Seriously Effective Skin-Care at Selfridges

When it comes to their faces, what women (and men) really want is great skin. Yes, they’d like to lose the wrinkles and firm those contours, too, but clear, luminous, blemish-free skin, the sort that speaks of lustrous health, a sensible diet-and-exercise regime and possibly a clever dermatologist, is something of a holy grail.

In the States, they’re good at doing ‘great skin’ but then in the States, every skin-smart girl has the essential DDD numbers – dermatologist, doctor and dentist – on speed dial.

In the UK, which is decidedly short on dermatologists, we are left to our own devices and end up baffled by the huge array of face creams and their conflicting claims; do we need ceramides or collagen? To peel skin and make it thinner, or to firm skin and make it stronger? Or do we need to resort to invasive injectible treatments?

The many ranges of high-tech skincare backed by dermatologists and cosmetic doctors have only compounded the problem and shrouded the secrets of skincare further in mystery.

Now, with the arrival at Selfridges of DCL’s high tech, innovative and seriously effective skincare range, getting great skin just got a whole lot easier.

DCL stands for Dermatologic Cosmetic Laboratories, a company which has been at the forefront of skincare research and development since 1981. From its base in Connecticut, USA, DCL has been supplying dermatologists –the most critical and discerning professionals in the business – with the most innovative and effective skincare formulations for the past 25 years. These products, high-tech ‘cosmeceuticals’ which in the US can only be found in dermatologists’ clinics, are designed to tackle skincare issues head on and now, for the first time, these formulations are now available directly to the public.

There are products and regimes for every skincare concern from anti-ageing to acne-healing, but you won’t need a degree in science to work out which to choose. All DCL’s staff have been intensively trained by dermatologists to recognise specific skin complaints and know exactly how each should be treated. That means they know their squalene from their salicylic acid, and, more pertinently whether or not you need it. Using the latest skin-imaging technology, DCL staff can help identify your skin’s particular needs, and then pinpoint the specific products required to treat it.

The man advising the brand is leading Manhattan dermatologist Dr Neal Schultz, who is DCL’s medical director. Over the past 25 years, Schultz has seen every skin-concern under the sun presented by his demanding clients. If you ask him, we have become so obsessed by lines and wrinkles that we ignore the real problems that make us unhappy with our skin. Besides, Botox, fillers and even face-lifts can’t improve the quality and texture of the skin itself. The issues that really matter: colour, texture, dryness, sensitivity – are all ones that can be tackled if you simply use the appropriate products – which don’t have to cost the earth. And once the skin issues are resolved, and skin restored to its optimum, glowing state, it is easier to make a decision about whether further work is actually, after all, necessary.

“It’s a no-brainer,” says Dr Schultz. “When we look better, we feel better. The bottom-line result has always been a meaningful enhancement of my patients’ self-esteem and overall sense of well-being.”

Taking the complexity out of skincare is DCL’s mission – along with listening to the customer’s needs. The result is trade secrets of the world’s most discerning dermatologists made available and accessible to every consumer.

Five key products in the DCL range work synergistically to diminish wrinkles, fine lines and blotchiness:

• Balancing Cleanser (£27 for 117ml) – a formulation to prepare the skin with thorough cleansing, gentle exfoliation and dual-action moisturising (it contains humectants to draw moisture into the skin from the deeper layers of the epidermis, and also improves the barrier function of the skin, which helps retain moisture).

• Eye Refining Matrix (£40 for 15ml) Treats fine lines, puffiness and dark circles (with arnica extract) around the eyes while moisturising (with hyaluronic acid), and protecting the skin with antioxidants (derived from Green Tea Extract).

• Skin Renewal Complex (£65 for 30ml) – a daytime treatment that provides all the skin-refining benefits of AHAs without the irritation, plus

• Vitamin Infusion (£65 for 30ml) a complete night-time antioxidant complex designed to increase collagen synthesis and help repair the signs of ageing

• Hydrating Serum – (£55 for 30ml) which delivers a powerful dose of moisture to restore ageing skin to its ideal state and can be layered on over one of the treatment products.

What’s more, the DCL Centre at Selfridges is designed by Michael Sheridan to provide a welcoming, clinic-of-the-future type space where customers can have their skin assessed by a trained professional and have the benefits of the DCL range explained.
If deemed necessary a further consultation can be arranged with a medical and/or cosmetic doctor making the DCL Centre the first of its kind to offer comprehensive skin health to the customer.

Dr Neal Schultz, DCL’s medical director, is a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist and author of the book it’s Not Just About Wrinkles.

All of DCL’s products are supported by extensive and detailed clinical trials. In a clinical trial of DCL’s Acne Treatment System, 90 per cent of the patients observed overall improvement of acne after 30 days and 100 per cent of them would recommend the Acne Healing System to others.