I hear this one so much in the first few weeks of January or February and it’s absolutely normal to have this happen.
First up, do not panic!! It’s just a phase and it will pass!!
Second, please don’t be tempted to start overcompensating by going in too heavy with skincare products-it’s really easy to overdo them and actually cause things to get worse.
And yes, I know you probably were given a million random skin care products by Santa, or maybe had one of those skincare advent calendars (my TOTAL pet peeve but that’s another tale!!), so you tried numerous different products in the last few days or weeks. The trouble is that our skin tends not to like this-it’s much more a creature of habit and stability and using a lot of different things that don’t really suit your skin can cause a world of issues. One of my favourite sayings is that your skin is not like your underwear-you don’t need to change your routine, like you do your knickers!!
Then we have Christmas itself…..the combination of late nights, excessive alcohol and party foods can really take their toll and cause breakouts, puffiness, dry and sensitive skin.
Why are all these such an issue?
Well, the skin is a visual gauge of what’s going on inside our bodies and it really can start to play up in the post Christmas period.
Wanna know why?
First up, alcohol. When we drink to excess the first and very evident thing is dehydration, which can affect the skin quite quickly. This dehydration can cause skin to become dry and more sensitive and you may even get a little bit of mild eczema if you are prone to it, or worsening of other skin conditions like psoriasis. Alcohol also causes flushing due to blood vessels dilating (getting bigger). If this did happen over a longer period of time, it becomes more of an issues and the redness can linger and the tiny blood vessels become more visible as thread veins. And we also know that sugar isn’t great for skin conditions like acne, and unfortunately alcohol is often full of sugar, so this could also be triggering spots.
What about the food we eat?
Yep, we all have a tendency for beige over Crimbo, don’t we?! Yes, there are pastries, crisps and roast potatoes. Oh, the roast potatoes, sigh. As well as these, snack foods like chocolate and biscuits, Stollen, Christmas pudding and the never ending plates of food that are passed around are often high glycaemic index foods, that are not only not great for the waistlines but can also actually damage collagen, through a process known as glycation. This is a super complex process that happens due to production of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), and this process is a major contributory factors of skin aging. In simple terms glycation is caused when sugar molecules attach to collagen in the skin and it kind of looks like cross hatching in the skin.
There are a number of things that affect production of AGEs, including UV exposure, smoking and yes, foods. The way we cook also matters, with fried foods containing a higher amount of AGEs as compared to boiled foods. About 10-30% of ingested AGEs are absorbed in the body, which impacts skin aging. For a short period, especially if we’re healthy the rest of the year, it won’t make a huge impact, but this is your sign to clean up the post Christmas diet, so that you can enjoy the short break, without long term effects.
Party food also tends to be heavily processed and salty, which dehydrates the skin even more and causes the body to hold onto water, which can give the face a bloated appearance with often puffiness around eyes.
Does this any of this sound familiar so far?
What about gut health and the digestive system?
Being dehydrated, eating saltier foods, having reduced activity levels, as well as fewer fruits and veggies can also make your bowels a bit sluggish. This can make you feel really tired and low in energy, as well as being uncomfortable and giving us stomach cramps.
By now we also know that gut health and the microbiome are incredibly important for good health. We know fatty, sugary foods promote bacteria that are not as beneficial for gut health and there is also lots of evidence now to show this also affects our skin health. So, if you indulge over days or weeks, you are pushing your microbiome towards an imbalance in the gut-skin axis and this could make things like eczema, psoriasis, acne and other skin conditions flare up.
So how do we get back on track?
So look this is all pretty gloomy, I know, but the best news is that for most of us, it’s just a short phase and the negatives can be undone over the next few days and weeks with a few simple steps.
Let’s get moving!
Nice walks (do it early in the day so you don’t have time to talk yourself out of it!) or gentle exercise can be really helpful for not only cardiovascular health, but also for gut health and mental well being too. This will also help if you’re a little constipated. Increasing your physical activity has a positive impact on general health and well-being, mental health and yes, skin too. The increased blood flow is absolutely great for the skin in increased blood flow and nutrients and so unfortunately for those of us who have become overnight couch potatoes, the call to move our bodies is strong, but we can do it!
Pro gut health tips:
Try and increase water intake, add in some prebiotics like grains, yoghurts, garlic and onions. Eat resistant starches like beans, lentils and legumes and wholewheat bread instead of white. Whole veggies and low sugar fruits (berries for example). Avoid higher sugar or processed foods. Take a look at ZOE for some amazing in depth scientific nutrition advice to help reduce dietary inflammation and help improve our gut health or listen to a fab podcast by them here.
Increase your vitamin intake:
We all know having a healthy diet is essential, but which can we focus on to help get our skin back on track and get us glowing like our normal selves? Cooking fresh where possible and reducing processed foods is always a good bet, and eating wholefoods and grains, rather than processed, but here are a few lovely vitamins to try and increase over the coming weeks too.
Well, Vitamin C rich fruits like berries, kiwi, citrus fruits and cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower) all have lots of Vit C, which all help to protect the skin and promote the production of collagen for healthy, glowing skin, as well as their antioxidant benefits. The evidence is still not out there to support collagen supplements, so this is a much better bet until we have more robust evidence on that in my opinion.
Omega 3 fatty acids are absolutely amazing for helping to improve heart and brain health, reduce inflammation (great after a Christmas blow out) within the body and they are AMAZING for skin health too, especially for people with acne, psoriasis and eczema, which are all inflammatory skin conditions.
Vitamin A is another one, which can help promote healthy skin, so reach for eggs, cheese, oily fish, milk and yoghurt or for products that the body can convert to Vit A, so orange things like papaya, mangoes, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash as well as kale. broccoli and tomatoes too.
Alcohol
If you’re going to pick up a drink in the next few days and weeks, try and chose lower sugar drinks (avoid wines and cocktails for example). Also have a rule of one glass of water for each alcoholic drink. Try and also have alcohol free days too and why not jump on Dry January?! I know I am and I must say I feel very virtuous.
Catch up on restful sleep at night with a good sleep routine.
This will massively help you to feel more energised, have less dark circles and feel more relaxed and rested. Research shows limiting blue light activity before bed and reducing caffeine can also help with better sleep. We all know our skin looks awful if we’re running on an empty tank and January certainly is a good month to catch up on the Zzzz’s, so after the exercise from earlier, make sure you get that all important rest as well.
And if your skin is sore, sensitive, or just not in a great place?
Drop the product swoppping and trying all the new things Santa brought and stick to a very simple cleanse, spf and moisturise. Stay there for a good week or too and allow it to reset.
Your skin does not need a complicated routine and on top of everything else going on at the moment, it won’t thank you for changing things whilst there’s such a lot going on internally. It may be tempting to change things if you are having a difficult skin time, but often reaching for the product you’ve been given by a kind friend can cause even more problems.
Acne playing up?
If you are breaking out, just know it is a phase and will pass. Sometimes doing nothing new is the best remedy, even though I know it can feel like a step backward if you had been in a good place before Crimbo.
If the spots seem to be sticking around for a while too long, you may want to think about adding in a salicylic acid product if you’re not using one to help with this, but please add new things in cautiously at this stage and be careful. If you’re not sure which one, or need help, always see a Pro first and do not listen to TikTok or your best friend. There are numerous ones out there-do plenty of reading and do reach out if you’d like help! Always go gentle and just once or twice a week to start with, or as directed by a Pro who knows your skin.
What to do if you’ve tried this and still need some help…
If you ever need tailored help or advice, or would like to book a skin consultation (or a skin review for my existing patients), I would be delighted to help. You can book by clicking here.
Hope this was useful, good luck with trying these and please do drop me a line on social media and let me know how it has gone!