The covid-lockdowns have been a hiatus like no other in our lifetimes. During the lockdown our everyday normal changed, our habits did too. We had to learn how to do things ourselves, whether that was home-schooling, giving our housemates and partners a haircut, or raiding our bathroom cabinet for some #selfcare. We turned to YouTube and IGTV videos to watch the experts show us how to tackle #lockdownskin and #homefacial.
There's a reason why professional in-salon/spa facials give deeper, more longer-lasting results but this prolonged isolation has forced us to take skincare matters into our own hands, leading to some good and some terribly bad skincare habits!
So, what are these bad habits we’ve adopted and what can we do to fix them? Celebrity Facialist Adeela Crown shares her advice below.
BAD HABIT: OVER OR MIS-USE OF ACTIVES
Being forced to adapt and maintain skincare practices at home has turned daily skincare into a more personal and private experience. The upside is that we are suddenly more interested in self-care and feel rewarded when we see positive skin results. The downside is that armed with our newly-googled internet knowledge and to make use of this extended downtime available at-home, we rabidly started buying products containing strong active ingredients. This eagerness to use actives like Retinol or stronger Retin-A for resurfacing, Vitamin C for lightening, AHA/BHA/PHA acid peels have ushered-in a rise in misuse and inevitable side-effects.
The solution: To avoid over-use of retinols try to limit use to once a year and opt for a 10-12 week retinol program as an annual skin reset. Start slow with a retinol at 0.025%-0.05% retinol solution the first year and work yourself up to 1% Retinol the following year. This way you'll build skin's tolerance. The rest of the year be a Vitamin C ninja! Vitamin C application every morning after cleansing (used neat or blended with a hydrating serum) will ensure your skin has ample antioxidant protection and skin barrier function is supported to give you healthy, bright, unblemished skin.
I recommend: ZO Self Activating Vitamin C 10% Serum for day use. Always follow with SPF!
You may also book a 1-2-1 Virtual Skin-health Consultation (30mins from £125) with Adeela Crown to approach the selection and best use of actives with the help of your Facialist's trained expertise.
BAD HABIT: SELF EXTRACTIONS
Lockdowns have affected our work, social lives and income causing stress, and when we’re anxious the body ramps up cortisol production, causing inflammation and can also result in an increase in oil production in the sebaceous glands, eventually leading to breakouts.
Though popping that new angry pimple on your face may be super-tempting and rather satisfying, it’s important to remember that even the slightest bit of over-pressure during your DIY extraction, lack of disinfection before and after or using internet-bought extraction tools will leave the skin with the kind of scarring that’ll take a long time to heal and repair.
The Solution: Not all pores are created equally, so the first rule of facial extraction is to realise that not all pores should be squeezed. When you squeeze the skin and ‘burst’ the pimple, you’re creating a tear in the skin, which then needs to heal and can leave a scar. Avoid any deep or painful pimples, like cysts, completely. These tend to look red and lumpy with no visible head. Attacking those will only inflame the internal infection and very likely lead to scar-tissue to develop - which takes ages to heal (and in some cases never heals).
A gentle peel at home will do wonders for drying out existing pimples and dissolving blackheads and keeping future breakouts at bay. Try the AHA + BHA peel solution like Acid 7 Peel to target a variety of skin issues in one peel, albeit without any downtime. This Facialist/Esthetician-loved professional liquid peel formula is a unique combination of 7 differently acting AHA and BHA acids at 13% professional-grade concentration. Glycolic Acid (AHA) - unclogs dead skin cells to exfoliate and refine complexion. Salicylic Acid (BHA) - fights acne, decreases oil secretion thus reducing blemishes. Lactic Acid (AHA) - gently targets hyperpigmentation, age spots, pigment disorders. With Tartaric and Citric acids working as antixidants and Gluconic acid ensuring moisture retention. A weekly peel with such a multi-tasker will ensure you tackle many of the skin's issues in one go!
I recommend: Acid 7 Formula Peel - (professional strength) to be used once-a-week.
BAD HABIT: HEV & SPF OVERLOOKED
Facing your phone and devices is ageing your face! Blue light (HEV) – high energy visible light is one of the silent agers of our generation. Electronic devices emit a blue light (HEV) light that can lead to elastin and collagen damage, pigment changes and ultimately photo ageing. Evidence suggests that daily exposure can penetrate deeper into a lower layer of skin compared to UVA and UVB sunlight.
During my virtual consultations and treatments a worrying fact has been highlighted that whilst working from a home desk, set up near a window, during isolation most of my clients have not been wearing SPF indoors because they feel they’re not exposed to the sun. Wrong! Glass may block the high intensity UVB wavelengths responsible for burning, but the skin damaging and ageing UVA light still gets through.
The Solution: To reduce HEV exposure to skin, when WFH connect headphones to answer calls so your phone isn’t near your face. Setting a nightly timer to automatically switch your device to night mode will disable blue light in favour of yellow light. It’ll benefit your skin and improve your sleep too.
Daily application of SPF doesn’t just shield your skin from photo-damage when you’re outdoors. A study conducted in 2015 showed that constant use of SPF30 over the course of a year also reversed the signs of photo ageing. So, if applying a sunscreen seems like yet another skincare step then start blending an edamame bean-sized amount with your daily moisturiser in the palm of your hand with your day cream. Roughly mix 1 part SPF with 1 part moisturiser. Soon daily SPF application will seamlessly become a part of your daily routine.
Check out Adela's Anti Aging Treatments in London and in the United States
{above blog post is an excerpt from the GLAMOUR UK article Adeela Crown contributed to titled: The damaging skincare habits we developed during lockdown (and what you can do to fix them). Taking skincare matters into our own hands}
Be skin smart. Be Skincredible™
written by Adeela Crown
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