Now is the time to use your skinstinct
Is your skin trying to tell you something? You may not realise it, but how you’re feeling is often written all over your face. From stress and sadness to anxiety and fatigue, your complexion can tell you what’s going on – and what you need to adapt.
Facial skin is one of the biggest indicators of our state of mind. And it is constantly changing from one day to the next in response to how you feel.
Happy and calm? The release of endorphins and dopamine can make your skin look more radiant, with a healthy flush. But if you’re angry, stressed, or anxious, skin can turn red, break out in pimples, or flare up with rosacea.
If you listen to your skin, you’ll soon work out what it needs.
Follow our guide to find out how.
Your skin is… STRESSED
Look for: Dry, flaky patches, wrinkles, redness, blotches and inflammation, breakouts, dark circles, eczema.
When tense, your brain releases cortisol, the stress hormone. This tells oil glands to ramp up production, leading to breakouts. In addition, cortisol can cause skin to lose more water than normal, resulting in dryness.
Stress also dilates blood vessels, which leads to redness and aggravates rosacea. Here’s what you should do.
■ Try to figure out where your stress has come from and make lifestyle changes to reduce it.
■ Relaxation treatments such as aromatherapy and meditation can help lower cortisol levels.
■ Strip back your skincare routine and use lighter creams. Don’t over exfoliate. Instead, look for products
containing lactic acid, which hydrates as it gently dissolves dead skin cells.
■ Try Wild Science Control Switch Repair Serum, £35 (wildsciencelab.com), which is designed to calm and reinforce skin resilience.
■ Avoid sugary snacks when you are feeling stressed as this will elevate glucose and insulin levels. Choose vitamin C-rich foods as these help return blood pressure and cortisol to normal levels.
■ Switch caffeine and energy drinks for water, as this won’t affect your cortisol levels.
Your skin is… SLEEP DEPRIVED
Look for: Puffy eyes, dark circles, dullness, fine lines, enlarged pores, sagging areas, a congested flaky zone between the brows, dryness, inflammation and redness around the eyes.
The hormones that help keep us healthy, like beta-endorphins, oxytocin, and growth hormones, are highest when we’re asleep.
In poor sleepers, skin barrier function is affected causing fluid retention, a lack of radiance and accelerated ageing.
Sleep deprivation impairs the immune system, so pimples and cuts will be slower to heal.
■ Develop a routine and go to bed at the same time every night. You need seven to eight hours to let the beneficial sleep hormones do their job so your skin can repair and heal.
■ Stop caffeine after midday, and don’t have sugary treats after 7pm. Eating dinner earlier and choosing a lighter option that requires less digestion makes sleep easier.
■ Try Newly launched Meder Circa-Night Cream, £98 (mederbeauty. com). It’s been four years in the making and is designed to mimic eight hours of sleep.
Your skin is… SAD
Look for: Sallow or pale lacklustre skin, sagging, wrinkles from repetitively frowning and furrowing brows.
Feeling down from time to time is a normal part of life, but long-term sadness and depression has a disastrous effect on skin because the chemicals released can prevent the body from repairing inflammation in cells.
This not only affects the tone of your skin, resulting in accelerated sagging – especially of the lower face – but also the colour. Skin looks as sad as you feel, and loses its flush.
■ Exercise elevates mood, reducing symptoms of depression, helping to stimulate the body to produce serotonin and endorphins, feelgood chemicals in the brain.
■ Botox injections can be used on the forehead to prevent furrowing and minimise lines.
■ Eat more protein to help boost energy, and walnuts, which are rich in mood-boosting omega-3s.
■ Use skincare with brightnessboosting vitamin C. Murad Vita-C Triple Exfoliating Facial, £67 (murad. co.uk) is the equivalent of having a professional microdermabrasion treatment at home.
Using exfoliants and vitamin C, it brightens, tightens and restores radiance.
Your skin is… MALNOURISHED
Look for: Sagging, excess oil, blackheads, inflammation, redness, acne, rosacea, puffiness.
An overload of alcohol, sugar and dairy can result in collagen loss. Excess sugar can aggravate skin conditions such as rosacea and also cause dilation of blood vessels, making the face red.
The effects of alcohol show up mainly around the eye area, with puffiness and dryness.
■ Snack healthily on raw fruits and vegetables, which are packed with antioxidants and antiinflammatory benefits.
■ If you suffer from redness, avoid spicy food and shellfish as they can cause blood vessels to flare up. Opt for wholegrains plus foods rich in amino acids, like eggs, beans, and seeds along with cold-water fish and almonds which contain omega-3.
■ Stay hydrated. Drinking enough water flushes out toxins and can improve the complexion of your skin for a youthfullooking glow.
■ Use a jade roller to massage and detoxify the skin.
For more of Lesley’s tips, visit lesleyreynolds.com