Skincare aficionado Kelly Meharg on the five biggest lessons she’s learned since prioritising her skin, and the three best treatments she’s had to give her a level of skin confidence that runs *deep*
Capsule x Caci
Ever since I turned 30, taking care of my skin has been a huge priority because, thanks to many fabulous women who have come before me, I have been warned about what’ll happen if I don’t.
I’m not talking about wanting to look 30 when I’m 60 (wait am I…. no, no I’m not. I mean I’d settle for 50?!) but I mean a healthy, radiant and non-problematic visage that still allows me to face the world in the way I want to.
I love, love skincare, and over the last five years, since paying attention to what is changing on my face as time marches across it, it’s become something I’ve been more and more fascinated by.
I’ve tried a fair few things – lasers, peels, Botox and more – and while yes, my mug looks smoother, brighter and more vibrant these days, investing in my skin goes so much more than skin deep.
Call it self-care, call it vanity, call it girlhood, whatever it is, the process of actually investing in my skin – properly, consistently, and with professional help – has taught me quite a bit about myself and honestly, it’s not all about the actual skin. Rather, for me, it’s been about commitment, clarity and, most importantly, confidence.
Five Big Lessons My Skin Journey Taught Me:
1. Good skin is less about miracles and more about maintenance
We know the skincare industry loves a miracle – one product, one treatment, one overnight transformation. Sadly (or realistically), skin doesn’t work like that.
The biggest shift in my results came when I stopped thinking of treatments as a one-off fix and started treating them like a gym membership for my face. Consistency matters. Skin cells take time to renew, collagen takes time to build, and the glow-up is a gradual thing rather than a dramatic overnight reveal, as much as I would love THAT to be true.
Basically: good skin is a long game. Annoying, but true. And it does help to have someone on hand who’ll tell you exactly what you need – and what you don’t.
2. Professional help makes a HUGE difference
Look, I love a late-night skincare rabbit hole as much as the next person, but the reality is that dermatological-grade treatments and expert guidance can do things that your bathroom cabinet simply can’t. And while my skincare collection is one of my most prized possessions, I like to give it a helping hand with doses of pro-grade TLC. Also, I love a half-hour lie down in the middle of the day!
Working with trained skin therapists at Caci has meant my routine actually made sense for my skin, rather than being a chaotic collection of TikTok recommendations – for example, I couldn’t understand why my hormonal acne flare up was worse than usual on one visit – my therapist took one look and asked me if I was using vitamin C at home. I was – and sure enough, that was a huge factor in my ragey-red skin. It really goes to show that you cannot – CANNOT – substitute actual people for social media or AI bots, duh. And, of course, the treatments themselves target things like congestion, texture and pigmentation at a deeper level than topical products alone.
Turns out, sometimes the professionals do know what they’re doing.
3. My confidence is SO tied to my skin
Here’s what I’ve learned the hard way – when my skin is behaving itself I don’t think about it. I just exist – happy, content and pretty confident to take on the world. But when it’s not, it occupies a truly ridiculous amount of my mental space. Should it? No. Does it? Yes.
Being in my mid-30s, I’m really noticing my skin beginning to change, not just with fine lines and wrinkles, but in its texture, elasticity and, the most annoying of all, it’s hormonal acne because I’m sorry, having wrinkles AND pimples is just bloody cruel and no one warns you about this.
I’ve focussed on improving my overall skin health, from the basics like hydration and SPF, through to targeted treatments when I’ve needed them (see below for my favourites).
And as my skin gradually improved, I noticed something subtle but powerful: I stopped thinking about it. I stopped worrying about lighting, stopped checking mirrors, stopped doing that thing where you angle your face away from people in conversations because you don’t want them to see that blemish you’re so sure the entire world is talking about, but in reality, no one has noticed.
4. Skincare is self-care
Modern life has a habit of moving at breakneck speed, and carving out time for yourself often falls to the bottom of the list.
My skincare regime changed that. Over the last few years I have really romanticised it – sometimes I’ll pop a candle on if I’m doing a few at-home treatments, or I’ll play my favourite playlist when I’m doing my nightly wind-down. It’s my time and even if it’s only five minutes, it’s a reminder that I’m doing something lovely for myself, and that alone can be really powerful.
Booking in facials is on the more luxury end of this, for sure – but for 30–45 minutes, there is literally nothing to do except lie down, relax, and let someone else take care of things. No emails, no notifications. Just skincare and a quiet room.
It’s essentially meditation but with results (you can tell I’m not a meditation girlie!) and I find that I crave those appointments whenever I can carve out some time for them. Caci does make this a lot easier with their membership – members can access a personalised treatment plan, save on treatments and skincare, make the most of their payment plan and earn rewards.
5. Your skin is always evolving
What worked for me a year ago isn’t necessarily what my skin needs now. Hormones, stress, seasons, ageing – it all affects how your skin behaves and I don’t think I realised how quicky this can happen when you get to your mid-30s!
The key lesson? You have to stay flexible. Adjust the treatments, tweak the routine, and accept that skincare is more of an ongoing relationship than a final destination.
Which, yes in hindsight, sounds suspiciously like advice for dating… but this is easier!
The Hero 3 Treatments That Powered My Glow-Up
I’m obviously not a skin expert or therapist – but I like to think that I’ve tried and tested a fair whack of different treatments and here’s what I’d recommend if you were wanting to start investing in your skin, too.
Here are the MVPs that you can try out for yourself at Caci:
Caci Signature Peel
If I had to nominate a hero treatment, this would probably be it.
The Caci Signature Peel is essentially a high-powered resurfacing treatment that uses a blend of acids, enzymes and growth factors to kickstart collagen production and speed up cell renewal. The idea is to stimulate the skin so it produces stronger, healthier cells, improving tone, texture and brightness. It pretty much does it all in one go, and we do love a multi-tasking queen!
The experience itself is oddly satisfying – a warm, slightly tingly sensation followed by cooling infusion therapy. The result? Skin that looks noticeably smoother, tighter and brighter within days. This is the real deal for true results – basically, it’s like hitting the refresh button on your face.
Hydradermabrasion
Think of this as the deep clean your pores desperately needed, or, if you’re me and a little unhinged, kind of a like a tiny water blaster for your face.
Hydradermabrasion is an advanced exfoliating treatment that removes dead skin cells while simultaneously infusing hydrating and soothing ingredients like hyaluronic acid, aloe and green tea extract.
For someone prone to congestion this one was a game-changer, and one I like to do when I feel my face is rocking a little more texture than usual. My skin always felt ridiculously clean afterwards, the kind of clean where your face feels fresh but not stripped.
And the glow? Immediate!
Sonophoresis Infusions
This treatment feels like skincare wizardry! Sonophoresis uses sound waves to push active ingredients like antioxidants, vitamins and hydrating compounds deeper into the skin where they can actually do their job.
Instead of just sitting on the surface, the ingredients penetrate further, helping with hydration, redness, pigmentation and overall skin health, and I really did notice a difference after a course of them.
The result is plumper, calmer, better-hydrated skin – the kind that looks quietly healthy rather than aggressively shiny.
What’s Next For My Skin
While my skin is in a far better place than when I started, I’m definitely not done experimenting.
The next chapter of my skincare adventure will hopefully involve exploring more advanced treatments, particularly laser facials and fractional CO₂ laser resurfacing, which are known for targeting deeper concerns like pigmentation, texture and early signs of ageing.
They work by creating controlled micro-injuries in the skin that stimulate collagen production and trigger the body’s natural repair process, ultimately leading to firmer, smoother skin over time.
In other words: the glow-up continues, baby! Because if there’s one thing this whole journey has taught me, it’s that great skin isn’t about perfection, it’s about progress. Stay tuned!
