How staying indoors affect your skin?

Most of us are now entering a period of quarantine. Governments the world over have encouraged self-isolation to prevent the spreading of Coronavirus. Although right now, our skincare might be low on our list of priorities, we’re here to help after the first few days of shock subside and the questions about our skin arise.

Is Staying Indoors Bad For Our Skin?

So you’re now stuck indoors and after talking to yourself for a few days about the Coronavirus crisis the brain begins to settle (a little!). The questions move to the effect quarantine might have, whether we need to exercise indoors and what about our skin? We’re often told that going outdoors is great for our skin health so now that we’re indoors what will happen?

Firstly, staying indoors is not necessarily bad for our skin but its not really a positive either. By being outside there are many benefits to our skin, as an example, research demonstrates that being outside and even just hearing the sound of birds can help us relax and de-stress. This in turn helps our skin, since we know that stress is bad for our skin health.

It also goes without saying that some light sun exposure whilst outdoor can also benefit our skin. Vitamin D has been shown to have many benefits but unfortunately there’s not a lot we can do about that right now!

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Indoor Tips

1. Try to keep air con and central heating to a minimum– this will only dry out your skin, which is at risk by being indoors anyway.
2. Stay Hydrated – It may seem trivial but it’s surprising how easily everything goes out the window when you’re trapped inside. Staying hydrated is key to healthy skin.
3. Try To Reduce Stress – We know stress is bad for our skin and we know it’s difficult in a time like this. The news can often be a source of stress so try to avoid it. Aim to entertain yourself with a game, a book or whatever it is that helps you remain distracted. Anything to keep the mind occupied and reduce stress will reap rewards for your skin.
4. Exercise– It may sound ridiculous since we’re stuck inside but finding a way to exercise has many benefits for the skin. Opt for a home workout or a ‘free-weight’ workout. There are many great core exercises out there to get the blood pumping.
5. Eat Well – its tempting to go for the junk food in a time like this but try your best to eat healthy since this will give your skin a fighting chance. We’ve written some advice on the best foods for your skin and the ones to avoid.

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In all, this is a strange and challenging period for us all. The priority is not spreading the Coronavirus (covid-19) so staying indoors is necessary. Hopefully the measures above will help you protect your skin but if you’re noticing a rash, spot or mole that you haven’t seen before then we’re here to help.

You can avoid risking public spaces and you can reduce the pressure on our health services by speaking to our board certified dermatologists or even just using our artificial intelligence to get an instant answer on your skin problems.

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Alexander Börve

The Specialist doctor from the University Hospital in Gothenburg, alumnus UC Berkeley. My doctoral dissertation is about Digital Health and I have published 5 scientific articles in teledermatology and artificial intelligence and others.

Not having our regular daily activities, such as doing the school run, working, commuting, gym or yoga classes has thrown our normal routine out the window.

Meal times don’t have to be at the exact time anymore. Kids can be in bed an hour later than usual. Not a big problem. You too can have your dinner a bit later. 

Bad habits like snacking on the wrong things have increased for many as those good habits built up over time have taken a hit with the new normal.

The constant snacking to escape from boredom along with those evening treats to keep your spirits up. A couple of bars of chocolate or the second glass of wine. 

These unnatural eating habits affect your skin’s appearance and health. 

More junk food means more breakouts…

More fatty snacks mean more acne…

Stress is your biggest enemy on skin health

Our daily lives are stressful enough. 

The everyday chaos, morning news, kids’ school, work, bills…

On top of that we are now worried about our loved ones’ health and safety. Then there is the uncertainty about the future and the new normal we are all facing.

Stress is one of the biggest enemies of your skin.

Stress causes changes in the brain and it affects all your body including your skin. While your body feels under pressure and feeling anxiety, it produces more cortisol which is also known as the ‘ stress hormone’. And it causes more oil and sebum on your skin. Leaving you with spots, rash, and other skin problems. 

Our ways of fighting stress also might affect our skin health and appearance. While under stress, many people eat or drink more and some might also pick at their skin without even realising it. Constant picking at your skin may cause irritations and skin problems. 

How often do you get fresh air?

Spending most of our times indoors means we are lacking fresh air and sunshine which our bodies are in constant need of, taking away what our bodies have been used to for thousands of years.

Regardless of the season, the air inside is usually drier than the air outside. The heaters in the wintertime and the cool air conditioning in the summer only gets the current air circulated. If you are not constantly airing your home, the carbon-heavy air indoors will get drier and may start irritating your skin.

Yes, staying indoors has its benefits. Some of them are also for your skin. For example, avoiding skin-damaging pollutants and photo-ageing UV exposure.

However, lacking Vitamin D from the sun and missing the health benefits of fresh air on your skin might come at a cost.

Getting away from your skin beauty routines

They say one should look good for themselves not for others. But let’s be honest. None of us spends 20 minutes in the morning getting our hair and makeup done to work from home. 

Spending most of your time at home might make you abandon your daily skincare routines as well. You may feel like there isn’t a reason for you to drag yourself in front of the mirror. 

For example, if your evening beauty routine starts with taking your make up off, you might find it a bit difficult to find the motivation to put your toner on now.

Or you can think now that you are not going out and seeing other people as often, you don’t need to have face mask twice a week.

When your daily actions change, they become habits. And when your beauty habits change, your skin may not be as spotless anymore.

If visiting a beauty clinic is part of your skin health routine you can’t pop out for a quick hydrfacial or dermapen to keep your skin glowing which makes things difficult.

Negative effects of more screen time on your skin

Have your screen times increased rapidly since the beginning of the lockdown?

Many of us are working in front of laptops constantly. Changing social connections is also affecting our lives. Spending time with friends means even more looking at your screen. Free time entertainment… looking at your screen. Even having a date might be through looking at your screen nowadays!

But did you know that every second you are spending on your phone or laptops, your skin gets exposed to blue light. This high energy visible light, causes elastin and collagen damage on your skin, leading to pigment changes and photo-ageing.

Our phones are probably one of the most unsanitised belongings we have. We take them everywhere. They are always in our hands even when nature calls we can’t put them down ! We are sure not you! But some people!

While our phones are a public care home for bacteria, keeping it close to our face for hours every day can unsurprisingly cause oil glands and spots on the skin.

Over cleaning your skin 

Since the earlier days of the pandemic, we have been taking extra care of our personal hygiene. Washing our hands more than ever, cleaning and showering more often; we can disrupt the pH levels of our skin. With constant soap and sanitiser use, our skin can also get dry and patchy. 

Also not wearing any makeup or being in public as much, we might touch or pick our hands more than usual – while no one is watching! This can cause our skin to get inflamed, and increase acne and spots. 

How to protect your skin in lockdown

We’ve gathered a handy list for you to follow for healthier skin while spending more time indoors. 

Eat healthy for your skin

It is tempting to finish the pack of crisps in front of the telly. But your skin may not appreciate it. 

Make sure to follow a healthy diet. Preferably away from junk food and unhealthy snacks. 

Sugar also affects your skin’s ageing process. 

Dairy products also are known to promote acne. Keeping your milk or cheese consumption to a minimum will help you to have clean skin. 

Get fresh air for your skin health

For a healthy body, mind, and skin we all need fresh air!

Now that we are not spending much time outside, you should at least air your house often!

Luckily with the warmer weather, we don’t need the heating on at home.  Heaters dry up the air and leave your skin dehydrated. 

If you would still need to put the heating on, place a damp towel on your heater. This way you can decrease the dryness of the air inside. To learn more about how you can help your dry skin with little adjustments at home read our previous blog. 

Create a new daily skincare routine

Your old daily skincare routine should be tweaked to reflect the new normal you find yourself in. Creating a regular beauty regimen will help you maintain healthy skincare. 

As we are mainly at home, most of us don’t wear any makeup at all! Which is a great opportunity for our skin to have a break and recharge. 

You can create a new skincare regimen and challenge yourself to follow it every day! 

If you need help to create your new skincare regimen, our experts are always happy to help! Book your free e-consultation with our skin experts.  

Moisturise your skin after every wash 

Yes, we all want to make sure those germs and viruses keep away from us! But over-washing your hands or body may cause dryness and cracks. And as you can imagine, viruses can enter your body from the cracks on your skin much easier. 

Use a rich moisturiser after every wash to make sure you protect your skin from dryness caused by the acid in soap.

Applying moisturiser while your skin is still damp, increases the absorption. 

When bathing or washing your face, you can choose a milder soap. 

And use cold water while washing your face. If washing your face with cold water is not comfortable, try lukewarm, but make sure to prevent using hot water washing your face as it causes dryness on our skin.

Clean your phone regularly

Wiping down your phone regularly with an antibacterial wipe will dramatically decrease the amount of bacteria your face is being exposed to. 

Wearing headphones or using your phone hands-free is also a great option. 

And if you are working from home on a computer, make sure to clean your keyboard and headsets regularly. Spending most of your day touching to these gadgets causes unwanted lifeforms to create habitats on them. 

Apply SPF regularly

If you are sitting next to your window while working, the sun’s rays may not burn your skin. But it will definitely affect premature ageing. 

Using SPF when you are getting exposed to the sun, is crucial. 

When you go out for your daily exercise, make sure to apply a higher protection SPF.

Follow homemade skincare

Spending more time at home means spending more time in the kitchen. Why not try a new recipe for your skin too?

Our skincare experts shared their homemade face masks and beauty secrets. You can choose from recipes to moisturise, cleanse, brighten, or getting rid of acne. 

Give your skin a good exfoliation

At our clinics, before each skin treatment, we recommend a good exfoliation. 

It gets rid of the dirt and opens the way for your skin masks, moisturisers or other beauty products to penetrate your skin more deeply. Your skin can benefit more from your treatment and skincare products.

Being indoors more than ever now, your skin is less exposed to pollution, which is fantastic! But a good exfoliation will also get rid of the other external dust and dirt your skin is open to and oil and sebum your skin produces. 

We hope that our recommendations help you with your skincare during this time. 

If you would like to speak to our experts and ask any questions, you can to book your free e-consultation here 

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