Noticed that your skin is looking dull and tired without its usual healthy glow? It could be the effects of working from home that are wreaking havoc on your skin.
But doesn’t staying home more means I stay away from direct environmental elements and should give me better skin instead?
Well, this can’t be further from the truth.
Read on for the various reasons why working from home may be making your skin look duller than before and what you can do to bring back the glow – including recommendations of skincare products to help you revive your glowing skin!
How is working from home costing your skin its healthy glow?
Stress
Sure, you may find that you’re sleeping in more and not as susceptible to “Monday blues” when you’re working from home, but the truth is any major changes to your lifestyle is perceived as a form of “stress” by your body.
What’s more the worry about the COVID-19 pandemic – including how circuit breaker measures may affect you and your loved ones or reading alarming news about infection rates around the world – can cause anxiety without you realising.
And did you know that stress doesn’t just affect you mentally?
Stress causes your body to produce more cortisol, which reduces blood flow to the skin. It is this lack of blood circulation that makes your skin look tired and lacklustre.
Not wearing sunscreen while you’re at home
You should wear sunscreen even when you’re home. (Photo: Unsplash/Arnel Hasanovic)
Many of us are guilty of this. We think that because we’re indoors, there’s no longer any need to apply sunscreen. Bad news: this is not true.
While we’re less likely to get burned by UV rays, UVA – the rays that are responsible for causing skin ageing – can still penetrate through our windows. This means that without sunscreen, our skin is left exposed to these damaging rays, which can cause our skin to look duller in the long run.
Poorer diet than before
Poor diet can be the reason why your complexion is looking worse than before. (Photo: Unsplash/Sebastian Huxley)
Let’s face it, without your colleagues rallying behind you to try out the latest grain bowl or to start a pack-your-own-salad-from-home initiative, you haven’t been eating well at home.
Giving in to comfort food by re-ordering your favourite fried chicken to be sent to your house, or going for convenience and whipping up a bowl of instant noodles is adding too much sodium into your diet.
Not forgetting the ice-cream, chocolates, and candies you’ve been indulging in while catching up on another episode of K-drama on Netflix.
Did you know that a sodium- and sugar-laden diet actually accelerates skin ageing?
Having too much sodium dehydrates your skin while too much sugar increases the rate of glycation in your body, which ages the appearance of your skin.
How can you bring back the glow to your skin?
Sun protection
If you’re in your 20s, sun damage may not be immediately apparent. However, don’t think that means you can get away with skipping sun protection as these sun damages will definitely show when you get older, and by then it’s already too late to reverse them.
Use a sunscreen with broad spectrum protection of at least SPF30 to protect yourself from both UVA and UVB. Need some motivation to use sunscreen regularly? Consistent use of sun protection is one of the most important solutions to evening out your complexion and getting that healthy glow you’ve always wanted!
Diet
Blueberries are a good source of antioxidants and vitamins. (Photo: Unsplash/Gemma Evans)
We hear this all the time, but it’s true that a diet rich in antioxidants and vitamins is the key to glowing skin.
Antioxidants can neutralise the excess free radicals in our body and prevent the oxidative stress they cause to our skin. Meanwhile, vitamins can provide our skin with the necessary nutrients to stay healthy and radiant.
Not sure what foods you should eat? Fruits like berries, kiwis, grapes and vegetables such as kale, broccoli, sweet potatoes are all packed with powerful antioxidants and good vitamins for your skin. And the fact that they’re also delicious means that you have no excuses not to incorporate them into your diet!
Cleanse thoroughly and don’t forget to exfoliate
A thorough cleanse every night helps remove all pollutants and impurities from your skin. However, when it comes to stubborn dead skin cells, regular exfoliation is your best bet to remove them effectively from the surface of the skin and return to your skin its clear complexion.
Do, however, take note to avoid rough physical exfoliators such as scrubs so as not to cause microtears in your skin or trigger sensitive reactions.
Choose skincare products with anti-ageing ingredients that have glow-restoring benefits
Skincare is food for the skin and having an effective skincare routine with quality ingredients is key to helping it restore its healthy glow.
Some of the ingredients that have been scientifically proven to fade dark spots, even out the skin tone, and brighten up the overall complexion are vitamin C, E and A. Choose products that feature these ingredients with scientifically proven formulas for optimal brightening effect on your skin. Need recommendations? Read on for them!
Consider the Avene A-Oxitive Range for the ultimate solution for glowing skin
One of the latest anti-ageing skincare lines on the market that is all the buzz right now is Avene’s A-Oxitive Range.
If the idea of ten (or more)-step skincare routines has never appealed to you, Avene’s straightforward four-product range will be right up your alley!
With only four products – Antioxidant Defense Serum, Smoothing Water Cream, Peeling Cream and Soothing Eye Contour Cream – Avene’s A-Oxitive range is proof that you don’t need too many products in your skincare routine.
Each of the products in the A-Oxitive range is packed with powerful ingredients such as vitamin C, E and A to refine texture, boost skin radiance, protect skin, and fight first wrinkles.
Straightforward yet effective, Avene’s Oxitive Range is a fantastic entry-level anti-ageing skincare range for those who are new to the anti-ageing world and would like something non-fussy that simply works.
A-Oxitive Antioxidant Defense Serum
The A-Oxitive Antioxidant Defense Serum, designed for both day and night usage, is formulated with an Antioxidant Shield Complex, which has efficacy equivalent to 15% pure vitamin C. It combines pro-vitamin C and pro-vitamin E to even out your skin tone while nourishing it from the inside.
If your concern with vitamin C is that it easily oxidises and loses its effectiveness when exposed to the air, you’ll be glad to know that the Antioxidant Defense Serum contains ascobyl glucoside, a stable form of vitamin C.
The serum also contains pro-vitamin E to repair the skin’s barrier, leaving your skin soft and protected.
The A-Oxitive Antioxidant Defense Serum retails for SGD79.90, available at all Guardian, Watsons, Unity stores islandwide and on Shopee and Lazada.
A-Oxitive Smoothing Water Cream
A day moisturiser is essential in any skincare routine as it’s the shield that protects your skin against environmental aggressors. Also containing vitamin C and E, the A-Oxitive Smoothing Water Cream further enhances the radiance-boosting benefits of the serum while protecting your skin from air pollutants by up to 69%*.
The A-Oxitive Smoothing Water Cream retails for SGD79.90, available at all Guardian, Watsons, Unity stores islandwide and on Shopee and Lazada.
*In vitro test on reconstructed epidermis, application of Smoothing Water-Cream followed by pollutants (PM 2.5 and 10).
A-Oxitive Night Peeling Cream
If the day moisturiser protects your skin from the environment, a night moisturiser helps the skin regenerate and repair itself. The A-Oxitive Night Peeling Cream contains Renewing Complex, a combination of pro-vitamin E and Retinaldehyde, a form of vitamin A – one of the most effective ingredients in refining skin texture as well as preventing acne.
If you love going for chemical peels, well, good news! The A-Oxitive Night Peeling Cream’s efficacy is equivalent to that of three peeling sessions** yet with better tolerance. So you will get all of the benefits with less risk of skin reactions!
The A-Oxitive Night Peeling Cream retails for SGD79.90, available at all Guardian, Watsons, Unity stores islandwide and on Shopee and Lazada.
**Comparative clinical study under dermatological control – 56 subjects – 1 application of A-OXitive Peeling Cream every evening for 8 weeks vs 3 Glycolic Acid peel sessions (20%/50%/70%).
A-Oxitive Soothing Eye Contour Cream
An anti-ageing skincare routine won’t be complete without an eye cream as your under-eye area tends to be the most prone to darkness and wrinkles.
The A-Oxitive Smoothing Eye Contour Cream contains the Renewing Complex similar to the Peeling Cream, to brighten up your under-eye area by 57.7%***.
You can look forward to waking up with brighter, smoother under-eye skin with less pronounced wrinkles and fine lines!
The A-Oxitive Smoothing Eye Contour Cream retails for SGD59.90, available at all Guardian, Watsons, Unity stores islandwide and on Shopee and Lazada.
***Clinical study with scaled scoring – 42 subjects – 1 application of A-OXitive Smoothing Eye Contour Cream every evening for 28 days.
