I have a terrible fear of redness. Redness of eyes, redness of broken capillaries, of elbows and of knuckles and knees after a good scrub. In fact the only redness I embrace, the redness I will invest in if it is truly deepest darkest, rouge red, is of course that of lipstick.

My story begins and ends with sensitive skin. I rarely apply anything all over my body if it is not E45 cream or a one ingredient emollient. OK, occasionally three ingredients may appear – as long as they are active or in the very least featuring! I do love a lovely body butter though. On occasion, you see. Not home made, mind.

What of my face though? My face is most exposed to the elements and living not in a nudist colony but in the nebulous cloud that is London town, this poses many a consideration by way of the vast unpredictable nature of skin and environment. Windswept and underground tunnels filled full of undeterminable substances; rife with their porous clogging capabilities and potential to leave one, the largest organ of the body, slave to the elements. My skin or your skin deserves better. Sensitive or not, living in the seasonally challenged London town is no excuse.

I believe that no matter what topical treatments I incorporate into my skincare regime, there is nothing more powerful what I do, who I am and the principles I adhere to. On controlling on that redness; on that texture; on the cessation of pores and enhancement of glow, there is no medicine more potent than that which is absorbed from the outside to the nutrients inside of us. I believe my faith remains in the regime that is, rather conveniently a necessity; food. Therefore, the one product I will apply daily is one product too many were it not for my joy in it’s simplicity and above all, transparency.

I love am/pm hyaluronic acid infusion from Dr Barry Cohen’s pH Advantage skincare range. The pH Advantage range is not medical grade or abrasive and the philosophies behind its development are best explained by US based plastic surgeon Dr Cohen himself. I just know that it’s the only thing I will dress my face with day in – day out and have been doing so for the last six months with no qualms or adverse reactions whatsoever. Sometimes I will mix up my daily routine – variety being the spice of life – because there is a theory about self medicating, by the way. Like the theory that we are all becoming anti-biotic etc resistant, well, this is just as serious. A prescription to eat foods for health is a direct treatment. It is not adjuvant therapy: it activates every layer that is the most complex genetic composition; of skin on a cellular level. Self medication; check it out – naturopathic medicine 101. It’s what we do. How powerful is that Doc? I wear am/pm hyaluronic acid infusion and it feels fantastic. It is not sticky, nor do I feel it on my skin at any stage in the day. It is clear and the perfect consistency. It does not slide off my fingers when I apply it and a little goes a long way. I can’t believe my brand loyalty has come so far, far from redness and the inferior complex associated with sensitivity of any kind. The perceived notion of sensitivity as weakness is now my strength by way of knowledge. The best part? Sharing it with you.

You can purchase Dr Barry Cohen’s pH Advantage range at Beyond MediSpa, fourth floor Harvey Nichols.

Susannah Makram BSc (Hons) Ost Med, ND – Osteopath & Naturopath Twitter: @SusannahMakram

Website – SusannahMakram.com