Keeping Your Skin Healthy During Lockdown
While so many of us are housebound for the foreseeable future, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about how you can keep your skin healthy during lockdown.
With so much going on in the world right now, a good skincare routine can provide some much needed self-care time, structure at the beginning and end of your day and five minutes of peace and quiet amongst the madness of homeschooling.So, let's start with the basics
H2O
Our skin's best friend is water. It aids just about every bodily function and is super important for overall health, as well as skin health. Skin is the body's largest organ and it demands a fair share of our water intake to ensure it maintains its essential functions.We lose large quantities of water every day, so it's incredibly important to keep sipping away regularly. Nutritionists and health experts recommending 8 glasses, sipped regularly throughout the day to prevent dehydration. This is even more important given the current global situation, as we are being encouraged to keep our water intake high to assist in fighting the virus and maintaining healthy bodily functions.
When it comes to skin, it's very easy to see the effects dehydration can have. Our complexion becomes dry, tight and dull very quickly, but what else does what help to combat? Helps to reduce puffiness
Often if we're dehydrated our body retains water in an attempt to safeguard us against the side effects of water loss. Generally, the more water we drink, the better our lymph drainage works and the less fluid we retain in unwanted areas.
Helps with healing
Water helps aid the healing process of any wounds or injuries, keeping the tissue hydrated and functioning at its optimum capacity. Many of our in-clininc and home treatment protocols involve creating minor, controlled injuries (such as microneedling and NEWA), so we need to ensure we stay nicely hydrated to encourage optimum healing.
Reduces irritationÂ
For patients with eczema or psoriasis, water helps reduce to the irritation and itchiness associated with these irritating skin disorders. Similarly, any sensitivities to products or a reaction can cause skin irritation, and water plays an important part in reducing and calming skin's immune response associated with this type of skin reaction.
pH balance
Many skin conditions such as Acne and Rosacea can affect skin's delicate acid mantle and its pH balance, making it easier for spot forming bacteria to take hold.
Reduces the appearance of wrinkles
Water intake helps to maintain the oil/water levels in the skin, which in turn helps to lock in moisture and stop skin dehydration. Skin always looks healthier, plumper and less wrinkly when it is super hydrated.With this in mind, what products can we add into our routine to help boost the healthy benefits of H2O?
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic Acid (HA), is a natural sugar, produced by our skin and joints to help protect our cells. The best way of describing it is a “water magnet, helping cells to retain water and keep skin supple, hydrated and plump.HA is well known for it's ability to hold 1,000 times its own weight in water and helps give our skin that dewy texture that we all crave. However, as we age, the amount of Hyaluronic Acid in our skin decreases and good skin care products - along with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables - can help to replace what our skin is naturally starting to lose.
My favourite Hyaluronic Acid product is Mesoestetic HA Densimatrix (£69.99). It has a nice texture and sits well alongside my other products, absorbing nicely and immediately to relieve any tightness in my skin.
Omega 3
Omega-3 fatty acids are a particularly important part of our diet, as they help the oil/water protective layer of our skin to function efficiently. If there's not enough 'good quality' oil on the surface of the skin, trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) can occur, and not only will our skin feel uncomfortably tight and dry but we become more susceptible to other more complicated skin conditions.
For most patients I see in clinic, I recommend increasing naturally occurring Omega's in food sources like eggs, nuts, oily fish and avocado. But for patients who don't like many of these food groups, I would recommend an Omega 3 supplement such as Advanced Nutrition Programme Skin Omegas+ (£24.99) or ZENii Triple Omega 3 (£25).
We are here for you
Although our clinic may be closed for now, we are still here to help and answer all your skincare questions. You can contact myself (Kate), Kimberley & Claire from our clinic team for remote consultations, product reviews and any general or individual skincare advice on advice@facethefuture.co.uk.Our online shop continues to operate as normal, following government guidelines, so you can continue to purchase the skincare products you love.
If you have any questions, please contact our customer service team on shop@facethefuture.co.uk or call 0113 282 7744. Stay home & stay safe, with love from everyone at Face the Future.
Written for you by: Kate, Face the FutureImage source: freepik.com
