4 Ways We Age Our Skin During the Holidays!

By Kelli Parisian−

The holiday season can wreak havoc on your skin, causing your skin to look older, and more sallow. Here are 4 reasons why.

1. Our Diet – We all know the temptation to eat faster food, and more sugar is real during the holidays.  At the salon I work at, we have sugary treats available every day between Thanksgiving and New Years Day!  Oey, the temptation!  Sugar is not only bad for your thighs, but bad for your skin!

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Scientists from the Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, and Unilever in the UK, measured the blood sugar levels of 600 men and women aged between 50 and 70.

They then showed photographs of these people to a board of 60 independent assessors and found that those with higher blood sugar looked older than those with lower blood sugar. In fact, for every 1mm/litre increase in blood sugar, the perceived age of that person rose by 5 months

Dr. Nissan Pilest’s article Why Sugar is Bad for your skin-from Acne to Wrinkles gives details as to why you want to drop that cookie now!

2. Our Sleep Patterns Change – The pressure to work, prepare for the holidays, and even our social lives affect how our skin looks this time of year.  If you have a busy schedule of holiday parties, chances are you’re consuming a tad bit more alcohol than you normally would.  Alcohol affects our sleep patterns.  Personally, if I have even one drink, I’m guaranteed to wake up at least once during the night, and then have difficulty falling back asleep. 

Alcohol consumption leads to dehydrated skin, and dehydrated skin looks older.  Alcohol robs your body of Vitamin A which is essential for cell renewal and turnover, so your skin could take on a dull gray appearance. Staying hydrated will obviously have opposing effects: smoothing out wrinkles, leaving your skin looking bright, young and fresh. 

Note: Alcohol can also affect preexisting conditions like rosacea, causing it to worsen or flare up more often. Alcohol increases your blood flow, often causing blood vessels in your face to dilate. 

3. Women have a tendency to overdue – which results in less time for exercise, less time for healthy meal preparation, and less sleep.  I encourage you to stop shopping, and take time to rest. Set aside 2 hours, once a week, to read, get a pedicure or a facial.  Re-energizing will keep your skin glowing during this frantic time of year.

4. We skip the Skin Care Essentials – Even those who are faithful about exfoliating and applying masques, tend to skip these steps and do ONLY the essentials; cleanse and moisturize this time of year. With all the other things we are doing to counteract our healthy, radiant skin, now is NOT the time to skip the essentials.  Take 2-3 minutes to exfoliate, with a natural, organic treatment, and reap the benefits all season long.  Apply a masque while your wrapping your holiday gifts! Multi-tasking at it’s best!  Use an extra rich night creme this time of year, and your skin will thank you, come January!

 

Originally posted on Parisian’s Pure Indulgence.

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4 Ways We Age Our Skin During the Holidays!
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