The Skin Nerd on updating your lockdown skincare routine, and picking spots – if you HAVE to

You shouldn't be picking your spots - but if you have to...

One thing I've noticed about being at home all the time is the urge to pick my face when I'm walking by any mirror in my house. Even a reflection in a pot will do. I've also noticed I've had a lot more time to look after my skin and hydrate with loads of water during the day. Working from home is ideal in this scenario as I don't have to keep running to the toilet in work. It's just a few meters away from my at-home office... which is my kitchen table. But still, just drinking water sometimes isn't enough to keep my skin healthy. So, in order to get a bit of guidance I caught up with the Skin Nerd, aka Jennifer Rock, to chat about skincare during lockdown, new things to try, old habits to keep and how to pick your spots - if you have to! Jennifer says that she "will never encourage people to pick a spot" ... but if you have to (and I do), then do not - do NOT - use your nails. The best way to pick a spot, according to her, is to wrap toilet paper around your fingers - including the top. Make sure the top is the part that's touching your skin so that you don't get scarring from picking. "The secret is to spread your skin where the spot is, press down and then you have to wiggle," says Jennifer.  And DON'T squeeze until blood comes out. Jennifer Rock As for trying new things during at home during lockdown, Jennifer says it's worth adding more Vitamin A into your skin's diet. "Vitamin A in the retinol form is one I'm really encouraging people to try because we're not out and about socialising as much," she says. "So it's a chance to dabble in those ingredients, because you have a little more time indoors." According to the Skin Nerd, retinol is a "game changer" - but you have to make sure you apply your SPF with it as you ease yourself into your Vitamin A and retinol routine. As well as this, double cleansing is a practice Jennifer says we should be doing at night. Forget about doing it in the morning, but there's definitely a need to keep it up before bed. "It can just be 20-30 seconds of using an oil based cleanser to take off the heaviness, whether it's makeup or SPF," she says. "Then your other cleanser will slap off the remainder of the first cleanse." Lots to consider, truly.