How the Holidays
Affect Your Skin
By: Gail Erickson
That cheery, merry time of year
affects so much in our lives, including: our finances, our
waistlines and even our skin. Here are some factors that affect
the skin during this time and some remedies and preventative
measures.
So Much to Do: Office parties, late
night shopping, baking marathons and school plays. Whatever you’re
doing, you’re not getting enough sleep which causes dark circles
under your eyes. Start taking a multivitamin and drink lots of
water. Invest in a good eye cream. This will help lessen the
darkness.
Too Much Cheer: Alcohol consumption
can affect your skin overnight. Alcohol dilates the blood vessels,
allowing fluid to leave the vessels and enter the tissue. The
result is puffiness, usually around the eye and cheek areas. One
way to avoid or reduce this inflammation is to sleep with the head
slightly elevated to help drain the fluid. Alcohol consumption
also results in dehydrated skin so drink plenty of water before
and after the party.
So Little Time: Stress escalates to a
whole new level around the holidays. For women, more of the
hormone testosterone is produced during stressful times. These
hormonal surges lead to breakouts. A salicylic treatment applied
directly to the pimple will help to dry it out. When a breakout
occurs, apply Visine to constrict the blood vessels around the
pimple. Then conceal by feathering your foundation over the area.
Food, Food Everywhere: Richer, saltier
foods can lead to bloated, puffy, dehydrated skin. Applying a cool
washcloth around the eye area for 5 – 7 minutes can make a big
difference. Make sure you are using a good moisturizer twice a
day. Hyaluronic acid helps water to penetrate into your skin and
is an important ingredient for your moisturizer to contain.
Enjoy the holidays: Don’t hide from
the cameras. It is a great idea to begin the season being diligent
with your exfoliation routine (shedding of dead skin cells),
whether it is a scrub or a retinol cream. Increase your moisture
levels with LOTS of water and invest in a good moisturizer that
you apply twice a day (after each time you cleanse you need to
moisturize.)
Gail Erickson
is a licensed Clinical Esthetician with an English degree from USF,
Tampa. She works at Practically Frivolous, a full-service salon in
St. Petersburg. Please direct any skin care questions to
gail_erickson@yahoo.com
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