Skin Care Tips!
The holidays are a great time to enjoy the company of friends and family and treat yourself to a relaxing vacation. That said, the festive season can also have a big effect on your skin—and usually in a negative way. We list all the things that interfere with healthy skin during the holiday season and offer some tips for healthy winter skin.
1. Being deprived of sleep can deprive your skin of the chance to repair itself
Between food prep and party hosting, getting a good night’s sleep around the holidays can be quite a challenge. Dr. Robert S. Rosenberg, board-certified sleep medicine physician and author of Sleep Soundly Every Night, Feel Fantastic Every Day, clarifies what happens when our bodies are asleep. “Our brains have a system—the lymphatic system—that flushes out neurotoxins. This is turned on mainly during sleep,” he explains.
But it’s not just that. According to him, our brains also produce body-repairing hormones when we sleep, such as growth hormones, which are necessary for tissue repair and cell regeneration, as well as myelin, the sheath that surrounds and insulates the nerves. Constantly depriving yourself of sleep also causes an elevation of cortisol, putting your body in a constant state of stress. As the body’s largest organ, skin is usually where the first signs of damage appear, and we’re not just talking about dark circles and eye bags.
“Beauty sleep is essential,” says all dermatologists around the world. You need to get seven to eight hours of sleep because that’s when the skin repairs itself,
Holiday Skin Care Tip #1: Need help in the sleep department? Spritz a fine mist of pillow spray, which is infused with calming ingredients like lavender, vetivert and chamomile, to help relax your mind and body and get you ready for sleep.
2. Sugary treats can lead to glycation, which causes skin aging.
Let’s be honest. The best part about the holidays is all the delicious treats. That said, Dr. Jaliman warns against indulging too much on sugary desserts, which leads to glycation.
“Glycation is when sugar binds to other molecules in your body, such as protein and lipids,” says New York–based dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe. “These sugar by-products do two things. First, they stop your cells from functioning properly, and then they create free radicals, which can further damage your cells. As a result, the molecules in your skin that keep your complexion looking tight and young—namely, collagen and elastin—are no longer able to do their jobs. Furthermore, you become more vulnerable to environmental stressors such as UV light, pollution and cigarette smoke.”
Holiday Skin Care Tip #2: If you’re struggling with a craving for something sweet, opt for a better-for-your snack that will satisfy both your taste buds and skin. For the holidays, we love berries because they contain powerful antioxidants that can help protect your skin from free radicals. This includes environmental aggressors and other aging factors.
3. Alcoholic beverages produce free radicals that damage the skin
In addition to sugary treats, the effects of alcohol from your holiday drinks on the skin can also be substantial.
“Flushing is due to accumulation of acetaldehyde (what alcohol gets broken down to) in the blood. Acetaldehyde is thought to cause flushing by stimulating release of histamine,” explains board-certified dermatologist Tsippora Shainhouse, MD. “Acetaldehyde [also] produces reactive free radicals and damages DNA. This leads to the breakdown of collagen fibers, skin inflammation, skin hyperpigmentation and can cause wrinkles.”
Holiday Skin Care Tip #2: Instead of a boozy cocktail this holiday season, try a red wine spritzer with sparkling water. This drink is a great way to satisfy your craving without going overboard. Not only that, but red wine actually contains antioxidants and a splash can be great for your skin!
*Health: Alcohol, refined sugar and dairy products have been shown to affect the skin’s health, and it’s important to enjoy them in moderation
4. Wearing makeup all day and not washing it off before bed can clog your pores.
While upping your makeup game for your back-to-back holiday soirees won’t necessarily cause breakouts, forgetting to remove it before you hit the sack can clog your pores and make your skin a breeding ground for bacteria. “People come home late from parties and they forget to take their makeup off,” says Dr. Jaliman. “This leaves [the] skin bumpy and prone to breakouts,” she adds.
Holiday Skin Care Tip #4: In our fast-paced lives, it’s easy to overlook even the simplest tasks, like taking care of your skin. Now, when you can’t give your face the attention it deserves, reach for a beauty remover wipe by your bedside table. Otherwise, you’ll likely succumb to clogged pores and breakouts in the future.
These are some helpful simple tips:
– Daily sunscreen will go a long way towards keeping you healthy
– Keep hydrated and moisturized with hydrating mists and serums like SkinCeuticals HA Intensifier plus heavier moisturizers
5. Stress compromises your skin’s natural barrier.
The holidays are a stressful time—and stress can have a tremendous impact on the skin. From breakouts to excess oil, the side effects of stress on the skin can seem endless.
“Distress increases cortisol release, which can thicken hair follicle cells and increase oil production in the skin, leading to stress-induced skin breakouts or acne,” explains Heather Hickman, senior director of education for Dermalogica and the International Dermal Institute. “Chronic negative stress can also disrupt the skin’s natural barrier, which prevents harmful substances from penetrating and fluids from escaping. This can lead to irritated and dehydrated skin and makes lines and wrinkles more evident.”
Holiday Skin Care Tip #5: Treat Yourself – High stress can wreak havoc on the skin, so a little self-care can go a long way. Book a facial, HydraFacial or MicroPeel, write in your journal, take a relaxing bath, or choose anything else that helps you relax.
6. Hectic schedules disrupt your normal skincare routine.
Around the holidays, everyone’s busy. Because of that, our skincare can be put on the back burner—especially when it comes to those weekly treatments like masking and exfoliating. “People are busy and don’t exfoliate enough [around the holidays],” says Karla. “This leaves dead skin on the surface, [making it hard for] moisturizers [to] penetrate deep into the skin,” she adds. “Makeup doesn’t go on smoothly, so the skin looks rough and dull,” she explains.
Holiday Skin Care Tip #6: Exfoliate – Gentle exfoliation with SkinCeuticals MicroPeel Treatments can rid your skin of dead skin cells and allow for better absorption of hydrating and moisturizing products.
Boost Your Moisturizer – You may need a heavier moisturizer than you’ve been using. Have you tried SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid 2:4:2 or Vitamin C E Ferulic Serum? Winter is the perfect time to try them! Daily Sunscreen – Sunscreen is not just for the summer. Avoid sun damage like premature aging and sun cancer with daily sunscreen usage, no matter the season!
Get a Holiday Glow with SkinCeuticals Glowing skin starts with healthy skin! With the holidays coming up we all want that fresh, radiant glow. So now is the perfect time to focus on your skin health so you can achieve that desired holiday look. At The Florida Facial Bar, we use SkinCeuticals because their products offer fast, clinically proven, unmatched results that keep skin barrier healthy year-round.
Schedule an appointment at The Facial Bar so we can refine your at-home skincare routine and pick out the products that will help you achieve your glowy skin goals just in time for the holidays! Follow these skincare tips for surviving the holidays. There’s no doubt that the holidays can be the busiest time of the year. But between all the parties, caroling, and decking the halls, who has time for stress-induced breakouts or dull skin?