How to Detox Your Skin after Christmas
Firstly, Happy New Year – or should that be Tier? I don’t know what the right thing to say is!? I’m sure that, if you’re anything like me, this was not the start to the new year you had planned. ‘Closed for treatments until further notice’ was not one of my 2021 goals!
But, despite all the uncertainty and chaos, I really hope that you managed to enjoy Christmas and all the festivities. Whilst we love the sausage rolls, fizz and sweet stuff, all is so enjoyable at the time – it tends to leave us feeling sluggish, bloated, and puffy afterwards. As for your skin, it can leave us with increased breakouts, puffiness, dark circles, redness and can even trigger eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea flare ups.
What causes festive breakouts?
- Increase in sugar and salt.
- Increase in alcohol.
- Lack of sleep / late nights.
- Increase in processed foods.
- Eating foods that cause intolerances, such as dairy.
- Stress levels rising!
How to detox your skin
Here’s a few ideas on how to get your glow back on and even turn back the clock to the days when you looked the same despite only getting four hours of sleep.
1- Drink Some Water
We know, we know. It’s the same old boring advice you’ve read twenty billion times. But that’s because it’s super important. Your body is almost 70% water and every single process in your body needs it. Aim for 2-3 liters per day, more if you’re exercising. If your skin is being an idiot and irritating you, it’s likely your moisturizing barrier (the lipid barrier) whose job it is to lock in moisture to keep it hydrated needs a stern word because it’s letting in dry air exposing your sensitive skin layers to dry air and thus dehydrating your face. You need water to rehydrate your skin – it’s as simple as that. If your skin is hydrated, it’s going to be less dry and dull. In just a few days of downing the water, you may notice an improvement to your skin.
2- Eat Healthy
Increase your intake of green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale broccoli and cabbage. These are super cleansing and nutritious. Same logic. Like Sushi? Get some of that down your neck. Oily fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel all have juicy fatty acids in that help repair your barrier. Nuts, seeds, beans all do the same job. If you still need the feeling of something carby, sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin C which boosts collagen production, while olive oil is full of the essential fatty acids you need to boost your moisture barrier. Cover the potatoes in olive oil, stick in the oven and make a jacket spud that feeds you and your face.
3- Sleep
Ha! Like I need to tell you to sleep. The more you get though the more time your skin has to repair itself overnight. I’ll leave it there because I’m sure you’d sleep for 12 hours every night if you could.
4- Wash Your Face
Ok, so if you’re anything like me, you’ll be less enthralled about doing the healthy stuff but feel more up for sorting your skincare routine out (embrace the novelty factor). It doesn’t have to be overwhelming or complicated. Start with the basics.
- Stop using facewipes/babywipes to remove your make-up
- Use a cleanser and wash your face old-school style with a flannel.
If this is the only thing you can commit to right now, that’s better than nothing and better than sleeping in your makeup or using a wet wipe to take it off (it actually makes your skin worse
5- Get Your Beauty Sleep
It’s called ‘beauty sleep’ for a reason. This is your body’s opportunity to repair, regenerate and remove toxins. Your body is producing collagen and focusing on repairing itself, and producing fresh, healthy tissue and hormones whilst you sleep. Not getting enough sleep can result in breakouts, brain fog, weight gain and most certainly increases inflammation in your body. It can also affect your hormone balances in your body, due to the increased stress lack of sleep causes.
How to Detox your skin with products – Keep it Simple!
As a Skin Specialist I simply must include advice on skincare when we are looking at how to detox your skin after Christmas (or at any other time). Less is most definitely more when it comes to treating skin that has been under stress, festive or not. One of the mistakes many people make is to throw as many products as possible at your skin, in a bid to regain control of it. Often, the overload of products contributes to the problem and really, it’s more about what you’re doing on the inside during your Skin Detox.
CLEANSERS: Ingredients such as glycolic acid and salicylic can help cell turnover – great if you have breakouts, but don’t go for the strongest you can find! If your skin is sensitive then stick to a product with calming ingredients, such as rice bran oil, peppermint, or lemon balm oil.
SERUMS: Use a Serum that calms the skin and helps to improve and repair the skins natural barrier function. Avoid strong, harsh products whilst your skin is recovering. If you usually use strong retinols (vitamin A), consider something gentler during your detox. You can still use retinol, but if you’re using very strong versions, consider trying something a little gentler.
VITAMIN C: is a powerful antioxidant for your skin, including products that contain this will help to boost your skin and aid healthy collagen production.
MOISTURISER: Use a moisturiser that addresses your skins needs, pumpkin and seaweed extract are great for sensitive skins, as they reduce the inflammation and help the skin to repair.
SUNSCREEN! I’ll scream it from the rooftops! Please protect your skin with a minimum factor 30spf on your face. Oh, and if you’re over 30 – an eye-cream is a must. Not just your normal moisturiser, you’ll need a specific eye cream for that delicate skin. There are lots on the market, and which one is right for you will depend on your concerns in this area. Gels are great for puffiness, whilst a cream is better for lines & wrinkles.
Skincare products are very personal to you, not ‘one size fits all’. If you’d like some advice on specific skin products, book a free skin consultation with Dr Nishel Patel