Why Sleep Is The Biggest Anti-Aging Trick Of All Time
Good news: at night, while you catch up on valuable zzzs, your body and skin go into overdrive to repair damage from the day. And this, dear friends is why we truly believe that sleep is one of the most important players in your skincare arsenal.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, there are very few skincare tricks as effective as a good night’s sleep. Yes, daily broad-spectrum sunscreen is imperative for warding off the signs of premature aging, and if you skip moisturizer on a regular basis, especially as you get older? Well, you can say goodbye to that baby-soft skin you took for granted in your teens and early 20s.
But when all is said and done, if you deprive yourself of quality sleep time, you might as well throw the rest of your skincare routine in the trash.
Here, we lay out the facts about beauty sleep and why you 100 percent need it – if nothing else but for the sake of your wrinkles.
1. If you’re anywhere between the ages of 18 and 64, the National Sleep Foundation recommends between seven and nine hours of sleep every night. This means if you’re up every day at 7 am to workout before work or take the dog for a walk, you need to be turning in at midnight at the very latest – but preferably by 10 pm.
Why do we need so much sleep? Because it ‘powers the mind, restores the body and fortifies virtually every system in the body,’ explain sleep experts at the foundation.
2. What does this mean specifically for your skin? Well, as your brain goes into rest mode, your skin does the exact opposite. Blood flow to the skin increases which nourishes it with valuable nutrients; cell turnover accelerates to bring fresh, healthy skin cells to the surface, and collagen production revs up big time. Collagen is a super important protein in your body that works like glue to hold everything together. When it comes to your skin, collagen is basically responsible for its structure, firmness and plumpness. In short, lots of collagen is very good. Short supplies, not so much.
Aging, a cruddy diet, too much sun and smoking are all major enemies of collagen, but sleep is its BFF. So, beauty lesson number one? More sleep = more collagen = more youthful-looking skin.
3. Plenty of other things are also going on while you sleep, so let’s talk about hormones for a hot minute.
First up, is cortisol, or as it’s otherwise known, the stress hormone. Cortisol not only regulates your levels of stress, but also your blood pressure, immune system and metabolism. Levels of cortisol vary throughout the day, being high in the morning and gradually decreasing into the evening. When you fall asleep these levels drop dramatically, which means if you miss out on valuable sleep your body continues to produce cortisol. This puts unwanted stress on pretty much every important internal bodily function, and spells disaster for your skin as too much cortisol completely wrecks its ability to heal and regenerate. It can also cause flare-ups and exacerbate skin conditions like rosacea, eczema and psoriasis.
4. While we’re on the hormone topic, melatonin also needs a mention. Melatonin – often thought of simply as a sleep supplement you buy from your local CVS – is actually a hormone produced naturally by your body when it’s dark to help it repair itself as you sleep. It has awesome antioxidant properties, so just like vitamin C and niacinamide, helps reduce skin aging by fighting damaging free radicals that are caused by those environmental bad guys: namely UV radiation and pollution.
Beauty lesson number two: lack of sleep = less melatonin = more skin damage.
5. The last hormone we’d like to bring to your attention is HGH, the human growth hormone. Like melatonin, this is produced naturally by your body during deep sleep to help maintain your organs and build strength in your tissues and muscles. HGH production decreases with age which is why it becomes increasingly harder to build muscle, bone density and exercise stamina as you get older. It’s also one of the reasons your skin becomes thinner over time.
Note to selves. Up your sleep levels to help your body produce as much HGH as your age will allow.
6. As we previously mentioned, sleep is vital for maintaining a balanced metabolism. Well, it also helps regulate your blood sugar levels which is super important for reducing sugar cravings.
A diet that’s high in simple carbs and refined sugars results in a process called glycation which leads to inflammation in your skin and a significant disruption to your collagen and elastin production. Glycation also produces skin damaging free radicals which drive a further nail in the coffin of your hopes for a long-lasting youthful complexion.
7. If you’ve ever woken up after a night of poor sleep (wine, what wine?) only to be faced with puffy eyes and dark circles, you’ll be more than aware of how much the skin around your eyes feels the hit of sleep deprivation. But why? Unfortunately, the exact science is a little unclear, but lack of sleep definitely makes eyes dry and irritated, so this could be one reason for the inflammation and/or swelling. It also causes the blood vessels under the thin skin around your eyes to dilate which increases blood retention and creates that infamous dark tint.
Too much cortisol may also be partly to blame for eye puffiness. High levels in your bloodstream change the salt balance in your body which makes it retain water and cause unwanted swelling.
8. The process of repair and regeneration that happens as you sleep also helps strengthen your skin’s natural, protective barrier. If your skin barrier is compromised – which may happen if you keep up a shabby sleep routine – it fails in its job to hold the good stuff (water) in as well as to keep the bad stuff (chemicals, UV, pollution and bacteria) out.
And there's life lesson number three: lack of sleep = poor barrier function = dry, dehydrated skin.
So, what should you take away from all this sleep intel? Simple. Number one, never underestimate the power of a good night's rest. If your skin is looking particularly sad or your under eye circles are out of control, turning in early should be an absolute priority. No arguments. And number two, overnight is a great time to help boost your skin's natural healing and repairing processes with some quality skincare products. Look to ingredients like retinol to amp up your anti-aging game, try hyaluronic acid to moisturize or go for salicylic acid to help unblock pores and improve cell turnover.
Trust us, your skin will be super grateful come the morning.
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![Good Or Bad? 5 TikTok Skincare Trends – Dissected]()
Are social media skincare hacks harmful or helpful? To follow, our thoughts on five of the latest beauty fads doing the rounds…
Isn’t social media awesome? Well, it is, until it isn’t. You see, the problem with giving everyone a voice and a platform on which to share their skincare routines and DIY beauty hacks is that not ‘everyone’ is an expert. In fact, most people are far from it. Of course, there are plenty of fabulous makeup artists, dermatologists, plastic surgeons and aestheticians you can follow across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok and a lot of them have incredible advice to offer. There’s also a lot to be said for things like Facebook Groups where, if you struggle with chronic skin issues, you can connect, learn and find solace from others with similar concerns.
But then there’s all the other 'stuff' from people who have so much to say… about things they don’t know that much about. And this is the kind of information that can do more harm than good. This is why we’ve sifted through some of the most recent viral skincare fads you might want to be wary of. Instead, read on for the real truth about how best to take care of your skin.
1. Slugging
What Is Slugging?
Skin slugging might sound gross, but it’s become a huge deal on TikTok, with its hashtag currently notching up around 1.5 billion views.
Not to be confused with most people’s least favorite mollusk, slugging involves smearing a thick layer of petroleum jelly all over your skin as the last step in your nightly skincare routine. Do so and you’re guaranteed to wake up with the softest, most moisturized skin ever. So they reckon, anyway.
Is Slugging Good For Your Skin?
This trend started gaining momentum almost two years ago, but it will not go away. Therefore there has to be something in it, right? Well, petroleum jelly is an occlusive ingredient that creates a seal over your skin to help lock in moisture. So, sure, it will definitely stop water from evaporating from the surface of your skin as you sleep, we’ll give you that. However, petroleum jelly has no hydrating qualities. At all. This means it doesn’t really moisturize your skin, it just stops any moisture that’s already present from escaping from the surface of your skin.
Not only that but petroleum jelly creates a barrier over your pores, completely blocking them and causing no end of problems for oily skin types. Namely, breakouts like you will never believe.
Much Better Advice?
Rather than slathering your skin with what is essentially just ‘grease,’ you’re much better off applying night cream to not only lock in moisture but to help hydrate and feed your complexion with skin-loving ingredients like antioxidants, ceramides, peptides and/or vitamins and minerals.
Our Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream is a great bet or why not try the combo of our new Rejuvenating Longevity Serum and Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream?
2. Potatoes For PimplesWhat's It All About?
Dealing with acne can be a real struggle. Especially when you reach adulthood when you were promised your skin would be so much clearer. But it’s not common to be plagued by breakouts as you get older. In fact, research shows that around 25 percent of American women in their 40s suffer from some kind of acne.
It’s no wonder, therefore, that there are so many short-term hacks for dealing with pimples. Back in the day it was toothpaste and nail varnish remover (gasp!). Now it’s slices of raw potatoes. The idea is that you tape a small slice over your spot to make it magically disappear. Some TikTokers have even resorted to rubbing the whole darn thing over their skin.
Are Potatoes Good For Your Skin?
Don’t get us wrong, we love a potato as much as the next person. But on our dinner plates, not taped to our faces. So, why has this acne hack become such a thing? Ha, your guess is as good as ours but the main draw is that potatoes have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which are both known to help reduce redness and unwanted pigmentation.
They also contain exfoliating and oil-reducing properties and feel nice and cool on the skin which is a big deal when you have a big, throbbing red zit on your chin. So maybe, just maybe, they might offer some short-term benefits. But little more than that.
Much Better Advice?
If you’re an acne sufferer, you’ll understand that short-term fixes are all well and good but, in truth, it’s all about the long-term. This is why we prefer to treat and control breakouts with smart skincare that’s been specifically (and safely!) formulated for the job. Products that contain science-led and dermatologically-tested ingredients like salicylic acid, tea tree oil and AHAs are going to offer your skin way better benefits than a bag of your best russets. Sorry, but they just will.
3. Sunscreen Contouring
What Is Sunscreen Contouring?
If we had to choose just one viral beauty trend that gets our blood boiling the most, it would be sunscreen contouring. Stupid at best, downright dangerous at worst, sunscreen contouring is when you apply sunscreen to select areas of your face and body only, in order to intentionally create tan lines for a contoured effect.
Some people have taken to applying a lower SPF to areas of their face they want to tan more, and a higher SPF to those they want to remain pale and ‘highlighted’ but either way, this is bad news.
Is Sunscreen Contouring Good For Your Skin?
Absolutely not. Not even slightly. The sun is responsible for almost 90 percent of skin aging, accelerating the formation of fine lines, wrinkles, sagging and dark spots. This means it’s absolutely essential to protect ALL exposed skin to the damaging effects of UV radiation. Because tan skin = damaged skin. End of story. Not only that, but c’mon people, skin cancer.
Much Better Advice?
First, in order to truly protect your skin from the damaging effects of the sun, you need to apply SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen every day to all areas of exposed skin. The alternatives are just not worth it. And if you do want to create contours on your face and body such as highlighting your cheekbones, sculpting your nose or defining your abs, stick with a self-tanning lotion or makeup. Easy. And way less damaging.
4. Lemon Juice As Toner
What's It All About?
Pure lemon juice. As toner. Simple as that.
Yes, lemons are astringent, yes they’re packed with vitamin C and yes, vitamin C is awesome for the look, feel and health of your skin. But when life gives you lemons, do not squeeze out their juice and use it to tone or brighten your face.
Is Lemon Juice Good For Your Skin?
Citric acid can be an incredible ingredient in many topical skincare treatments, offering great antioxidant qualities and helping to fight environmental skin damage. However, skincare products are formulated in certain ways and use very specific concentrations of ingredients in order to help benefit your skin without causing irritation. Pure lemon juice, however? The opposite. Applying it in its pure form can seriously irritate your skin, screwing up your barrier function and causing long-term issues with hyperpigmentation and sensitivities. It can even burn your skin if you’re not careful.
Keep yours for the G&Ts and leave lemon skincare cocktailing to the pros, OK?
Much Better Advice?
Get your fix of vitamin C from a facial serum that contains sodium ascorbyl phosphate (SAP) which is a gentle and very effective form. Our Vitamin C Facial Serum is always a big favorite but we also have the mighty Vitamin C Super Serum + which really amps up your glow factor. We like to use it twice a week, alternating between this and the OG.
5. Face Taping
What Is Face Taping?
This cheeky little trick has been used by Hollywood’s finest for decades so sorry, TikTok-ers, but you did not invent this one. Also known as wrinkle taping, the idea behind it is that you strategically place sticky tape on your face, usually overnight, to lift the skin, reduce muscle movement and therefore reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It’s most often used under the eyes, at the edges of the cheeks, over the forehead or across the chest area.
You can also use face tape to provide an immediately lifting effect, keeping it on for an event, for example, whilst camouflaging it with heavy makeup.
Is Face Taping Good For Your Skin?
As an immediate wrinkle-reducer and skin-smoother, face taping is actually pretty effective. But it’s a very short-term fix and takes a lot of clever makeup artistry to cover the tape and make it look natural.
As an overnight solution however? Yeah, we’re not convinced. For one thing, the glue that’s used on the tape can be super irritating for some skin types, especially if it’s used under the eyes where your skin is thin and extremely delicate. And for another, leaving the tape on for long periods of time can clog your pores and encourage breakouts. The phrase, ‘out of the frying pan, into the fire,’ comes to mind.
Much Better Advice?
Two words: effective skincare. Cleansing and exfoliating regularly, treating your skin with daily antioxidants, applying sunscreen daily and using age-defying ingredients like retinol, bakuchiol, hyaluronic acid and vitamin C? So much better than silly old face tape that might be OK for ten minutes but will do no good in the long-term.
Try our new Smoothing Collagen Serum, Firming Collagen Day Lotion and Collagen Boosting Skin Supplement which are great for healthily preventing premature aging.
Good Or Bad? 5 TikTok Skincare Trends – Dissected
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