Burning the candle at both ends? Give a thought to your skin this Christmas season

It may be ‘the most wonderful time of the year’ – thank you Andy Williams – but your skin would probably disagree. With Christmas parties predominantly featuring Prosecco over Perrier, rich inflammatory food de rigueur, pounding central heating contrasting with the cold outdoors not to mention the stress of winding down work to get everything finished while running around the shops, it all takes its toll. No wonder your skin complains with blocked pores resulting in a Christmas day gift – a large spot. Broken veins from change in temperature, a dull complexion from dehydration making fine lines more viable… and the list goes on. A recent survey also found that over indulging in the gluhwein can result in a ‘face hangover’ lasting up to four weeks.

Another aspect are sleep-patterns that can go haywire at this time of year because the circadian rhythm is under stress. The circadian rhythm is the 24-hour internal clock that regulates critical functions such as behaviour, hormone levels, body temperature, metabolism and sleep - the whole rhythm can be altered when there is a temporary mismatch between our external environment and this internal biological clock, for example with jet lag, too many late nights and going to sleep later than usual. Indeed this year’s Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm. So what can you do?

Protecting the lipid layer is key and Nourish London’s Protect Replenishing Peptide Serum could have been created for this time of year; it quenches thirsty skin, locks in moisture to protect and stimulates collagen replenishment to firm and smooth the skin under your favourite moisturiser. As you head out the door, don’t forget your hands – Nourish London’s Kale Anti-Ageing Hand Cream calms and soothes while reducing discolouration.

At the end of a long day and night, if there is one lesson to take away it is this - do not abandon ship on the cleansing front. Make-up and dirt will sit on the skin and allow free radicals to attack the dermis. So the minute you have locked the door behind you, wash away the impurities with Nourish London’s Kale 3D Cleanse followed by Argan Skin Renew Moisturiser complete with hyaluronic acid and tripeptides to rehydrate and stimulate collagen production as you sleep. Just a few items to consider for the Christmas list….