With the majority of us now confined to our homes and limiting ourselves to one form of exercise outdoors every day, various elements of our previous lives have been forced to change. And while there are far more serious events to be concerned with right now, it is undeniable that our skincare regime requires some fine-tuning.
Wearing little to no make-up combined with a speedy bed-to-desk commute might sound like the recipe for a flawless complexion, but for many the reality of being cooped up has caused an increase in breakouts, spots and skin drier than a Monday night during lockdown.
But why is it that your skin seems to be more unhappy than ever and what can you do about it?
Why are you experiencing more breakouts, despite not wearing makeup/avoiding pollution, what can you do to prevent it?
A host of skin afflictions in quarantine arise from the over-indulgent ‘stress-eating’ at home. We
are not eating the same or exercising the same way. Lack of social contact has made us revert to bad, lazy skincare habits. Our work/business/earnings have been affected causing stress. 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.
We should use this forced hiatus and the extra time suddenly available to us to practice a 5mins nightly facial massage with your favourite oil or even a mask (for both hydration & slip). Use a GuaSha stone to help drain and soften lines & furrows. The enhanced blood circulation will boost your immune system & increase lymph drainage. The happy side-effect is firmer skin and sculpted facial muscles!
P.S. I always tell my clients that if all of my clients practice a 5mins face massage at home 2-3 nights a week, they’d all have such positive benefits that I’d probably see 50% less clients!
Will staying indoors affect the health of your skin?
Some of the positives of being indoors is a pause from skin-damaging pollutants and photo-ageing UV exposure. Though being indoors in the temperature-controlled environments like
moisture-sucking central-heating and lack of exposure to elements like the wind may
lead to dry skin build-up.
Not many people take the time to properly exfoliate. To make the scrubbing process more effective and less messy I suggest using a physical exfoliant like a scrub or cleansing device once a week in the shower. Chemical exfoliation using gentle oil-control pads with active AHA/BHA concentration every other night (after cleansing) will help the skin with healthy cellular turnover.
Do I still need to wear SPF while indoors?
Absolutely! 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 signs of photo-ageing.
When working from home desk, set up near a window, during isolation it is essential to wear SPF. Glass may block the high intensity UVB wavelengths responsible for burning, but the skin damaging and ageing UVA light still gets through.
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. It’ll seamlessly become a part of your daily routine.
Is it still important to cleanse in the morning and evening?
AM and PM cleansing clean on different levels. A gentle pH balanced morning cleanse will wipe away overnight oil build-up and bacteria picked-up from your pillowcase.
PM routine should focus on deep cleansing to pick up the day’s dirt, make-up, oil build-up as well and indoor pollutants. Evenings are best time to double cleanse like us Facialist do during treatments. An oil cleanser to remove make-up & oil followed by a gentle cleanser to hydrate.
Is increased screen-usage harming my skin?
Facing your phone and devices is ageing your face! The devices emit a blue light, a High Energy Visible (HEV) light that can lead to elastin and collagen damage, pigment changes and ultimately photo ageing. Night-time exposure to the blue light from devices also disrupts the circadian rhythm, our body’s natural sleep/wake cycle.
All the more reason to wear SPF indoors to shield your skin. 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.
Add an antioxidant booster to your nightly serum or moisturiser to strengthen your skin’s defense against environmental stressors like pollution, infrared, HEV damage.
Be skin smart. Be Skincredible™
Adeela Crown
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