If the festive season has left your skin looking blotchy, spotty or just downright dull, then a skin detox might be just what you need to get your skin back to a healthy glow!
If like me, you were in the “Festive Spirit” for the whole month of December, then you might be noticing that not only do your clothes feel a bit tighter than they did in November but also your skin looks and feels way off track!
We really do abuse our bodies during the festive season!
WHY DO WE GET FESTIVE BREAKOUTS?
Festive breakouts are caused by a combination of things such as:
- Increased intake of sugary foods and drinks
- Consuming more dairy products than normal (cheese, cream, etc)
- Drinking more alcohol than normal
- Eating more processed foods
- Getting less sleep
- Feeling more stressed
All of the above leads to an increase in inflammation in your body, causing a surge in stress hormones. Where the skin is concerned, increased inflammation causes the skin to produce inflammatory hormones called Cytokines and Chemokines. These hormones trigger immune cell activation, enzymes and free radicals, which is all bad news for your skin.
SIMPLE WAYS TO DETOX YOUR SKIN:
The old saying ‘you are what you eat?’ is extremely true. Firstly, when you are looking to detox your skin, eating the correct foods to help restore your skin is just as important as cutting out foods that contribute to inflammation.
Aim to reduce or cut out the following foods which all contribute to increased inflammation:
- Foods and drinks which are high in carbohydrates and sugars
- Food and drinks containing dairy
- Processed foods
- Cooking oils (canola, rapeseed, sunflower oil, vegetable oils etc)
- Fast foods and takeaways
- Alcohol
- Too much caffeine
Your New Year skin detox should also include adding in plenty of these foods and drinks:
- Vegetables that grow above the ground (spinach, kale, cabbage, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower etc)
- Fish, focusing on mostly oily fish as well as white fish and shellfish
- Healthy fats (oily fish, animal fats, avocados, nuts and seeds, olive oil, coconut oil)
- Drink 2.5 litres of water every day
- Green tea, Rooibos tea, Matcha tea and other herbal teas
DETOX WITH WATER
Secondly, drink plenty of water! During December you might have drunk a lot more alcohol than normal which can take its toll on your body. Alcohol is a diuretic and dehydrates your body, making you pee a lot more. Alcohol is toxic which puts your body under an increased toxic load.
Alcohol can also deprive your skin of vital vitamins and nutrients, this together with dehydration leads to your skin looking dull or sallow. You might notice your face appears more puffy or dark circles, lines and wrinkles might be more prominent.
Aim to drink 2.5ltrs of water every day.
GET YOUR BEAUTY SLEEP
Thirdly, get your beauty sleep! It’s called “beauty sleep” for a reason. Getting plenty of shut-eye allows your body time to repair and recharge its self and that includes your skin. Whilst you sleep your skin is busy healing, building collagen, removing toxins and enjoying all the benefits that come from special hormones that are released whilst you sleep.
The recommended amount of sleep for an adult is 8-9 hours each night, so cancel your plans, run a nice hot bath and get your mind ready for bed.
LOOK AFTER YOUR SKIN
Last but not least- during your skin detox make sure you are looking after your skin correctly. Using clinical skincare products will nourish and repair your skin.
Boost your skin’s post-Christmas recovery with some useful ingredients that you can add into your daily routine such as glycolic, salicylic or azelac acid. These help to gently exfoliate the surface of your skin and unclog your pores, whilst helping to reduce inflammation.
I highly recommend:
- Acglicolic Cream Sesderma
- Salises Soap Free face wash Sesderma
- Azelac Lotion and Azelac Cream Sesderma
If your skin is dry, opt for a cream or an oil-based cleanser that adds moisture to your skin like Sylvvage Green Smoothie make-up remover.
Vitamin C serum is an essential anti-ageing ingredient and one that you should definitely consider adding into your routine. It protects the skin from oxidative stress and free radical damage that can be increased over the Christmas season. Not only does Vitamin C protect your skin, but it also brightens and smoothes your complexion. I can’t get enough of
- C-VIT Sesderma cream
- C-VIT eye patches
- C-VIT Liposomal Serum
PROFESSIONAL SKIN TREATMENTS
f you feel your skin detox needs extra oomph, then professional treatments can speed up your skin’s recovery. Whether it’s a healing treatment such as FACIAL, or a more intense treatment such as a SKIN PEEL, HYDROBRASION or MICRONEEDLING, professional treatments can work wonders on your skin to encourage cellular turnover and repair. Enhancing your own skin detox programme and speeding up your results. Helping you get your glow back as soon as possible.
HOW LONG WILL YOUR SKIN DETOX TAKE?
You may well kick yourself but it could take as long as 4-6 weeks for your skin to recover from the effects of Christmas and the festive season. Your skin renews approximately every 4 weeks as new, healthy skin cells travel to the surface, replacing the old cells as they die off.
By following our skin detox guide, in 4-6 weeks time, you could be reaping the benefits of clear, glowing skin, as well as feeling super healthy, rested and ready to tackle 2021 head-on.
Your Skin Expert,
Aleksandra