For some reason, I am inexorably drawn towards lotions and potions bearing a medical imprint. Who knows, maybe I was a nurse in the Fifties in a previous life – either way, I just instinctively feel that a man with a beard and several letters after his name has to know more about skincare than a 17-year-old with a beauty diploma.

The particular man with a beard that I have in mind is Dr Andrew Weil MD, a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, and clinical professor of medicine at the University of Arizona. He is also the man behind Origins’ Mega- Mushroom range, which is designed to desensitise and nourish troublesome skin.

Weil doesn’t make extravagant promises. In fact, he takes a rather stern approach to skincare. It’s not enough to just slather on cream and hope for the best. He believes you have to support skin with good nutrition, a healthy lifestyle and vitamin supplements. You must eat the correct foods and avoid “inflammatory” substances. He also believes strongly in the healing properties of mushrooms – yes, mushrooms – with regards to beleaguered skin.

Inflamed skin can be a nightmare. I am incredibly lucky because I don’t suffer, but I know people who do, especially with rosacea. This complaint tends to affect people over 30, and manifests itself in the form of rough, red patches. It has no official cure, only “management” methods. Dr Weil’s Mega-Mushroom (www.origins.co.uk) range claims to help, so I gave some to a colleague to try.

She adopted a two-pronged approach – following the rules in Weil’s book, Eight Weeks to Optimum Health and using the Mega-Mushroom Face Serum (£50) and the cream (£45). She saw a difference in two weeks; most dramatically the disappearance of the little lumps under the skin. She also found her skin stayed calmer for longer; the redness decreased noticeably, and overall her skin felt more supple and less dry. As for the diet, she’s not been as religious as Dr Weil would have liked, but she’s adopted the main principles: cutting down on animal and dairy products; avoiding caffeine; taking vitamin C. She hasn’t had a cold in six months.

Dr Weil’s biggest rival is Dr Perricone, also lavishly qualified and author of best- selling skin books. He doesn’t have a beard, but he has an impressive reputation. His skincare range (www.nvperriconemd.co.uk) is based on another Italian staple, olive oil. I found it pleasing, but unexceptional – especially for the money, which is considerable. My friend Jane, however, who is a little older than me, loved it. She found the Nutrient Face Fortifier (£75) wonderfully cool and light, and it did the job beautifully without dragging or feeling like lard, as some of the ultra-moisturising anti-ageing creams do. She twinned it with Dr P’s Nutrient Face Hydrating Mask (£45), also light, and which leaves the skin feeling genuinely dewy.

Finally, a word for make-up artist Trish McEvoy: not a doctor, but rather cleverly married to one – cosmetic dermatologist Dr Ronald Sherman. Her Even Skin Vitamin C Cream (£51, Harvey Nichols) is something else. Used with Beta Hydroxy Pads (£44), it leaves skin soft and glowy – perfect for seasonally dull faces.

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