Tips for healthy skin between treatments

In this day and age there are hundreds of solutions to improve your skins health, give you a glow and make you look younger. For example our bespoke Sofwave non-surgical facelift, or our partners Dermalux LED therapy. (www.nuwevel-aesthetics.com and www.thebondstreetclinic.com) However keeping your skin healthy in between treatments is the key to making the results last longer.

Sun Protection

This week marks the start of summer. The sun is out, temperatures are going up and I really feel like we have said goodbye to the rain, the storms and the gloomy days we have seen over the last month. It is so tempting just to get out with the sun on your face and forget about the impact on your skin. BUT this is one of the most damaging factors when it comes to your skin health. Number 1 is the risk of skin cancer, but as well as this sun exposure causes aging effects such as sun spots, age spots and the dreaded wrinkles. But we can’t completely avoid the sun and we shouldn’t have to.

· Ensure you use SPF of at least factor 30 and reapply it regularly

· If you can, stay out of the sun during the peak of the day, or wear protective clothing such as a wide brimmed hat

· If you want the sun kissed tan, fake it. There are numerous options for a realistic fake tan these days, from professional spray tans in your local salon, to DIY sprays and mousses you can apply at home. For example, Skinny Tan who have taken the market by storm after appearing on Dragons Den https://www.skinnytan.co.uk/

Don’t Smoke

Smoking has a wide range of damaging and dangerous effects on our bodies, from the risk of lung cancer, to the damage to our purses and the smell. Smoking will affect your lungs and have a detrimental effect on your fitness and general health. BUT it is also terrible for our skin. Smoking ages your skin in a few different ways.

· It reduces the amount of oxygen and nutrients that can get to the skin making your complexion paler

· It negatively affects your immune system, increasing the chances of getting, or the severity of dermalogical conditions such as psoriasis

· When you smoke you are constantly repeating the same facial movements, which causes those tell tale wrinkles around your mouth

· It damages the collagen and elastic fibres speeding up the aging process by causing more wrinkles, loose skin and sagging. Yes I know our treatment reverses this, but to get the best, and longer lasting results from your treatment, stop smoking

Diet

It is generally nowadays though of as a myth that eating greasy foods gives your greasy skin, however it is a fact that if you are cooking greasy food the grease in the air will clog your pores and that is not good for a healthy complexion. Also some of the ingredients in fried food can cause skin inflammation leading to redness and puffiness which is not the look we want this summer. So my advice is at least limit the amount of grease you are consuming.

On the other hand there are some superfoods we know improve our skin texture and tone due to their healthy fats. Examples are;

· Fatty fish which are rich in omega 3

· Green tea which contains catechins

· Nuts and seeds such as walnuts and sunflower seeds

· Avocados to help keep your skin springy and supple

· Vegetables such as broccoli, tomatoes, red peppers and sweet potatoes have an abundance of vitamin A and vitamin C and the beta carotene in some of these foods can even act as a natural sun screen.

Stay hydrated. Increase the amount of water you drink to 2l a day. This will hydrate your skin and give it the healthy glow you want.

Skincare Routine

It is important to wash your face regularly. In a world where we are surrounding by toxins in the air we need to regularly remove this from our face. However, it is also important to remember how delicate our skin is. So make sure you only use a gentle cleanser. It is hard to know which products to choose these days but keep it natural and simple.

Exfoliating is also very effective in removing the pollutants from our skin, but again nothing too harsh. We want to remove the dead skin cells, but not damage the healthy ones.

Don’t pick at your skin! It can be tempting when we wake up with a spot or blemish to pick at it, mess with it or pop it, but this will spread the bacteria and ultimately lead to a bigger breakout. Leave it alone and it will be better in the longrun.

Moisturise. If you have dry skin moisturing with products that include ceramides, peptides and electrolytes will rehydrate the skin and give you a healthy glow.

Stress less

This is a hard one. Especially over the last 2 years. We have had a pandemic, isolation from others, job uncertainty, impending rise in inflation and cost of living, making up lost income, news of war. It has certainly been a very stressful time for a lot of people. And we are so busy these days juggling so many different life factors, work, family, exercise, that it can be easy to forget to make ‘you time’. Even 5 minutes of mindfulness a day can really help to reduce the stress levels that can have negative effects on your skin such as causing breakouts of acne, psoriasis and eczema.

· Meditation- there are many free and paid for apps these days that guide you through the meditation process which with just 5 minutes a day can reduce the feelings of stress and anxiety. Deep breathing techniques are also very relaxing and have a positive effect on the stress levels

· Don’t let technology take over- make sure you limit the time you are spending on your phone, laptop or tablet. Social media content and the use of filters and photo editing software can sometimes give us unrealistic outlook which can cause stress, but also it is stopping us from taking part in hobbies, socialising and enjoying the outdoors, all of which are major stress busters

· Find support in others- Noone can get through life on their own. Make sure you surround yourself with like minded people that you can give and gain support from. This might be in the form of friends, family or even groups and hobbies such as a sport team, walking club or religious group

· Exercise regularly- When we exercise our bodies release endorphins which are our natural mood enhances. Exercise also reduces levels of adrenaline and cortisol which are attributed to making us feel more stressed