Holiday Practices to Avoid for Better Skin

    • Skincare during the holidays should be more stringent than usual because of certain added factors.
    • The kind of weather, the food you eat, amount of sleep and stress can affect your skin.
    • The holidays may require a change in your skincare routine.

It is the holiday season, and you notice that you are having nastier breakouts than usual. You may blame it on the weather, stress, sleep, and even the foods you eat. Aside from these factors, there are also other things you might be doing that is causing you skin problems.

Know them all here and how they affect your skin.

1. You are overeating dairy, cookies and junk foods.

During the holiday season, people indulge in many foods, especially sweets, sugary and greasy. Although most people believed that fatty foods result in breakouts, Dr. Sandra Lee of the “Dr. Pimple Popper” show thinks otherwise. Rather, she recommends avoiding dairy foods as they exacerbate acne production. Board-certified plastic surgeon, Anthony Youn, advises not to eat too many cookies because they contain too much sugar and fats. Youn adds that eggnogs are also not good for the skin because of their sugar and cream content. Moreover, junk foods can easily cause skin flare-ups. 

2. You are not getting sufficient sleep.

With all the activities the holiday season has to offer, you often find yourself having less and less sleep. Lack of sleep, too much alcohol and stress can have a significant effect on the skin. Lee shares that sufficient sleep is a crucial factor in having healthy skin. On the other hand, insufficient sleep makes the skin look tired and sallow.

3. You still follow your usual skincare routine.

The weather becomes colder, and the air becomes drier during the holiday season resulting in dry and irritated skin. It should prompt you to change your skincare products to suit the weather better. According to Amanda Doyle, a board-certified dermatologist, using a humidifier can also help manage the effects of a colder climate and drier air. Using a heavier moisturizer can also reduce winter dryness. Besides, wearing gloves, using hand sanitizer and taking not-so-hot showers can help avoid skin drying.

4. You are skipping your skincare habits.

When you are occupied with many activities, you sometimes miss out on your routine, including your skincare habits. According to dermatologists, this practice is what often leads to many skin problems. So in any season, be consistent and follow your skin regimen. Put on sunscreen, moisturize, and hydrate.

5. You are not managing your stress.

Stress can harm your skin, and holidays are stressful seasons. Studies show that stress can exacerbate many skin conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis and rosacea. Lee explains that when you are stressed, your immunity weakens and your body’s ability to fight inflammation of the skin decreases. Doyle recommends taking ingestible skincare products to combat stress. There are natural lycopene-containing ingestible skincare products proven to protect the skin from the effects of the sun.

When you manage stress, you also reduce illnesses. Manage stress by having a complete sleep and regularly following your workout and skincare routine. 

Source: Huff Post