Dr Sam Bunting’s rules for treating ‘London skin’

For Dr Sam Bunting, who has built her practice around tackling confidence-rattling concerns like acne, rosacea and melasma, the modern skincare predicament is information overload — and, more often than not, product overload too.

After opening her Harley Street clinic in 2010, the cosmetic dermatologist began to see patients arrive with bags of expensive products and what she calls “London Skin”: irritable, bumpy, breakout-prone complexions often buried beneath long-wear make-up. As they regaled her with their complex routines, it was clear that the more they did to their faces, the worse their skin behaved. By contrast, Bunting’s answer has always been to pare things back: to establish the cause of the issue, dose active ingredients carefully and resist skincare trends.

It’s a philosophy that has informed her clinic, her skincare line Dr Sam’s and now Flawless, her guide to achieving bright, clear skin. Here she shares her recommendations for city-dwellers looking to enhance their complexions.

1. Get cleansing wrong and it’s hard to get skincare right

“City life is hard on skin — pollution settles on it all day, driving free radicals, pigmentation and that tell-tale urban dullness. So, cleanse every evening without fail; skip this and those particles sit and do their damage overnight. It needn’t be elaborate. Dr Sam’s Flawless cleanser (£20, Sephora.co.uk) or Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser (£8, boots.com) both gently but effectively lift the day away, in a single cleanse without stripping the barrier.”

2. Healthy skin is energised skin

“Our cells need fuel to mend the skin barrier, support DNA repair and keep turnover ticking for a bright, clear complexion. This energy naturally dips as we age, while deadlines, commutes and phones that never switch off keep cortisol raised, which slows barrier and DNA repair, leaving skin dull and depleted. Dr Sam’s Flawless vitamin C NAD+ serum (£64, Sephora.co.uk) supports the skin’s energy pathways, while tackling free radical damage and delivering glow.”

3 Actives are where the magic lies

“When time is precious, the last thing you need is clogged pores and stress-triggered breakouts. Target them at their source with azelaic acid and a retinoid. Although now trending on social media, this power duo has been at the heart of my protocol for more than a decade with reason. Dr Sam’s Flawless nightly serum (£50, Sephora.co.uk) combines two per cent granactive retinoid and 10 per cent azelaic acid to put you on the fast track to glass skin.”