With the festive season upon us, healthy lifestyles often get put on hold while alcohol, partying and indulgent foods take centre stage. But what impact is this having on your skin?
Late nights: Burning the candle at both ends can become the norm during party season but, according to consultant dermatologist Dr Ellie Rashid, just one night of poor sleep can affect the way you look the next day. “A disrupted night elevates cortisol levels, increasing inflammation and breaking down skin’s collagen and hyaluronic acid. This contributes to dark, puffy eyes and sallow, dull skin,” says Dr Rashid.
A late bedtime has been associated with decreased skin hydration, whilst a lack of sleep has been linked to oily skin and acne. In an ideal world, you’d be getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night, but Dr Rashid says that whilst we can’t bank sleep with weekend lie-ins, having a restful night of sleep the day after a late night can help with the reparative processes in the skin. “It won’t make up for chronic impaired sleep however – consistent good quality sleep is key.”
Wine: Research by Drinkaware found that two thirds of drinkers in the UK overindulge over the festive season. And while a single glass of wine is unlikely to cause much harm to your skin, Dr Rashid warns that drinking more than the recommended 14 units per week may be problematic in the long term. “Excessive alcohol can lead to dehydration and dullness,” she says. “It can also lead to increased blood flow to the face. This may exacerbate conditions like rosacea.”
When you consume alcohol, your body breaks it down into metabolites, some of which can be toxic. Dr Beibei Du-Harpur, academic dermatologist at King’s College, London explains, “Skin cells are vulnerable to these toxic metabolites, which accelerate skin ageing. Reduce the impact by drinking water and eating food to dilute the alcohol.”
Thankfully, Dr Du-Harper says, it would take more than one Christmas of excess to become a significant issue. “These cellular changes accumulate over decades, so it is something to think about within the context of your overall lifestyle and how much you drink regularly.”
Salty snacks: It’s not uncommon to find yourself deep in the crisp bowl or tucking into handfuls of salted nuts at a Christmas party. Dr Rashid warns: “Salty snacks can increase water retention and lead to puffiness, particularly around the eyes.”
Choose wisely, opting for crudités over cocktail sausages, for example.
Sugar: From sugar-laden mulled wine to indulgent festive desserts and selection boxes of chocolate, there’s an abundance of sugary foods and drinks to enjoy at Christmas.
But Dr Rashid warns: “Eating sugar can lead to glycation of cells, which ultimately damages our collagen and elastin and slows down cell turnover, making skin appear duller and more textured.
“Sugar is also inflammatory, so over time can lead to conditions such as acne. The longer the period of dietary change, the more chance of it affecting your skin.
“Thankfully, if there has been a period of increased sugary food and drink consumption, the effects can be reversed within a couple of weeks with a more nutritionally diverse diet,” says Dr Rashid.
Stress: Christmas can be stressful and our skin definitely does not like stress. “It increases the production of free radicals, unstable molecules that can damage skin cells, leading to accelerated skin ageing and inflammation,” says Dr Rashid.
Plus, an excess of stress hormone cortisol stimulates the oil glands making conditions like acne worse. If you can, get out for a short walk – research has found that just 10 minutes can help reduce stress.
