WITH many of us getting some much needed time off around Christmas, you’d expect to emerge from the holiday looking rested and fresh-faced.
But our festive fun and feasting can leave a few unwanted ‘gifts’ on our skin.
Diet changes over Christmas and drinking can take a toll on your skin
As skin doctor and cosmetic formulator at SkincarebyDrV, Dr Vanita Rattan, put it: “After a season filled with Christmas indulgences, including mince pies, festive cocktails, and leftover turkey sandwiches, it’s unsurprising that this can disrupt our skin.”
If your skin is just not looking it’s best at this time of year, you might have a case of ‘Christmas face’.
Dr Vanita told Sun Health:”‘Festive face’ is dry, dull, and acne-prone skin which is often caused by lack of sleep, over-consumption of alcohol and binge-eating greasy or sugary foods.”
The skin specialist broke down which holiday activities are wreaking havoc on your skin – and how to get your glow back.
1. Alcohol-induced ageing
“From work Christmas parties to family gatherings, alcohol plays a huge part in our celebrations,” Dr Vanita acknowledged.
“However, it is also one of the fastest ways to dehydrate the skin.”
That’s right – it’s not just your mouth that’s feeling parched after a night of drinking.
“Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it increases urine production to promote water loss in the body,” the skin doctor explained.
“As a result, the body loses more fluids than it takes in, leading to dehydration.”
If you’ve indulged in a few too many tipples, that would explain why your skin appears dry and flaky with rough patches, according to Dr Vanita.
That’s because “dehydrated skin lacks the necessary moisture to look plump and glowing”, she said.
Depriving your skin of moisture isn’t the only effect booze can have – it might leave you looking older, shall we say.
“Alcohol’s diuretic effect also means that it can deprive the skin of essential nutrients and vitamins, which contribute to skin repair,” Dr Vanita added.
“As our skin cells dry out, wrinkles and fine lines appear more prominent, giving an aged appearance.”
The skin specialist recommended regularly using a CeraPep moisturiser – that’s one with ceramides and peptides – improve skin hydration, tone and texture, strengthen your skin barrier and restore a youthful glow.
2. Festive feasting breakouts
The drinks you have over the festive season could have yet another unintended consequence on your skin.
As Dr Vanita explained: “Drinking can also increase your heart rate and widen blood vessels in your skin.
“This can trigger perspiration which can lead to oily skin and breakouts.”
But it’s not booze that’s behind your blemishes and spots.
The foods we eat over Christmas are certainly known for being hearty.
“Festive roast dinners are high in saturated fats, which can cause inflammation in the body due to imbalances in gut bacteria,” Dr Vanita added.
“When the body reacts to inflammatory triggers, sebum – the oily substance produced by your skin skin – increases and inflammation occurs, which contributes to acne.”
But the skin doctor stressed: “It’s important to remember that achieving clearer skin isn’t just about what you’re avoiding, it’s about what you’re actively doing.”
She recommended cleansing twice a day with a blemish-controlling cleanser, which will remove the daily build-up of dead skin cells, oil, or dirt.
“After double cleansing, use a gel moisturiser which contains ingredients like glycerin to hydrate the skin, niacinamide for sebum control and salicylic acid to unclog the pores,” Dr Vanita added.
3. Bye-bye beauty sleep
Whether at your work Christmas part on New Year’s Eve, you’re certain to have a late night or two over the festive period.
But late nights and binge-drinking can have a knock-on effect, disrupting your sleep cycle and leaving you feeling unenergised and hungover the next day.
“Sleep is important to regulate moods, boost energy levels and keep your immune system strong,” Dr Vanita said.
But it’s also the key to healthy skin: “We call it ‘beauty sleep’ for a reason!”
As the skin doctor explained: “A good night’s sleep allows your skin to go into its regenerative state, where it repairs itself and appears refreshed the next day.
“When your sleep is disrupted, your skin can become stressed and appear duller, drier and with a higher likelihood of developing breakouts.”
4. Eye infections
Have you committed the ultimate skincare sin of sleeping in your make-up?
Dr Vanita was sympathetic: “After a late-night drinking, it might feel like a tiresome chore to remove your makeup.
But she warned: “But when make-up is left on whilst you sleep, it penetrates the sub- layers of the dermis and prevents your skin from rehydrating, resulting in dry and irritated skin the next day.”
You might also wake-up with an nasty eye infection.
“Eye makeup can clog the hair follicles and sebaceous glands on the eyelids, which could result in infection,” Dr Vanita said.
She suggested using an oil melting cleanser that’s non-comedogenic, which means it won’t clog your pores.
This “does the hard work for you after a late night, so your make-up slides off easily with a wash towel and doesn’t irritate the skin”.
5. Winter dry skin
Not every component of your ‘festive face’ is down to what you’re doing.
Christmas does tend to coincide with the cold winter weather.
The cold, harsh winds and dry air can strip your skin of its natural moisturising oils, leading to dryness and flakiness, Dr Vanita said.
How you combat the cold might be making things worse too.
“As well as this, we turn our heating up high indoors during winter, which reduces humidity and affects how much moisture is available to the skin,” the skin doctor went on.
“This can further dry out the skin and cause damage to the skin’s barrier, such as increased sensitivity and redness.”
Dr Vanita suggested: “Protect your skin during winter by wearing protective clothing, such as a scarf around your face, and apply a barrier cream to lock in moisture.”