We’re welcoming a wonderful new face to our family, celebrating engagements and birthdays, sharing travel adventures and discovering just how many serious rugby fans we have in the branch! And with summer almost here, Ingrid has some timely advice on why your Melasma definitely doesn’t know you’re on holiday and why neither should your skin journey.
At Skin Renewal, we believe lasting results come from what happens both inside and outside the clinic. Our in-clinic treatments do the important work of targeting your individual skin concerns, while our own clinically formulated Skin Renewal Skincare Range was created specifically to support that work at home. It’s not a choice between treatments or skincare – they are designed to work together. Consistent homecare helps protect and maintain the progress made in clinic, while the right treatments continue to address what skincare alone cannot.
So, while holidays may mean a break from everyday life, they shouldn’t mean a break from your skin. Settle in as we catch up on the people, stories and advice making news in Stellenbosch – and discover how to keep your skin journey working, wherever summer takes you.
There’s a new friendly face to welcome to our Skin Renewal Stellenbosch family, and we’re delighted for you to meet Ashleen, our new Concierge. With her warm nature and genuine love of caring for people, Ashleen is someone you can turn to for arrangements, special requests, or simply to make your time with us a little easier.
Away from the branch, Ashleen is mum to seven-year-old Ava, and the two love getting creative with arts and crafts, heading outdoors for walks and spending time together. Ava is also a beautiful little ballet dancer and will soon take to the stage at Woordfees in Stellenbosch, a very proud-mum moment for Ashleen!
When she finds a quiet moment, Ashleen loves to read. She’s just finished James Clear’s Atomic Habits and already has Let Them lined up as her next read.
Our Stellenbosch community is made special by the people in it: our team and all of you who walk through our doors. We’re so happy to welcome Ashleen and look forward to you getting to know her on your next visit.
Ingrid shares tips to keep pigmentation calm as the South African summer heats up.
If you live with Melasma, you may know the pattern: months of clearer, more even skin, only for summer to arrive and pigmentation to become more noticeable again.
That’s because Melasma is a chronic, recurring condition that needs ongoing management. With more sun, heat, and outdoor time ahead, consistency matters most.
Why Does Melasma Flare?
Melasma is far more complex than simply having “too much pigment”. Inflammation, vascularity, hormones, environmental exposure and gut health can all play a role.
Summer brings additional triggers. UV exposure stimulates pigment production, while heat can contribute to flushing and inflammation. Hormonal changes may also influence melasma, and irritation from aggressive exfoliation or unsuitable products and procedures can contribute to a flare.
That’s why managing Melasma may require a combination of medical-grade skincare, appropriate in-clinic treatments, supplementation and lifestyle changes.
Calm. Control. Protect.
CALM
Support your skin barrier and avoid unnecessary irritation and inflammation.
CONTROL
Stay consistent with the products and treatments your Skin Renewal doctor or therapist recommends. Ingredients such as tranexamic acid and azelaic acid may form part of your personalised plan, alongside Skin Renewal formulations including Redness Relief Complex, Azelaic Corrective Complex 10%, PhytoFlam Recovery Complex and Tri-Peptide Brightening Complex.
PROTECT
Wear broad-spectrum sunscreen every day and reapply every 2–3 hours when outdoors. Add a hat, sunglasses and shade, and limit prolonged direct sun exposure where possible.
Most importantly, don’t wait for pigmentation to darken before taking action.
Whether you’re beside the pool, exploring a new city or enjoying a long lunch outside, your Melasma doesn’t know you’re on holiday. So pack your sunscreen, hat and Skin Renewal skincare alongside your swimsuit and protect the results you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
Skin Renewal Stellenbosch
Our beautiful Tahren celebrated her birthday on 24 September with a lovely getaway to Langebaan with friends!
With her infectious energy, beautiful smile and fun-loving personality, Tahren has a way of brightening up any room she walks into!
We hope her birthday was as fabulous as she is, and wish her a year filled with love, laughter, adventure and plenty more reasons to smile!
Dr Rulene has had a busy few weeks, and she certainly knows how to make the most of life in and out of the clinic! Our sporty doctor recently took on the KFM Gun Run, lacing up her running shoes for one of Cape Town’s much-loved races, then swapped kilometres for travel and headed off on a European adventure that included the sights, flavours, and energy of Istanbul. And somewhere between running, travelling, and caring for her patients, there was another reason to celebrate, her birthday!
We hope you’ll join us in wishing Dr Rulene a very happy belated birthday and plenty more adventures in the year ahead.
Dr Liz has had plenty to celebrate lately. A true lover of animals and the outdoors, she and her partner, Rory, recently swapped everyday life for the trails, taking on a mountain biking race surrounded by nature. But an even bigger adventure was waiting. A magical escape to Stanford became one they’ll never forget when Rory popped the question - and Dr Liz said yes!
We couldn’t be happier for them and hope you’ll join the Stellenbosch team in congratulating the newly engaged couple as they begin this exciting next chapter together.
When there’s rugby to watch, Cari and Ingrid are there for the action.
It seems we have a few serious rugby fans in our Stellenbosch family! Cari jumped at the opportunity to watch South Africa take on New Zealand on 29 August, soaking up all the excitement that comes with one of rugby’s greatest rivalries. Ingrid has also been getting her rugby fix, heading to Loftus to watch the Blue Bulls take on New Zealand. From cheering on the Springboks to enjoying the action at Loftus, it’s safe to say rugby is never far from the conversation at Stellenbosch!
Long before these products reached our shelves, they were ideas, conversations, questions, careful decisions and a genuine desire to do more for the people who place their trust in us.
What followed was a journey of listening, refining and never settling until every detail felt right. And while seeing these products finally come to life is incredibly special to us, that was never the moment we were working towards.
The moment that matters is when they reach you.
This video tells that journey, from where it all began to where it was always meant to end.
Your pre-loved bras can make a difference this October.
October turns pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Skin Renewal Stellenbosch is proud to once again support ILoveBoobies and the work they do providing breast health screenings and education to women in underserved communities.
There’s a simple way you can get involved too – help us fill our Stellenbosch bra box!
Take a look through your cupboard for gently worn bras that no longer fit or simply never get worn. Bring them along on your next visit. They’ll be collected, laundered and given to women attending ILoveBoobies breast health screenings.
Let’s see how full we can get our box this October!
One bra. One small act of kindness. One Stellenbosch community making a difference together.
As summer takes us outdoors, away on holiday and into a well-earned change of pace, there’s one journey worth staying consistent with your skin journey. Great results don’t come from a single treatment or product, but from the partnership between the right in-clinic treatments, clinically formulated homecare and a personalised plan that keeps working long after you leave us. And that’s what our Stellenbosch team is here for. To know your skin, celebrate your progress and help you keep moving towards your goals – through every season.
A little reminder! From 1 October to 31 March, our Stellenbosch branch will be trading until 6pm, giving you a little more time to fit your appointments into your busy schedule.
Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated on all our products and branch news. And, in case you didn’t know, we have a dedicated WhatsApp number – 087 153 1034 – to help assist you with information, appointments, and more.
Thank you for being part of our Skin Renewal Stellenbosch community. Enjoy the summer, enjoy the adventures and remember: you may be on holiday, but your skin never is.
With our love,
Charleen and Your Stellenbosch Skin Renewal team