So, the Christmas season is upon us, and for most people that will mean a lot of indulgence with food & wine along with an uptick in our social diary and almost certainly a few late nights.
While this is all part of the joy of Christmas it can play havoc with our skin.
Christmas is a time when we temporarily set aside most of our normal disciplines and we find ourselves eating more than we normally do and often food that is richer than at other times. This kind of eating puts our digestive system under pressure and indigestion and a feeling of bloatedness is often experienced. Poor digestion has a direct impact on our skin and breakouts are very often the result. We see it here in the clinic where clients who suffer from IBS/IBD, have more skin issues than those who do not.
Our best advice regarding digestion is to take a good probiotic. We recommend the PRO-B from Pharmanex and this is available to purchase online via the VERA app. Probiotics are not just for a short time they are something we need to take all year around so if you do something new for 2024 put taking a daily probiotic to keep your microbiome in good health.
We recommend that you start each day with a dose of VIT C. The effervescent tablets that are available in the pharmacy are a great option here and it is also a good idea to keep some sachets of a rehydrating solution such as Dioralyte in your arsenal of recovery items!!
Alcohol in moderation is not a bad thing but we can all overindulge, and it really does have a negative impact on the skin. The first and most obvious sign is dehydration. Alcohol dehydrates the body as a whole and as far as the brain is concerned the skin is the least important organ (even though it is the biggest organ in the body) and it is inclined to get the leftovers in terms of hydration and vitamins. Drinking lots of water is the only certain way to ensure you can enjoy your drinks and not have your skin pay the price.
Sleep is also critical for our skin and our bodies. Interestingly the circadian rhythms in our body are controlled through the skin and all tissue regeneration takes place while we sleep so proper sleep is absolutely essential. If you don’t get a proper night’s sleep try and find an hour during the day to nap and this will help greatly for the body to recover.
From a product point of view, our absolute advice at Christmas is to make sure that you have a good exfoliator and hydrating mask that you can use to keep the skin glowing. Normally we only recommend using an exfoliator once a week but at this time of year, it’s ok to break the rule and use one every second day. Exfoliate gently and always follow it with a mask to replenish the skin. The Thalgo Ultra Hydra Marine Mask followed by the Hydra Marine Serum and your moisturiser of choice will restore your skin to radiance in as little as 30 minutes.
Have a lovely Christmas and take care of the skin and it will reward you and start planning now for the new year and any changes you may need to make to your skin care routine to really get the best from your skin.
See you all in 2024.
Sheila, Debbie & Dee.
