For many of us, every part of our daily lives has changed. This goes from how we work, to what we eat, where we go, and how we carry out our daily self-care rituals. Along with the practical changes come the emotional ones, and many of us are feeling extra stress as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. I spoke to Dr Yannis Alexandrides M.D., F.A.C.S, Plastic Surgeon and Founder of the brilliant 111SKIN, about how not to let stress affect your skin, and steps to adapt your at-home skincare regime.
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Stress & Skin with Dr Yannis
Q: How do anxiety and stress affect our skin? And what are some tips to overcome these issues at home?
A: When stress occurs, the body produces increased levels of the hormone cortisol. This in turn increases sebum production, which can manifest in acne, breakouts or other skin issues. There are also studies linking stress to compromised barrier function on the skin, resulting in water loss and less effective repair functions.
Tips to overcome these issues include a gentle toner to remove any excess oil – the 111SKIN Anti-Blemish Hydrolat Toner for example – and a nourishing serum that reinforces barrier function, such as our Y Theorem Repair Serum.
Q: Boosting our immunities is key at the moment. What are the best steps to achieve this?
A: There are so many ways to increase immunity – superfoods, supplements, cryotherapy and glutathione drips are all great anti-inflammatories and immune boosters. 111SKIN’s Reparative Beauty Dose works to increase the repair systems within the body, while superfoods like garlic, ginger and turmeric are ideal for fighting inflammation. Regular exercise and lots of hydration are also key.
Q: Given the current change in lifestyle that many of us are experiencing, what are some extra steps that you would recommend we incorporate in our daily “at home” skincare regimes?
A: Use this time to not only really reacquaint yourself with your skin and body but treat it too. Now is the time to go in with active ingredients like retinol and acids to truly change the tone, texture and appearance of your complexion. After all, we have nothing but downtime! Also enjoy the process of a skincare routine once again, including steps you might normally skip due to time like masking.
Q: Any other wellness tips you can share with us in light of the above?
A: Of course, remaining active is important; you can do so much at home even without equipment. My advice would be to YouTube at-home workouts or stream classes you love on an app. Mental health is also something that is often overlooked and will become increasingly fragile for all of us as we continue to isolate. Meditate – I love the app Calm – and continue to FaceTime those you love.
DR. YANNIS ALEXANDRIDES is an American and European board certified plastic surgeon specialising in facial reconstructive and rejuvenation surgery. He is the Founder and Head of Surgical Practice at 111 HARLEY ST. in London and the Founder of 111SKIN, an advanced skincare range which he developed from a product he used on his patients at the clinic as a part of their post-surgical aftercare.
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