Category: Skin Care For Men

How Sleep Impacts Your Skin & How to Improve It

Sleep plays a crucial role in overall wellness, influencing everything from gut health to stress levels. When it comes to skincare, getting quality rest can make a world of difference. Prioritising sleep allows your body to repair, rejuvenate, and maximise the benefits of your skincare routine.

The Effects of Poor Sleep on Your Skin

Ever woken up after a restless night to find dark circles, puffy eyes, or a dull complexion staring back at you? That’s no coincidence. Sleep deprivation triggers the release of cortisol, the stress hormone, which interferes with the skin’s ability to repair itself. This can lead to inflammation, breakouts, and premature ageing.

On the flip side, consistent, restful sleep supports cell regeneration and collagen production, helping to maintain a youthful, glowing complexion. If you want radiant skin, making sleep a priority is just as important as your skincare routine.

Tips for Better Sleep – And Better Skin

1. Reduce Screen Time Before Bed

In today’s digital world, screens are everywhere. While they keep us connected, they also disrupt our sleep cycle. The blue light emitted from phones, tablets, and computers suppresses melatonin, the hormone responsible for sleep.

To encourage a better night’s rest, The Sleep Charity recommends switching off screens at least an hour before bedtime. Dimming overhead lights and using lamps in the evening can also help ease your body into sleep mode.

2. Create a Relaxing Sleep Environment

Your bedroom should be a sanctuary for rest, not a space filled with stress. If possible, keep work materials out of the bedroom and maintain a clutter-free space that promotes relaxation.

Lavender is well known for its calming properties, so consider using a pillow mist, diffuser, or scented candle to create a tranquil atmosphere that encourages sleep.

3. Establish a Calming Night-time Routine

If you often find yourself struggling to switch off at night, introducing a winding-down routine can work wonders. Instead of binge-watching another episode on Netflix, try reading a book or practising gentle meditation. A calm mind leads to better sleep – and better skin.

4. Find the Perfect Sleeping Temperature

Many people assume a warm room is ideal for sleep, but in reality, cooler temperatures are better. According to The Sleep Charity, the optimal bedroom temperature for sleep is between 16-18°C. A cool environment helps regulate your body temperature, promoting deeper sleep and enhancing skin recovery overnight.

To stay comfortable, opt for breathable nightwear made from natural fibres like cotton or silk. Avoid synthetic materials like polyester, which can trap heat and cause restlessness.

Prioritising Sleep for Better Skin Health

Sleep is not a luxury – it’s a necessity for overall health, including your skin. When you consistently get quality rest, your skin will appear fresher, firmer, and more radiant.

If you have concerns about your skin, book a Skin Consultation with one of our Experts or give us a call on 01932 731762 – we’d be happy to help!

Did you know that 70% of our immune system is nestled in our gut*? It’s also where we make nutrients and metabolise everything from food to hormones. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that our gut and skin health are intrinsically linked. It might not be the most glamorous topic, but if you’re looking to fight early signs of ageing, say goodbye to monthly breakouts or battle anything from redness to dull skin, the answer might be just south of your face – let’s explore how you can make your gut work for your skin health . . .

Inside and Outside Reflections

Studies have shown that where there is gut inflammation, there will often be skin inflammation and vice versa. Obviously, we can’t look inside at our guts, but we CAN see our skin and it does communicate – for example when you see redness, dry areas, blemishes and more, it might not be surface issues but interior issues. Build the good bacteria in your gut and your skin will reflect this with a new glow, so now we just need to know how?

Prioritise Your Needs

It’s (once again) all about lifestyle; food, supplements, exercise, sleep and stress, AKA wellness! Give yourself a routine and your skin will be visibly happier, while improving your gut health might have a positive impact on other aspects of your health as well. We love to think of the gut as a garden that needs fertilising with good whole foods like fruit and vegetables, wholegrains and probiotics from fermented foods and yoghurts. Prioritising sleep might not seem like it is connected to gut and skin health, but rest gives your body the opportunity to repair and restore and decent sleep is also linked to hormonal health. Which leads us neatly on to cortisol – the stress hormone – high levels of cortisol often cause poor sleep, impaired gut health and skin issues. Argh, it’s enough to send our stress levels soaring! Instead, we need to focus on how to deal with stress, we can’t make it disappear but there are many tools out there that can help to regulate stress levels from exercise to mindfulness. Find what works for you whether that’s yoga, therapy, spending time with friends or any hobby you love.

Listen To Your Skin

Learn to speak skin and you could help the inside of your body as much as the outside. With every bump, dry area or sign of redness, your skin is communicating with you. Your skin pro can help you to learn what your skin needs and if you respond correctly with the right skincare your skin barrier will be strong, healthy, and glowing. 

Support Your Microbiome

The body’s microbiome (the community of invisible-to-the-human-eye microbes) that live everywhere is an essential part of wellness, but especially when it comes to the gut and skin. Keeping these good bacteria balanced is crucial and skincare that protects the skin microbiome can complement good gut health with an inside-out approach:

Sunscreen protects it
The sun’s rays will deplete good bacteria and lead to premature signs of ageing, so protect your skin with the physical AlumierMD sunscreen that’s right for your needs.

EverActive defends it
As well as fighting the signs of ageing, our EverActive C&E™ + Peptide is a powerful antioxidant formula that defends skin from daily aggressors that target the microbiome.

HydraRich supports it
Pre-biotics applied to the skin can help support good bacteria and the skin barrier, HydraRich contains ProBioBalance CLR™ NP.

So, think about your gut, give it some lifestyle love, and support your skin with a personalised AlumierMD skincare regime and you’ll be hitting those skin goals in no time. Please get in touch or book in with one of our Experts here, if you want to have a quick chat, please do give us a call on 01932 731762.

An amzing BLOG – With thanks to our Friends at AlumierMD.

*Wiertsema SP, van Bergenhenegouwen J, Garssen J, Knippels LMJ. The Interplay between the Gut Microbiome and the Immune System in the Context of Infectious Diseases throughout Life and the Role of Nutrition in Optimizing Treatment Strategies . Nutrients. 2021 Mar 9;13(3):886. doi: 10.3390/nu13030886. PMID: 33803407; PMCID: PMC8001875.

Why do we need to protet our skin? – What are we protecting it from?

Well, there are THREE key reasons

Firstly, for our health. Skin cancer is on the increase and there are different types of skin cancers. There are those that occur mainly on exposed areas such as the neck and chest, to the very serious types of cancers that can spread throughout the body and cause very high mortality rates.

Secondly, it is to protect the skin from environmental factors which create a lot of different skin issues – not just ageing signs such as wrinkles but free radical damage which can cause inflammation and lead to breakouts, hyperpigmentation, darkening in the skin and an uneven skin tone.

Thirdly, your confidence. Breakouts, uneven skin tone, sagging skin, pigmentation, and premature ageing can all impact our confidence which makes protecting our skin important.

We are genetically programmed to age. This is deeply influenced by our genes which impact how our hormones will behave and regulate. The second part is just the way we naturally age. This part, is extremely important as it’s the part you have control over through your lifestyle and environment.

Sugar intake has a direct impact on our skin ageing process, as well as stress, and of course, UV and radiation. Studies have shown that 90% of premature ageing is secondary to environmental damage. Of that 90%, 75% is due to incidental damage from just walking around and being exposed to our environment – even on cloudy days.

Some people think that we don’t need to protect our skin if we don’t need live in a warm climate, but that isn’t true”.  

When it comes to the outside world, there is a significant reduction in collagen when we are exposed to various environmental factors. We need to protect the skin from this kind of damage as well as cellular damage.

How can antioxidants help to protect the skin? 

In order to be active and biologically active, antioxidants need to be stable enough to penetrate the upper levels of the skin and get into the cells that need protecting. When looking to add an antioxidant such as vitamin C  to your skin routine, you should look for certain formulas, our range of Alumier could help, ask for a skin consult with us here). Antioxidants such as this will help to protect the skin from environmental damage. 

An antioxidant serum and protective broad-spectrum sunscreen are two of the most powerful products in any skincare routine – no matter your skin type. But, when used together, their effectiveness increases and provides the skin with double the defence against environmental aggressors.

Please get in touch or book in with one of our Experts here, if you want to have a quick chat, please do give us a call on 01932 731762

We’ve all heard that daily SPF is a skin essential, but often in our cloudy climate it’s easy to think we’re safe, there’s not much sun, let’s just skip it.

But wait, what’s that? Oh, it’s the sound of every skin professional in the land roaring PUT ON THE SPF!

Why is that? Turns out, UVA rays speed up the ageing process and these rays are always present, no matter the weather and can even reach us through windows. UVA damages skin cells in almost all the layers of our skin which leads to visible signs of ageing such as wrinkles, fine lines and uneven pigmentation. UVB rays are the ones that cause sunburn and suntan and damage the top layers of skin. Only sunscreen labelled broad spectrum will protect your skin from both UVA and UVB rays. As well as helping to protect against skin cancer, broad spectrum sunscreen helps prevent premature skin ageing every.single.day.

So, with all that in mind, we’ve put together a fuss-free guide on how to turn SPF application from a chore into a lovely pampering part of your skincare routine.

Find your formula
First up, find a formula you love applying and that loves your skin right back. Some of us will remember the sticky 1980s sun oils that smelled like cocktails and caused almost instant breakouts. Fortunately, that’s all in the past! The latest formulations are lightweight, smooth, and contain ingredients that work to improve the look and feel of skin too.

At Surrey Laser Clinic we have Alumier, thier physical sunscreens include a combination of micronised zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to protect the skin from damaging rays and come in six different varieties so you can find your perfect daily blend.

The varying textures are a joy to apply, and all are packed with antioxidants to help diminish signs of damage. For a more tailored approach, we always recommend chatting with a skin expert for advice that takes into account your skin’s needs, your goals and lifestyle.

Join the SPF Everyday club

Next, join the SPF everyday club, by making your sunscreen a non-negotiable part of your morning routine; as second-nature as cleaning your teeth or making that first cup of coffee (shout out to the caffeine fans out there!).

Apparently, it takes about 21 days to form a new habit, so try setting an SPF alarm for the first month of usage, and it will soon become automatic, especially if you ensure you have a sensorial product that you love applying.

There’s a lot of sunscreen options out there these days, physical, tinted, clear, matte, moisturising and many more. It’s also worth making sure your SPF is in a visible position –next to your toothpaste, or right beside your makeup, definitely not hidden away at the back of a cupboard.

Get your application down to a fine art

Thirdly, if you’re going to use it, use it well and ensure you’re applying enough. The current guidelines suggest half a teaspoon for face and neck. It does seem a lot but try layering rather than rubbing it all into the skin in one go. Vigorous rubbing can also contribute to a breakdown of some ingredients, so definitely one to avoid.

The recommended application is to smooth your chosen sunscreen all over the face and neck, wait a couple of mins and apply a second layer the same way. For the best advice on application, contact our skin professionals for a one-to-one, not only will they cover what your skin needs, but they will also show you exactly how to apply all your skincare for the best results.

Top up for skin success

Finally, keep your SPF handy for top ups. Reapplying sunscreen every two hours is the ultimate self-care for skin and will ensure you’re well protected from those damaging UVA and UVB rays all day long. Keep a tube in your beach bag and (skin insider hack) set an alarm on your phone so you never miss a top up.

Please get in touch or book in with one of our Experts here, if you want to have a quick chat, please do give us a call on 01932 731762

Thank you so much to our friends at Alumier for this Blog.