What To Do When Your Skin Freaks Out?

Posted 2018年03月16日星期五

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Just like hair, skin can have good and bad days. Good skin days can add both confidence to your walk and perkiness to your mood. However, sometimes—without warning—your skin can suddenly switch gears into total freak-out mode, infested with pimples, comedones and other dastardly beauty woes.

Instead of blindly flinging all sorts of creams, serums and fixes at your freaked-out skin finding the root cause to your problems is the fastest way to solve your complexion issues.

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#1 Travel is Wreaking Havoc on Your Skin

Some of us don’t take into account the changing weather patterns when we travel. Using skincare meant for humid weather in the dead of winter in London will only lead to tears and dry skin. “Overly dry skin from weather issues is one of the most common complaints we see in the office,” says Kenneth Lee, medical director of SW1 Clinic. “Very dry skin can sometimes lead to severely inflamed skin, worsening issues such as acne and eczema. Luckily, the solution is simple—increase your use of moisturizers.” Of course, not all moisturisers are made the same, that is why he recommends patients to look out for beneficial anti-aging ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, vitamin B, C or resveratrol. “My patients’ favourite is Skin Drink, that is made from pure olive squalane” he adds. “This serum quickly reverses skin inflammation and providing a soft and dewy appearance to the skin.”

#2 Poor Diet and an Abnormal Sleep Schedule

Emotional stress isn’t the only thing that can rev up stress hormones and cause breakouts; poor sleep and diet can have the same reaction within the body. “Stress hormones become elevated when you are experiencing psychological stress, not sleeping well, or even with a poor diet,” says Dr. Lee. “Elevation of these stress hormones cause inflammation throughout your body, including your skin.” In order to combat this specific skin woe, Dr. Lee recommends exercising regularly, going to sleep on time and engaging in activities that decrease stress levels, like meditation.

#3 Your Products Are Too Harsh

“The common conditions I see contributing to inflamed or schizophrenic are the use of products that are too harsh and thereby strip too much of the natural oils from the skin, which paradoxically induces your skin to over-compensate by producing more oil” says Dr Chua Han Boon from SW1 Clinic. “For skin that is sensitive, oily on the inside and dry on the outside, I always recommend that they stop all harsh products and go for a balancing moisturiser such as Blue Orchid which is also my personal favourite”. Powered by black orchid extracts and niacinamide, it actually balances skin rapidly, regulating oil control so skin feels soft and supple yet not shiny or greasy.

#4 You’re Too Stressed (Breathe!)

“It is so common for people to break out with a deep ‘underground’ pimple right before a major event,” Dr. Chua continues. “The best way to address this is with a small dose of steroid injected right into the pimple, which often has the effect of diminishing it overnight.”

#5 Your New Products Are Doing More Harm Than Good

“When patients come in complaining of sudden onset of skin issues, one of the first questions we ask is if they have started using any new products within the last few months,” says Dr. Low Chai Ling. “What may be a great product for one person may not work well for others because we all have different genetic makeup, oil content and pore sizes.” To avoid a bad reaction from products, Dr. Low suggests testing the product on a small area before applying it to the rest of your skin. If the damage is already done and you’re experiencing breakouts, Dr. Low says the quickest fixes for clogged pores are procedures such as retinol peels and deep cleansing facials such as Deep Deep Clean. For more stubborn outbreaks, add on I-Clear and LED Red photobiomodulation lights to detox skin from inside out.

#6: You’re Sweat is Mixing With Your Skin Care Products

Another reason why your skin is acting up could be related to sweat. Sweat can mix with ingredients in makeup, sunscreen and moisturizers, forming firm buildup in the pores, causing rashes and acne breakouts. “To prevent this, simply wash off sweat as soon possible and avoid excess moisturizers on skin prior to working out”, says Dr Low. If you want a quick clarifying treat post-workout, consider spritzing Clear Tonic onto the skin to keep exercise-related outbreaks at bay.

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