Have you ever found yourself looking in the mirror wondering about a change in your skin? What’s going on? Why is that there? I’m not talking about the appearance of a fine line, but rather when skin seems to be dry suddenly? Or breaking out? Or flushed? While there are many reasons why our skin changes, here are a few of the top causes to keep in mind when you’re trying to problem solve.
What you’re putting on your skin
I always advocate for seasonal change of skincare routines (autumn, winter, spring, summer) because temperature and other weather factors impact our skin, however, I also encourage clients to notice when a current regimen isn’t delivering what it used to. Skincare may not reverse the ageing process, however, our skin does get used to what we put on it and over time, products have less effectiveness. To stimulate peak performance, a swap or addition may be necessary.
Maybe a facial oil to combat dryness. Or Vitamin C serum to brighten skin. An alpha hydroxy acid to exfoliate skin and promote turnover.
There are many solutions depending on the challenge you’re facing. And it’s worth keeping in mind that while our grandmothers may have only used soap and a simple cream to keep their skin looking great throughout their lives, that may not be enough today. Thanks to the environment, stress, diet and lifestyle, a skincare protocol from early 20s to post-menopause that never changes is unlikely to always be effective.
What you’re eating and drinking
Whether it’s a lack of water or an overindulgence in cheese, our skin will show us it’s unhappy with a noticeable change in appearance, sometimes as soon as overnight. You may wake up one morning and think, “how did that spot appear so quickly?” And you may not make the connection to something you ate or drank the day before.
It can be challenging to pinpoint the cause, unless you’ve gone through an elimination diet. When I did this via Whole 30, I discovered that the dry, bumpy skin I was experiencing on the back of my arms wasn’t a side-effect of winter, but rather a symptom that my body wasn’t happy eating gluten. This doesn’t mean I always skip the bread, but it does make me more careful with my food choices, particularly around deciding if something is really worth the after effects to eat right now.
How you’re sleeping
We know sleep is important for our body to recover. It also has a direct impact on how our skin looks. No doubt we’ve all had someone tell us we look tired, thanks to dark circles under the eyes. Our skin can also show our lack of sleep through uneven tone, redness or breakouts. When we get enough sleep each night, our skin has time to repair and prepare for the next day.
Sleeping position is also important as bags under the eyes may develop if you sleep on your stomach thanks to liquid pooling in this area. The easiest fix is to sleep on your back, though I will say, I personally find this very hard to put into practice. If I have a morning where I wake up puffy, I drink extra water and use a gua sha to help deflate what has developed overnight.
With medical interventions providing “quick fixes” to many issues today, it can take some discipline to remember that a breakout may not require a trip to a dermatologist. Rather if we listen to what our body is saying, we’re likely to be able to come up with an answer for ourselves.
And of course, if you want to discuss your skincare routine, I'm happy to chat with you about it.
What is your body telling you?