Donna Bartoli

Donna Bartoli | Health coach sharing anti-inflammatory living, real food wellness & skin health.

11/03/2026

You guys know I’m obsessed with my clinical treatments, and I already have my booked for the end of the month to deep-clean and resurface. But as an expert, I know you can’t perform “surgery” on a stressed system.

After my hip replacement, my body has been in a state of high-alert. When your nervous system is stuck in “survival mode,” your skin becomes reactive, inflamed, and stagnant. If I went straight into a high-intensity clinical treatment right now, my skin wouldn’t have the “bandwidth” to respond correctly.

This is why I chose a holistic reset facial with .skincare

This was step one of my recovery. Unlike the mechanical suction of a HydraFacial, this was about:
• Nervous System Regulation: Slow, rhythmic movements that signal the brain to switch from “fight or flight” to “rest and repair.” If your cortisol is spiked, your skin cannot heal.
• Manual Lymphatic Drainage: Using expert hand techniques to physically move the post-op fluid that’s been sitting stagnant in my tissues.
• The “Slow” Work: Using organic, nutrient-dense oils and Red Light to soothe the “fire” of systemic inflammation before we move on to the “corrective” clinical work.

Think of this as clearing the debris so the construction crew (my HydraFacial) can actually do their job. It’s about working with the body’s natural healing timeline, not against it.

I’m working every day to get my skin back to its baseline, and it starts with the foundation.

09/03/2026

I’m just going to say it, my skin has taken a bit of a blow over the last 4 weeks.

Post-op recovery is no joke, and between the medication and the systemic stress of a full hip replacement, the facial puffiness was the first thing to show up. As a skin expert, it’s been a humbling reminder that our faces are the ultimate billboard for what’s happening inside our bodies.
I’m bringing back this routine, which millions of you have seen, because it is quite literally the only thing I’m doing every single morning to find my jawline again. It was my go-to then, and it’s my non-negotiable now.

My Expert Secrets for Maximum Drainage:
• The Temperature: Keep your tool in the fridge. The cold constricts the blood vessels and speeds up the removal of stagnant fluid. It’s like a shot of espresso for your lymphatic system. ❄️
• The Material: I’ve moved almost exclusively to stainless steel. It’s non-porous (so it doesn’t trap bacteria), naturally cooling, and essentially indestructible.
• The Slip: If you’re tugging your skin, you’re doing it wrong. You need a high-performance oil that allows the tool to glide without clogging your pores during a time of high inflammation.

I’m working every day to get my glow back to where it was, but in the meantime, I’ve curated a full ‘High-Low’ Edit of the only tools and oils I’ve loved and used through the years, options for every budget, because everyone deserves to feel defined.

I’ve put the full curation in my Stories with direct links. 🔗

Leave a 🤍 for the recovery journey, or ask your drainage questions below.

25/02/2026

I’m 2 weeks post-op and feeling the progress! 💪🏼

To be honest, I focused so much on surviving the surgery that I didn’t fully prep for the “after.” Recovery hasn’t been a walk in the park, but 14 days in, and the light at the end of the tunnel is definitely getting brighter.

I’m officially tapering down the painkillers, graduated to one crutch, and my physio is already leveling up my exercises.

All that hard work I put in pre-op is finally paying off.

I still have a long way to go, but seeing the difference between Day 1 and Day 14 (watch that transition! ➡️) makes it all worth it. One step at a time

04/02/2026

Most “healthy” juices are just sugar with good marketing.

If apple or another fruit is the first ingredient on the label, that’s the base. Which means you’re basically drinking fruit juice without the fibre, not a functional health drink. That’s why people say they’re “doing everything right” and still dealing with energy crashes, inflammation, or skin that isn’t improving.

When I juice, vegetables are always the base and fruit is just there for balance. It changes how your body responds. More minerals, less sugar load, more support for liver pathways, skin, hormones and overall inflammation.

I’m being even more consistent with this at the moment while I’m preparing for surgery. I want my body as supported as possible going in, and this is one of the simple things that genuinely makes a difference.

These are the juices I actually rotate depending on what my body needs.

Save this for your next food shop and start checking those labels.

01/02/2026

I take it for granted now that there’s always bone broth in my fridge because it’s just part of how I eat and live. When food is your foundation, you start thinking about nourishment differently, protein, collagen, gut support, inflammation, skin and longevity, it all links.

I’m doing the 30 Day Broth Challenge with Organic Bone Broth at the moment and I love how easy it is to use. It’s been a go-to for me, for a few years now. Some days I drink it, other days it goes straight into meals as a stock base. It gives the same benefits with no extra effort.

It’s organic, slow cooked for 24 hours and made with bones from British farmers, which really matters to me, as you know.
Real food for real support, every day.

Working with the brand.

31/01/2026

I always notice how many genuinely good, small-batch or more traditional brands are sitting on normal supermarket shelves now, especially in places like , and most people just walk straight past because they don’t recognise the names.

These are the slightly “niche” items that end up in my trolley every week. Better oils, better fats, more traditional production and more sustainable brands. They’re just higher quality versions of everyday things.

Once you start paying attention to ingredients and how food is actually made, you see this stuff everywhere.

Tell me which section to do next because there’s a lot more.

17/01/2026

I’m 4 weeks out from my full hip replacement now and I’m not even going to pretend I’m fine about it. I’m scared, nervous, and I think that’s normal, but more than anything I just want to feel calm about it all. Harder said than done.

So, I’m basically throwing every wellness practice I know at my daily routine right now because I want to go into this surgery in the best possible place health wise, to give myself the best chance of a full recovery

I know it’s “only” a hip replacement and not open heart surgery but this is big for me, this is my body, my mobility, my life, and I’m taking it seriously. One of the things I’m doing is cryotherapy for 3 minutes, 3 times a week

It’s freezing obviously, but the reason I’m doing it is for inflammation support, circulation, muscle recovery, and honestly the nervous system side of it too, it forces you to breathe, regulate, and come back into your body. My mind has a real tendency to go places it doesn’t need to 😅

And then straight after I go into full body red light because it supports healing, tissue repair, lowers inflammation again, and I want all of that going into surgery and coming out the other side

Also, if you’re local, I go to in Brighton on Church Road and it’s honestly the best, it’s the only one we have in the city and we’re so lucky to have it

I’ll share more of everything I’m doing because it’s a lot right now, but it’s helping me feel more in control. It’s definitely what I need.

15/01/2026

These first two weeks of January have been very pre-surgery vibes. I’m just doing what I know works and what I’ve taught myself to do for years anyway… high quality protein, whole food, magnesium, red light, cryo, sleep, nervous system stuff. I’m leaning on it all really heavily right now because it’s not just about the surgery, it’s about recovery too. I’m going to do way more content on each of these but here’s the little round up so far.

Address

Brighton And Hove
BN1, BN2, BN3, BN41

Website

https://www.donnabartoli.com/

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