As your body rests, the skin repairs itself. When you slip into the second phase of your sleep at night—what we call the delta phase—your hormone levels are at their peak, and that’s when cell repair takes place.

So what happens really is that any damage to the collagen and elastin under your skin that might have taken place due to free radicals are repaired as you sleep. Free radicals are one of the biggest culprits in premature ageing.

Want glowing skin? Then hit the bed every night at around the same time, and sleep well. Give your skin cells time to rest, repair, and restore. If it’s only five hours you can manage every night, then it’s better to sleep early and wake up early than to sleep late and wake up later

As your body rests, the skin repairs itself

Deep sleep = Radiant complexion

Lack of sleep constricts the blood vessels on your face. It looks dull, and lacklustre. Sleep actually helps in collagen production. And you need loads of that for skin that is supple and elastic.

Do you feel tautness in your skin when you wake up? That happens when your skin loses hydration at night as you sleep. All that repair work underneath tends to pull out water from the top layer, that is if your air conditioner spares some.

Do this – Drink at least a glass of water before going to bed and apply a hydrating moisturiser to ensure that your skin does not lose hydration from the outside.

Deep sleep + vitamin enriched night cream = Supple, line-free complexion

You can actually help your skin in its repairing efforts by adding some extra dose of vitamins and essential skin actives. When you wake up your skin will thank you for it. I am sure you will also feel very nice about it too.

Deep sleep + anti-wrinkle under eye cream = Smooth toned, clear sparkling eyes

There’s nothing like a good night’s sleep to fight puffy eyes and dark circles. I am sure you have noticed that after a good night’s sleep your eyes look bright, and the under eye area looks smooth and toned. We Indian girls tend to suffer from uneven skin tone, especially under the eyes. This is something you can take care of as you sleep. A little care goes a long way.

Do this – Buy a lightening under eye cream—look for ingredients like licorice and vitamin E. Don’t rub, but dab the cream in circular motion around the area. Go to sleep and wake up with prettier eyes. Go low on salt after sunset. You can also put two pillows to prop yourself. Sleep on your back and not on your sides or stomach.

There’s nothing like a good night’s sleep to fight puffy eyes and dark circles

Your pre-sleep prepping routine

1. Remove make up, and cleanse your face with a cleanser. Use soft cotton pressed pads to wipe away the dirt
2. Use a face wash to wash off the residue. Exfoliate if you feel the need
3. Go for deep cleansing shower/bath with exfoliating body wash
4. Use a muslin cloth/ towel to dab your face and body. It retains water in the skin without leaving it wet
5. Put on your under eye cream, dab and leave it to soak into the skin
6. Apply an AHA-based hand and body lotion. Slather it on nicely. Massage gently till the lotion soaks in. Apply your foot cream as well
7. Massage a rich night cream all over your face, neck, and décolletage in upward and circular motion
8. Drink a glass of warm water before going to bed.

The Sleep Pattern

First three hours: You get the deepest sleep of the night. Your body produces the most human growth hormones, which are crucial to skin and hair repair.

Middle two hours: Deep sleep shortens and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep begins. Melatonin, a hormone that’s also a skin-protecting antioxidant, increases.

Last three hours: This is when you get the most REM sleep. Your skin’s temperature reaches its lowest point and your muscles relax, giving your skin its deepest recovery.

Sleeping positions: Be mindful of your sleeping positions. Always sleep on your back. Compressing your face against the pillow will cause more creases, alter facial shape, and cause acne.

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I often have patients come to me with a pre-conceived notion of the state their skin is in. Sometimes, it really takes lots of patience before I can make them see sense. You need to understand that the state of your skin is never constant, especially if you are a woman who goes out to work and spends time in different environmental conditions.

Understanding your skin

The external conditions—pollutants, dirt, grime, and changing weather—play a major role in how your skin feels or behaves. You might be born with a certain type of skin, but over the course of time, weather changes can aggravate a skin condition or change its texture. I am sure you must have noticed that if your skin is prone to oiliness, summer time can be a pain because suddenly the greasy factor increases tenfold. Similarly, if in normal conditions your skin is dry, it becomes dull, flaky, and dehydrated in winter.

You need to examine your current skin care regimen and adjust it to meet your skin’s ever changing needs, based on shifts in climate and sun levels. It’s critical to establish [and diligently follow] a routine that meets your skin’s specific needs during specific climatic conditions.

Adjust your skincare to the season

Many of us jet-set across the globe; often, in the span of just one week, our skin faces different conditions. For instance, you may start off from a summer country and land into a country experiencing winter. While you do your travel packing, make sure your skincare products are packed accordingly. Your skincare routine must remain the same but according to the changing climate conditions, you must use specific products.

Do not go by what you think is your skin type to choose products round the year. Be tuned in to the changes in the weather and how your skin reacts to it. Once you start recording the changes, you will naturally be in sync and treat your skin accordingly. Change your face washes, cleansers, moisturisers and sun protection products to match your skin condition. You will be surprised that all it really takes is to make small adjustments in your daily regime to keep your skin perfect and glowing round the year without any special skincare treatments.

Monsoon

Who doesn’t love the rains? After the scorching sun and all that dust, it is a relief to feel drops pouring from the sky onto your face. I do enjoy a cup of steaming coffee as the rain lashes around, cooling and cleaning everything. There is such a sense of freshness, but I cannot say the same for my skin. The monsoons bring with it a series of skin woes for many—open pores, dull skin and infection along body folds. In simple words, we have summer skin plus increased humidity. A bit of moisture is good, but a lot isn’t.

Look and feel of monsoon

Skin feels hot and humid since the pores are still open from the summer months and can get further aggravated. Acne and skin infection along the body folds can also occur. Sweating can be even more irritating in the humid weather.

Hair swells and is more vulnerable to damage, especially breakage, so it is advisable not to go for too many salon treatments. Even a simple blow dry can cause damage.

Monsoon special care

• Refreshing face wash: Do it four times a week and with cold water
• Toner: Optional
• Scrub: Once a week
• Day cream: Use only a sunscreen
• Skin actives: Apply in the form of serums and gels
• Post summer care: Tan removing creams and skin soothing ones
• Night care: Skin lightening actives, AHA and BHA [Acids at 6 – 20 per cent are available OTC]
• Just hydrant minus the cream: Magic mist
• Hair and scalp: Sun protection for hair
• Body: Couple of showers a day

Pick powders: For this season, you must look for the powder form of most things like compacts, deodorants etc. There are some collagen boosters in powder form too.

Dry up ASAP: If you happen to get wet, wash your face and feet as soon as you can. Then dry them; this removes any impurities you might have picked up. A good idea is to carry some wet wipes and then reapply your skincare product or make up.

Stay with sunscreen: If you are planning to stop the sunscreen regimen, thinking that the clouds will protect you, you are greatly mistaken. Cloudy skies do not guard you from the sun. You can look for a light textured version of sunscreen. There are also some gel variants that offer you protection without clogging your skin. Try the new powder sunscreen with nano-particle technology.

Work towards healthy hair

• Coconut oil massage
• Dry wet hair with low heat
• Do not brush wet hair
• Use loose hair accessories
• Avoid salon treatments—any chemical treatment will harm the strands since the cuticles are open

Have happy hair: Hair care should not be ignored during this season. Since the summer’s intense UV damage makes the hair dry, frizzy, damaged, getting your hair wet in the rains will further weaken it. So say no to all hair treatments that make use of heat and chemicals. Ironing semi-wet or wet hair is a sin.

Monsoon must dos

Getting wet in the rain is fun but change your clothes as soon as possible. Damp clothes increase the risk of skin infections, especially in body folds.

• Dry your hair to remove as much moisture as possible. Blow-dry your hair gently if needed.
• Keep wet wipes, moisturiser, face wash, and sunscreen in your purse to keep your skin in great condition.

Supplements to take in monsoon

• Go high on immune boosters—multivitamins.
• Add anti-inflammatory ingredients to your diet like ginger and turmeric. These ingredients are a major part of our Indian diet.

Monsoon kitchen goodies

• Apply a papaya face mask to remove dead skin layers and reduce tanning.
• Turn over half a lemon and use it as a gentle loofah on the face and the body.
• Use a mixture of lemon juice and rice flour paste on face and body to slough off dark, dead skin.
• Apply lemon, curd, and sandalwood powder as mask and then scrub gently to de-tan.

At your skin doctor’s

Most treatments are safe to receive in this season. Concentrate on de-tanning treatments like peels and microdermabrasion.

Start off laser treatments for skin lightening, tightening, or hair removal.

Adapted from Age Erase by Rashmi Shetty. Published by Random House India

This was first published in the July 2014 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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