The skincare journey of a 'professional-amateur' athlete

Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic … and Me. We’re identical in so many ways. Between us, we share 66 major championships and have amassed over $400 million dollars in prize money, but crucially I have something they do not—a personalised skincare routine. Let me share with you how I got to this point.


Despite what you might think of a 26-year-old male, over the years, I have built a genuine interest in skincare for one very good reason: acne. It hit me hard when I turned 17 and after hearing some horror stories of the impact of medical-grade isotretinoin, I went on the journey of exploring possible solutions besides said product. I decided to go down one route —apply only harsh acne creams to my skin and nothing else. As you can imagine this left my skin in the same state as the last banana bread I made—unbearably dry. To be honest, I never really found a solution to the acne (or the baking) and trust me, I tried, but really, I was shooting in the dark with no real education as to fix my skin. I did know one thing though, my skin was, and still is, incredibly sensitive to external aggressors. Thankfully with age, and healthy eating and lifestyle choices, all these years later, the acne did clear up naturally, with only the odd breakout here and there.

Since then, tragically, my skincare routine (which did work to an extent) was much like my dating life—there wasn’t a whole lot going on. Cleanser and moisturiser, done. After working at Wigmore, this still stripped back routine was elevated to better products which I still highly recommend, but like all of us, I still had skin concerns, not helped by my lifestyle.


For some context, the challenges targeting my skin come mostly from physical activity. I play a lot of sport, in fact, the nickname: ‘Roger Federer of SW London’ has been banded around many times before; mostly by my own mother, but that’s beside the point. The point is, in my head, I’m a high performing athlete. A ‘professional amateur’ if you will: I train, eat, sleep and recover like a pro, but perform like a 50-year-old man with a dodgy hip. Regardless, athletes like me sweat; we sweat in dirty gyms, air-conditioned indoor courts and a lot in direct sunlight. As I’ve learnt, lingering sweat traps dirt and oils. Additionally, I’ve recently taken up cycling—mostly to and from work. Many close to me will know this because I won’t stop talking about it and have made it my entire personality. Apart from making me insufferable to be around to anyone who still takes the tube, cycling has also given me some added skin challenges. For example, having swapped being on the 88 bus to Harley Street for traveling directly behind its exhaust, each morning I provide my skin with a beautiful, toxic CO2 facial to start the day and have a cheeky top-up around 6pm on my way home. I’m no expert, but that can’t be ideal.

Unfortunately, and I’m sure Roger, Rafa and Novak would agree, this level of first-rate sporting activity, under these conditions, leaves skin dirty, burnt and in my case, prone to breakouts. For the most part, I just accepted that these are the sacrifices elite level sportsmen must take, but very recently I was offered just what 17-year-old me would have wished for; a skin VISIA accompanied with a personalised skincare routine, targeting
my unique skin concerns.

My skin age was 26 (good apparently). I doubt Roger, Rafa and Novak could say the same—probably because they’re all in their 40’s, but we can gloss over that. The results revealed nothing too shocking: some sun damage, a build-up of bacteria and pollutants from my active lifestyle, and a few stubborn breakouts. In essence, the advice was simple—stop just putting things on my face and start taking things off it properly.

Looking back,  my skincare strategy was reminiscent of a dodgy builder; instead of fixing the foundations,I was repeatedly painting over the cracks.

These are the products that finally gave me a proper plan.

First up, cleanser, and really, this is the big one. As you can imagine, I was cleansing like a madman—once after the gym in the morning, once when I arrived at work, after the ride home (did I mention I cycle?) and potentially once more if I’ve been living out my Roger Federer fantasies in the evening. This meant I needed a cleanser that gets rid of dirt without stripping my skin, and the IMAGE Clear Cell Cleanser does just this. It feels thick but not overbearing and leaves my skin feeling clean without feeling ‘bare’ or exposed. It does such a good job that I can now cleanse only twice a day.

Then come the Clear Cell clarifying pads to remove impurities and excess oil, whilst deeply clearing clogged pores. Followed by the Ageless exfoliator which gets rid of that week’s stubborn dirt and pollution once and for all.

Finally, SPF (who knew you needed to wear SPF every day—even in Winter), not only is my skin not constantly burnt, but it’s actually softer. That’s thanks to Colorescience No-Show. It doesn’t even sting your eyes when you’re playing elite level sport.

I’m glad to report that I have noticed a difference. My skin is feeling less vulnerable to external aggressors and apart from the odd chocolate binge my outbreaks are limited to the rare spot. And so, what I thought started as a summer fling, has now formed into a serious, committed relationship to my new skincare routine. My past skincare routine and I parted ways on great terms, and I still recommend some of the products to friends.

So, what am I saying? Has it changed my life? No—unfortunately, I’m still insufferable, but my skin is looking ‘gorgeous’ (thanks Mum). And if that isn’t proof enough, then I don’t know what is… My cycling Strava link is available upon request.


Harry Cordell is the Marketing Executive at Wigmore Medical. Since joining the team almost a year ago, he has developed a wide interest in skincare products across multiple brands.