserve a product by slowly releasing very small amounts of formaldehyde within the formula.

This is one I like clients to understand, especially if they have a history of dermatitis, allergy, or unexplained reactions.

Formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives can trigger contact allergy in some people. That can show up as red, itchy, irritated, eczema-like skin, sometimes hours or days after using the product.

Fragrance, surfactants, and barrier stress

Fragrance was another important part of the conversation. It can make skincare feel luxurious, but it is also one of the most common triggers for cosmetic contact allergy and irritation.

Natural fragrance and synthetic fragrance can both be a problem for some skins, which is why I never assume something is gentle just because it sounds natural.

We also talked about fragrance in a wider sense, including concerns around certain fragrance-related chemicals and endocrine disruption. This area needs to be spoken about carefully, because fragrance is a broad term. For reactive, inflamed, pigment-prone, or barrier-impaired skin, it is often one of the first things worth reviewing.

Surfactants were another big topic, especially SLS and similar strong cleansing agents. Surfactants help lift oil, dirt, makeup, SPF, and debris from the skin. Some are gentle, while others can leave the skin feeling tight, dry, or stripped.

If your skin feels squeaky clean after cleansing, that is usually not a good sign. Cleansing should leave the skin clean, but still comfortable. The wrong cleanser can undo a lot of good work, especially when you’re using it every day and your barrier is already under stress. If your cleanser is leaving your skin tight or stripped, this is where a barrier-focused cleanser, like the Prologic Skin Intelligence Cleanser, may be more appropriate.

Why Prologic fits this way of thinking

This is one of the reasons I love working with Prologic Skincare. Rachel’s approach is rooted in corneotherapy, cosmetic chemistry, and real skin function. The range has been formulated with the barrier, inflammation, microbiome, and long-term skin health in mind.

When the skin barrier is strong, the skin tends to become less reactive. When inflammation is lower, concerns like pigmentation, sensitivity, congestion, and dehydration often become easier to manage. When ingredients are chosen carefully, the skin can respond without constantly being pushed.

The longer you use the right skincare, the calmer and more predictable your skin should start to feel.

How to look at your own skincare routine

One thing I hope everyone took away from Rachel’s talk is that skincare should make sense. You should understand why you are using something and you should know what each product is doing. Your routine should leave your skin feeling calmer, stronger, and more supported over time.

If your skin is becoming more reactive, more inflamed, drier, more congested, or more pigmented, you may need to double checkthe products you are using every day.

Where to start with finding the right skincare?

If you are feeling unsure about your skincare, the best place to start is with a proper look at your skin and your current routine. At Skin Health Studio, this is something I work through during Skin Consultations. We look at what your skin is doing, what it has been through, what you are currently using, and where things may need to change.

If you are not local to Dunedin, you can also start with an Online Consultation Form, and I can guide you from there.

👉 Book a consultation to talk through the best option for your skin

~ Jemma

Not sure? Let's chat

Your Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide for Glowing Skin

Your Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide for Glowing Skin

This year, give the gift of skin health, self-care, and calm. Whether you’re shopping for a loved one or treating yourself, Skin Health Studio has put together a collection of thoughtful, skin-loving gifts that make every moment feel a little more radiant.

From at-home LED therapy to nourishing kits and wellness rituals, here are my top picks to help you glow this Christmas.

Glow at Home: For the ultimate Beauty Routine

LED Red Light at home Face Masks

IllumiaSkin LED Masks combine professional-grade light therapy with at-home convenience, supporting skin rejuvenation, healing, and balance.

IllumiaSkin PRO is our most powerful LED mask, with 270 LEDs and three treatment modes for renewal, clearing, and healing. Perfect for anyone wanting deeper rejuvenation, firmer skin, and a real collagen boost. Next is the IllumiaSkin LUX which is the most versatile mask in the range, with multiple light settings to target ageing, pigmentation, or inflammation. Perfect for balanced, healthy skin with flexible, customisable treatments. Finally, we have the IllumiaSkin ESS: A gentle, entry-level mask ideal for teens or sensitive, acne-prone skin. Perfect for calming breakouts, reducing redness, and supporting healing from home.

Shop the IllumiaSkin LED Mask range

Sustainable Skincare: Clean Beauty isn’t impossible

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Celebrate the season with Prologic’s signature formulations, created in New Zealand and designed to restore, strengthen, and balance your skin barrier. Each Christmas kit includes full-sized and travel-sized essentials for glowing, resilient skin of all types. 

The Calm Christmas Kit is aimed at sensitive or reactive skin needing comfort and hydration. The Clear Christmas Kit is perfect for those with breakout-prone skin needing gentle clarity and repair. The Intelligent Christmas Kit works for balanced, combination skin needing nourishment and renewal. Lastly, we have the Youthful Christmas Kit for anti-ageing, and skin needing a little more radiance, plumpness, and vitality.

Shop the Prologic Corneotherapy range

For the Skinimalist: SPF & Barrier Care, Wrapped Up

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Hydration and restoration in one luxurious set. The SIMKA Replenish Kit combines deeply moisturising, barrier-supporting ingredients with clean formulations designed to revive dry or stressed skin. A beautiful choice for summer or post-travel recovery.

SIMKA also carries a trio of advanced sunscreens that go beyond conventional protection. These blend advanced antioxidants and UV filters together to work with Vitamin C to protect the skin and preserve its natural vitality and resilience.

Shop the SIMKA Skincare range

A Glow for Everyone: Holiday skin, simplified.

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Dermaviduals’ limited-edition holiday sets are curated for specific skin needs with minimalism in mind, featuring essential products that deliver effective results. Each kit combines a revitalising cleanser, a replenishing moisturiser, and a gentle cleansing cloth to keep your skin glowing through every occasion.

Designed for everyone on your list – friends, family, or even yourself.

Balance Holiday Kit – Supports normal and combination skin to stay hydrated and clear.
Nourish Holiday Kit – Comforts dry, mature, or depleted skin with rich hydration and lipid support.
Clear Holiday Kit – Calms, repairs, and balances skin prone to congestion or breakouts.

Shop the Dermaviduals range

How to Choose the Right LED Face Mask for You

LED Red Light at home Face Masks
LED Red Light at home Face Masks

How to Choose the Right LED Face Mask for You

If you’ve been thinking about trying LED light therapy at home, you’re not alone. It’s one of the biggest game changers in skincare: gentle, non-invasive, and backed by real science. What used to be an in-clinic treatment is now something you can do at home with professional-level results.

At Skin Health Studio, I’ve chosen to stock three beautiful IllumiaSkin LED Face Masks: the PRO, the LUX, and the ESS. Each one supports your skin differently depending on your goals, lifestyle, and budget. Here’s how to choose the one that’s right for you.

But First: Why LED Light Therapy Works

LED (Light Emitting Diode) therapy uses specific wavelengths of light to activate your skin’s natural repair and renewal processes. It helps reduce inflammation, boost collagen, and restore balance without any downtime or irritation.

It’s completely safe, pain-free, and backed by decades of clinical research. The technology was first developed by NASA in the 1990s, and since then, it has become one of the most trusted ways to support long-term skin health.

Different colours of light target different concerns:

  • Red light helps boost collagen and calm inflammation.

  • Blue light targets acne-causing bacteria for clearer skin.

  • Near-infrared light supports deep healing and circulation.

  • Green, yellow, and orange light help even tone and brighten dullness.

  • Purple and cyan light combine antibacterial and calming benefits, ideal for post-treatment healing.

It’s one of my favourite at-home tools for clients who want to maintain their results between treatments.

The IllumiaSkin LED Range

IllumiaSkin PRO LED Face Mask

The IllumiaSkin PRO is the top performer of the range. With 270 LEDs (90 red, 90 blue, and 90 near-infrared) and three pre-programmed 10-minute modes: Renew+, Clear, and Heal, it delivers professional-level results from home.

Perfect for anyone wanting deeper rejuvenation, firmer skin, and a real collagen boost. It’s ideal if your main focus is anti-ageing, barrier repair, or acne-prone skin that needs healing support.

IllumiaSkin LUX LED Face Mask

The IllumiaSkin LUX offers the most flexibility with around 11 light modes and 264 LEDs, giving you a full spectrum of colour options including red, blue, green, yellow, orange, cyan, purple, and near-infrared.

Perfect for balanced, healthy skin with the freedom to customise your treatments for different goals, from brightening pigmentation to calming redness.

IllumiaSkin ESS LED Face Mask

The IllumiaSkin ESS is a beautiful entry-level mask designed to calm, heal, and support sensitive or breakout-prone skin. With 132 LEDs (66 red and 66 blue), it targets inflammation, redness, and acne with a gentle single-mode treatment.

Perfect for calming breakouts, reducing inflammation, and supporting teenage or sensitive skin. It’s simple, affordable, and an amazing first step into at-home LED therapy.

Choosing the Right Mask for You

All three masks use IllumiaSkin’s advanced LED technology and are made from soft, medical-grade silicone for comfort and safety. Each is clinically tested and designed to deliver even light distribution for maximum effectiveness.

 

Your Skin Goal Best Mask
Firming, smoothing, anti-ageing IllumiaSkin PRO
Pigmentation, overall balance, flexibility IllumiaSkin LUX
Acne, redness, inflammation, younger skin IllumiaSkin ESS

My Tips for Getting the Best Results

  • Always start with clean, dry skin.
  • Use your mask 3–5 times a week for 10–15 minutes per session.
  • Stay consistent, as LED therapy is all about regular use.
  • Avoid harsh actives right after using your mask and always wear SPF30+ daily.

Think of LED therapy as a little self-care ritual that also transforms your skin over time. It strengthens your barrier, supports healing, and keeps your complexion radiant and resilient.

Special Offer – November Only

To celebrate the launch of the LUX and ESS masks, I’m offering 15% off the entire IllumiaSkin LED Mask range for November.

Shop the IllumiaSkin range for 15% off until 30 November

Whether you’re starting your LED journey or upgrading to the PRO, it’s the perfect time to bring professional-level light therapy home.

~ Jemma

Not sure? Let's chat

Prologic Skincare: NZ-Made, Clean Beauty That Works

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Prologic Skincare: NZ-Made, Clean Beauty That Works

Gentle. Intelligent. Skin-First Skincare for Real Results.

If you’re someone who wants high-performance skincare without compromising your skin barrier or your values, then let me introduce you to one of my favourite new brands: Prologic Skincare.

Created by Rachel Robertson (a fellow skin therapist and cosmetic chemist who’s been working with skin for over 20 years), Prologic is a New Zealand-made, corneotherapy-based range that’s as kind to your skin as it is to the planet. Every single product is designed to protect your barrier, deliver real results, and simplify your skincare routine. This is clean beauty that doesn’t just look good on a shelf.

Why I Love Prologic (And Why You Might Too)

Prologic is different from your average “natural” skincare brand. At its core, it’s built on corneotherapy: a skin treatment philosophy that puts barrier health first. That means every ingredient is selected with a purpose, avoiding anything that might disrupt or inflame the skin.

You won’t find fragrances, parabens, emulsifiers, silicones, mineral oils, dyes, and preservatives, or other common irritants. What you will find are therapeutic levels of vitamins, lipids, probiotics, and antioxidants. All in simple, skin-identical formulas that allow your skin to function at its best.

And for those of you who care about sustainability (which, let’s be honest, is all of us these days), Prologic ticks all the boxes: vegan-friendly, NZ-made, FSC-certified packaging, bio-sugar plastic bottles, glass bottles, recyclable plastic bottles, and no animal testing.

Hero Products to know:

Skin Intelligence Cleanser

This oil-based cleanser is designed to do more than remove makeup—it’s a targeted pigmentation treatment that gently inhibits melanin production with ingredients like lactic acid, lecithin, and linseed oil. Your skin is left nourished, never stripped, and better protected against future pigmentation.

Derma Aid Treatment

Ideal for skin that’s just undergone clinical treatments like needling, laser or IPL—or for anyone with an impaired barrier. With anti-inflammatory ingredients like boswellia and green tea extract, and nourishing kiwi seed and flaxseed oils, it’s perfect for sensitive, rosacea-prone skin.

Skin Recovery Treatment Oil

Rich in lipids and essential fatty acids, this restorative oil helps replenish lipid-dry skin. Featuring rice bran, wheat germ, cacao and baobab oils, it delivers natural vitamin A, B, and E to support healthy ageing, soften fine lines, and strengthen barrier function.

Probiome Probiotic Serum

Designed to support a disrupted microbiome, this world-first blend of pre-, pro-, and post-biotics promotes skin resilience and repair. With fermented ingredients and grape seed extract, it also encourages cutaneous oxytocin production.

Omega 3 Treatment Oil

Prologic’s very first product! Did you know that every single cell in our body needs Omega 3 to function? Most people are deficient in Omega 3 through not getting enough from their diet. Supplementation provides a really good support of for our internal organs, however our skin being our largest organ gets what’s left over – which is often not much! Topical Omega 3 can help boost levels, alongside diet and supplements.

More Than Skin Deep

Rachel is a skin therapist first, and it shows. Every product is made from real client needs, not trends. She’s also Global Vice Chair of the International Association of Corneotherapy, and continues to educate therapists around the world on barrier-first skincare.

Prologic isn’t about hype. It’s science-backed, skin-identical, and made for real skin issues, like the ones I see every day in the studio.

Is Prologic Right for You?

If your skin is easily irritated, reactive, or just plain tired of complicated routines, Prologic might be exactly what you need. It’s ideal for:

  • Barrier repair
  • Sensitive, rosacea-prone skin
  • Those wanting a clean, simplified routine that still delivers results

As a professional-only brand, you’ll only find Prologic through qualified skin therapists like myself. This ensures your products are matched to your skin’s unique needs, no guesswork, just glowing results.

I’m thrilled to be offering Prologic here at Skin Health Studio. Whether you’re after a nourishing omega oil, a calming probiotic serum, or just want to simplify your skincare routine with something you can trust, I can help.

Pop in, send me a message, or let’s chat at your next appointment. Your skin will thank you.

~ Jemma

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