So you ignored all the advice about looking after your skin over Christmas, drank too much booze, ate too much chocolate and didn't take your makeup off some nights. Good for you. You needed that. But now your face is feeling tight and dry and looks tired and dull and perhaps you've got some lovely fresh spots to kick-off the new year to boot? Here's a few ideas on how to get your glow back on and even turn back the clock to the days when you looked the same despite only getting four hours of sleep.
We know, we know. It's the same old boring advice you've read twenty billion times. But there's a reason it's given as frequently as Katie Price has lip fillers. If your skin is being an idiot and irritating you, it's likely your moisturising barrier (the lipid barrier) whose job it is to lock in moisture to keep it hydrated needs a stern word because it's letting in dry air exposing your sensitive skin layers to dry air and thus dehydrating your face. You need water to rehydrate your skin - it's as simple as that. If your skin is hydrated, it's going to be less dry and dull. In just a few days of downing the water, you may notice an improvement to your skin.
Eat Some Healthy Shiz
Same logic. Like Sushi? Get some of that down your neck. Oily fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel all have juicy fatty acids in that help repair your barrier. Nuts, seeds, beans.. all do the same job. If you still need the feeling of something carby, sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin C, which boosts collagen production, while olive oil is full of the essential fatty acids you need to boost your moisture barrier. Cover the potatoes in olive oil, stick in the oven and make a jacket spud that feeds you and your face.
Click on the image to expand
Nobody said you can't lay down and eat healthy food, if you must eat healthy food.
Sleep
Ha! Like I need to tell you to sleep. The more you get though the more time your skin has to repair itself overnight. I'll leave it there because I'm sure you'd sleep for 12 hours every night if you could.
Wash Your Face
Ok, so if you're anything like me, you'll be less enthralled about doing the healthy stuff but feel more up for sorting your skincare routine out (embrace the novelty factor). It doesn't have to be overwhelming or complicated. Start with the basics.
Stop using facewipes/babywipes to remove your make-up
Use a cleanser and wash your face old-school style with a flannel.
If this is the only thing you can commit to right now, that's better than nothing and better than sleeping in your makeup or using a wet wipe to take it off (it actually makes your skin worse, see here)
Try Some Skin Products
If you've managed to wash your face and feel you can muster up the energy to move your hands a little more, try adding some products to your getting-ready-for the day-or-for bed routine. It really doesn't need to be that complicated and there's a new trend emerging towards minimising skin routines. Unless you've got real skin concerns that you really need to tackle, there are really only two hero products that address antiaging gripes (fine lines, wrinkles and general haggardness) retinol and vitamin c . If you have never tried retinol, then it's wise to start gently (one or twice or week) and build up. It's a confusing little vitamin, because it tends to make your face feel worse before it gets better. You will 100% assume it's not good for your skin and you shouldn't use it, but your skin reacting is a positive sign (it's doing something!) and it will settle as your skin gets used to it. Claire Coleman covers all of this brilliantly here - read it, she makes it EASY and suggests some great products.
Click on the image to expand
A little bit of expert skin advice from a medically qualified practitioner like Claire Lavery can go a long way. Why not see who is near you right here
Try A Treatment
Obviously we're BIG into treatments and quite frankly, seeing an aesthetics practitioner to address your skin concerns (you don't have to have a problem per se, just wanting better skin is reason enough to book a consult!) is undoubtedly the most productive thing you can do to start improving your skin. It may be they simply suggest a new skin routine and a few new products for you. Why not see who we have near you and book in for a consultation. Stop putting it off, come on, new year, new you! They may even tempt you to give one of these magic treatments a whirl:
A chemical peel - AKA a skin peel - is a type of treatment used to improve the overall appearance of skin by chemically exfoliating it and boosting new skin cell growth and collagen.
Practitioners apply a solution made up of acid that removes dead skin cells to create smooth skin, lessen blemishes, pigmentation, fine lines and acne scarring, as well as minimising the appearance of age spots.
Chemical peels don't get the credit they deserve because people are scared by them. The name itself sounds horrendous and we all have images in our minds of red raw 'open' faces that look like bad bad bad sunburn. But, my friends, this is not a chemical peel of today. You do not need to fear a chemical peel. It does not literally peel your face off. It will not be left red raw, it doesn't hurt or leave you looking like a Pepperoni.
Practitioners apply a solution made up of acid that removes dead skin cells to create smooth skin, lessen blemishes, pigmentation, fine lines and acne scarring, as well as minimising the appearance of age spots.
Acid? Yep, that’s right - but it’s not as scary as it sounds, as, if used properly, the acids used in a skin peel are safe on skin and can have fantastic results. In fact, you'll find some of these acids in your every day skincare products (albeit at a lower percentage). Because of the complexity of chemical peels, we recommend only going to a medically qualified practitioner, regardless of the type of chemical peel you choose.
Click on the image to expand
You will definitely NOT look like this after a superficial chemical peel at one of the clinics on Glowday. We know this is what you THINK you will look like, but trust us, you will not!
Microneedling uses multiple fine, sterile needles to puncture the skin with microscopic channels.
This intentional, controlled injury initiates a skin healing response, resulting in the increased production of collagen and elastin. The end result is thicker, plumper, firmer, smoother skin. Additionally, skincare products are able to penetrate more deeply into the skin, making them more effective.
Again, microneedling isn't something to fear! It doesn't hurt, it isn't painful. It maybe feels weird but a bikini wax hurts more!
Effectively, hydradermabrasion removes the dull, dead upper layer of skin, clearing out pores whilst continuously infusing skin with a range of intensive, active, hydrating serums.
Launched in the UK in 2016, Profhilo® has been hailed as a revolutionary product for restoring skin lacking in lustre, volume and glow. An injectable skin treatment which produces a refreshed, plumped yet natural and ‘not done’ look, Profhilo® is not used to change the shape of your face, but is an excellent choice if you want to improve the appearance of your skin. Read about my experience with it here.
Time For The Big Guns
Okay, so these treatments aren't going to improve your skin texture, tone or appearance but there's only so much that skincare can do to combat the ageing process. If you're unhappy with how you face is changing - perhaps your jowls are starting to sag, the lines by your mouth seem deeper, your eye bags are more baggier, your crows feet are bothering you or the lines in your forehead are making you look more angry and unhappy than you actually are - then Botox or fillers may be the answer.
Firstly, because every day is a school day, you may not be aware that Botox is actually just one type of antiwrinkle injection but has become the default name of the treatment thanks to being the first brand on the market (think what Hoover is to the vacuum cleaner). But really, the treatment is wrinkle relaxing.
If you're like I was before I started working in this industry, you might be a bit scared about wrinkle relaxing injections and the fear of looking fake, frozen, plastic or just weird. I'm here to tell you that's almost 100% because you only know someone has had Botox if they've had too much or not been to a medically-qualified practitioner. The practitioners on Glowday will say that 'great work is invisible' and having an antiwrinkle treatment will not make you look any different, it will just bring you back to looking like you on a good day! Read this for more info
You may also be fearful that once you start, you won't be able to stop. If the thing bothering you is enough to bother you (and it does actually bother you) and Botox can resolve it, then that's going to be more positive for you than letting it continue to bother you. And if you do wrinkle relaxing injections but then decide you don't want to do any more or don't like the result, a) it wears off and b) you won't look any less different than you do now. It won't make you look worse than you did pre-treatment. If you like the results, why would you want to stop?
For many, baby Botox is the perfect answer to combating the issue of the ‘frozen look’ that is sometimes associated with wrinkle relaxing injections.
Dr Ana Mansouri, aesthetic practitioner at Kat & Co Aesthetics, says subtle wrinkle relaxing is her signature treatment. She explains, “It’s a similar approach to a normal anti-wrinkle, but I think of it as a more modern take on softening wrinkles than the more traditional approach. You take a higher dose of toxin to eliminate lines, but I soften lines in the most undetectable and natural way. You’re still able to move and make expressions, the lines just won’t be as prominent as before. The muscles won’t be quite strong enough to cause lines at rest.
The aim of this subtle treatment is to get rid of the lines at rest but keep the lines while you’re expressing yourself, because that’s part of normality. It’s really undetectable and blends in nicely with the rest of your face and neck, and there’s no need to worry about not being able to move your muscles or feel that you have restricted movement. But it is also, generally, enough to prevent those lines from becoming deepset.”
Fillers are possibly more feared than wrinkle relaxing injections. Again, it's because we only tend to see the images of puffy faces and cartoon-like results from overly filled or poorly filled faces. But filler is magic stuff and can restore volume in areas in a way no amount of water-drinking can. The trick is to see a well experienced professional who knows about placement and uses different filler for different purposes (some fillers work better in some areas of the face than others).
The cleverness of filler means just a tiny amount in your cheeks, for example, can give the illusion of a gentle face lift with your jowls looking as if they're back where they're meant to be. Filler under the eye can refresh our faces as if we've had a month's worth of sleep, without making you look any different facially. Even temple fillers can restore the youthful, rested face we once had.
Dr Manav Bawa of Time Clinic explains, “volume loss in temples is often not something that a patient will necessarily notice. They just come in knowing that they look tired, and they often come in with completely different ideas of what they need. That’s why it’s so important to first understand what they’re looking for.”
He continues, “it’s the people who come in looking tired, with drooping eyes or saggy brows who would benefit from temple filler, because the fat in the temple area has basically shrunk, and the skin has fallen down and forward. Placing filler along the cheek bone and the temple helps stretch the skin back and open up the eye. It’s a really subtle but effective treatment that gives brightness back to the face.”
So there's some simple at-home ideas to help you get back on track and some go-to-a-lovely-clinic-you-find-on Glowday ideas which will really va va voom your face back to reality. To book in a consultation simply search who we have near you and book right in!
Click on the image to expand
Stay in the Glow
Want to stay in the know with our latest blog posts. Subscribe to our newsletter below:
Stay up to date with all the things #Glowday via our social channels.
