How To Look After Your Skin Over The Christmas Party Season
The Christmas party season has arrived! If you are anything like us, the feeling of overwhelm is real. Just thinking about everything that needs to be done can induce anxiety and while the upcoming nights out will be lots of fun, the after-effects are less desirable!
Our diaries are full of meetups with friends, work parties and decadent and boozy lunches. In between, we need to shop, wrap, decorate and put on an Instagram perfect Christmas. It’s not rocket science to predict that we will be feeling fairly burnt out by the time Christmas arrives. Thankfully, some of us can have some rest once the day itself has been and gone.
All of this stress however manifests outwardly as stressed skin. Coupled with cold weather and central heating, our skin is very prone to dryness, sensitivity, dehydration and dullness. So we have put together some helpful tips to bullet-proof your skin ensuring it sails through the next few weeks:
Remove your makeup before you sleep
Although it can feel like a massive chore at the end of the night, your skin (and your pillow-case) will thank you for it. Party makeup can be heavier than normal – leave alone the compulsory glitter layer – so leaving it festering in your pores overnight is a recipe for disaster… hello breakouts!
An oil or a balm cleanser is your perfect first step to dissolve away all traces of makeup, SPF, oil and grime followed by a second cleanse with a wash off product to cleanse your pores.
Last bit of advice re cleansing – don’t overcleanse with products that are too stripping or with cleansing devices (brushes or silicon heads). We need to nurture our skin barrier over the next few months, not break it down. Aim for gentle cleansers, warm not hot water and your hands – nothing else required. If your skin can handle an exfoliating cleanser once a week then this will help remove dead skin cells. If it can’t, don’t worry, just avoid it for now.
Aim to fit in nights of good sleep
Continual late nights will play havoc with our skin, our mood, our immunity and our general wellbeing. We were not made to be sleep-deprived.
Those of us who have children or young animals know too well the detrimental effects of lack of sleep on all aspects of our lives. Our skin specifically needs this time to repair and regenerate itself, allow it this luxury. This could mean saying no to certain events to preserve your wellbeing. We won’t tell anyone that you are cosily wrapped up in a borg blanket with hot tea, Netflix and a Diptyque candle on the go.
Hydration is key
We are not going to say that you need to avoid alcohol and drink water all month because that’s just not realistic for many people. Alcohol stays in our system for longer as we age and it can aggressively impact our skin. Dehydration coupled with inflammation lead to a lack-lustre and blotchy complexion lacking in essential nutrients. Dehydration is not a good state for any of our cells so what can we do to keep ourselves hydrated?
The age-old advice to ‘have a glass of water between drinks’ has been cited many times but it really does help! If you are likely to forget after a few, why not write a little W on the inside of your wrist as a reminder! The array of 0% drinks available to us now is pretty remarkable. These are a fab option to curtail your alcohol intake while still joining in with the party.
Lastly, when you are at home, chop some lemon and ginger (or whatever you prefer) and add to a mug. Top up with hot water through the day and keep sipping. We are definitely struggling with drinking water at the moment but this makes it easy, nutritious and tasty.
Look after your gut
Disrupted sleep, alcohol, stress and poor diet play havoc with our gut microbiome which manifests in our skin as redness, sensitivity, breakouts and signs of ageing. Leaving our skin out of the equation, we can also expect low mood, low energy, low immunity and poor digestion.
Reducing our alcohol intake is again beneficial as is eating foods that support our gut microbiome including kimchi, sauerkraut and sourdough bread. A gut microbiome protective supplement is perfect for this time of year (and all year round if you can). We are big fans of Skin Youth Biome – the perfect combination of 5 billion active cultures – the activity and integrity of which are guaranteed until the expiry date on the box.
Have a good skin routine in place
Now more than ever, our trustworthy skin ingredients are of the utmost importance. Think vitamin C to brighten the skin – we especially love the high concentration Brightening Ampoules from AllSkin Med.
Hopefully you have already introduced a retinol product into your routine to keep your skin turning over fast producing new young skin cells while stimulating your collagen production.
Hyaluronic acid serums will flood the skin with hydration but ensure you are using a ceramide rich moisturiser to lock it in. Apply frequently if required. SPF is a must – UV light does not disappear in the winter!
Book a facial
Hand over the responsibility for your skin to us! We know that in reality, finding time for all of the above advice is difficult. The Noaem Skin Oxygenation Facial is perfect preparation for the party season exfoliating, hydrating and oxygenating the skin beautifully.
We remember a client feeding back to us that the day after the treatment, they had a very Prosecco fuelled work party, yet the morning after, their skin looked as if they had stayed in with a cup of cocoa!
‘Hiding a multitude of sins’ – a potential new strap line for this excellent treatment! It is such a relaxing treatment – a well deserved little escape from the busyness in our tranquil clinic.
So to conclude, we would like to share with you something we came across this morning from the wonderful author Matt Haig:
‘December doesn’t change your neurochemistry. If your brain isn’t made for an overload of alcohol, parties, passive aggressive relatives, general socialising with people you like but still get exhausted by, relentless routine rearrangement, it should be okay to say no to things. There is nothing festive about burnouts and breakdowns.’
Take care of yourselves, do what makes you feel truly happy, relaxed and warm in your heart this Christmas holiday and we will see on the other side – if not before.
Iki and Dr Chris xx