Skincare and the holidays

It’s that time of the year when we celebrate often with friends and family. Our regular routines are offset by late nights, lack of sleep, poor dieting, and one too many glasses of wine.

This is a time to enjoy and be happy, but don't forget that all these celebrations can take a toll on your skin, causing dehydration, dullness, dark circles, and fine lines.

It is important to hydrate more than usual to replenish the water loss due to alcohol intake and to use a good water-based moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated.

To treat dullness, exfoliate once or twice weekly and use a toner to balance the skin's pH. Alcohol can also cause your skin to have an unbalanced pH, leading to lifeless-looking skin.

When it comes to dark circles, the first thing you need to consider is getting the right amount of sleep, but this might prove impossible because you will probably be attending office Christmas parties or partying with friends.  I advise getting an eye cream to reduce darkness and refresh the under-eye area. It’s best to look for creams that contain caffeine, niacinamide, and cooling ingredients like aloe, and don’t forget about old, good, cold cucumber rounds that always help to refresh the eye area.

If fine lines show more, you can blame it on those delicious desserts and Christmas cookies. The intake of refined sugars will cause Glycation, which is when these sugars bind to the collagen and elastin fibers, accelerating the aging process. So what is a cookie lover to do? The obvious is to pass on the sugars, but double up on your antioxidants if the sweets are too irresistible to pass. This can prevent Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) from harming your skin.

That being said, don't let the effects of too much celebration ruin your holidays. Enjoy this time of the year. After all, it happens once a year, and remember to show your skin some love.