Several reasons why you’re dealing with skin issues during lockdown
I think I can say with some conviction that every single person I know has seen some kind of skin issue occur during lockdown. And don’t get me started on those of us who have to deal with skin complaints on the regular.
As a regular subscriber to the Time Of The Month Hormonal Breakout Club, I’m used to dealing with temperamental skin. But a couple of weeks before lockdown, things got different. Just a month before lockdown I was loving the effect that my Dermatica subscription prescription was having on my skin. That every other night, with a night or two of Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant, and my skin was looking good. It felt so smooth. But then it didn’t. I noticed a rash on my neck, jaw line and cheeks. The only time I’d seen something similar in the past was when I had gone overboard with a Glycolic Acid Toner. Tons of tiny little bumps came up. My skin didn’t feel irritated at all, which made things even more weird. In a Carrie Bradshaw tone, I asked myself: “what has changed in my life recently?”
#1 You’re stressed; your skin’s stressed
Whew, life is really throwing everything at us right now. Turn on the TV and it’s all about the latest Covid-19 related ‘numbers’; scroll through Twitter and it’s a war zone of everyone telling everyone else what a piece of shit human they are. Scroll through Instagram and you’re likely to come across a still taken from a video of George Floyd being murdered by a Minneapolis police officer that comes with no trigger warning.
It’s a lot.
And it keeps coming, in waves. For me, it comes in the form of tension, all along my jaw, and it lasts for days, ending up in the form of the most intense, painful headaches. When I finally get out of bed, I feel drunk. I haven’t been drinking, but I wish that I had. Instead it’s like my body has been through so much, it needs another 10 hours of sleep to get all the chemicals back in order.
Every time our eyes see something triggering, our body goes into flight or fight mode, readying us to get away. It’s your body trying to protect you, and, due to current events, it’s going through this function several times a day. Each and every time this happens, the chemicals/hormones within you get stirred up, but as there is no actual reason for you to ‘take flight’, so that energy/adrenalin gets reabsorbed, creating tension and confusion in the body. The result? Equally confused skin.
What can you do? Protect your energy when you can. No-one’s telling you to go bury yourself under the duvet until 2021, but the odd day under there, spent with your favourite books and no phone, will do you the world of good.Social media is not going ANYWHERE, so please, for your spirit, delete your account for a day, or just turn your phone off. Failing that, try some breathing techniques to bring yourself back into the here and now, because that’s all there is.
#2 You’re dehydrated
I know, you probably thought that by being indoors more often you’d easily slam it when it came to staying hydrated, right? Instead, that pint glass you filled up this morning is probably still sitting there, because you’re taking it for granted that you’ll get it done. I mean, what else is there to do during lockdown… While there’s much push and pull on whether drinking more water is good for your skin, the fact is, you need to hydrate your body, period. As your skin is the body’s largest organ, it only makes sense that it’s gonna need hydrating too, but actually, it’s at the bottom of the list when it comes to how your body distributes the water. Your brain and blood get first dibs on the water you ingest, so if you’re sticking with one litre a day, it’s highly likely that your skin could be looking dull and lacklustre. Speaking from personal experience, I can literally feel when I’m dehydrated; it often starts with a headache, and my skin will feel almost papery dry, and I get minimum 2.5 litres per day. Whether you believe in the whole’ 4 litres a day for glowing skin’ thing or not, I’m pretty sure that if you try and drink even 300ml per hour while you’re awake (that’s a Coke can!) you’ll be sufficiently hydrated. I’m not telling you to go drink crazy amounts - just enough to make you go pee more frequently.
What can you do? Whatever your water intake is currently, tell yourself you’re going to increase it by 50%. Then measure out that water into how ever many glasses that is, or into a large jug, and keep it on display. Every time you get up to do anything - like go to the fridge - drink a glass. Speaking of pee…
#3 You’re blocked up, down there…
Let’s talk shit. No, but really; the amount of articles I’ve read talking about ‘Lockdown Skin’ and ‘How Quarantine Affects Your Skin,’ and no-one is talking about poo. So let me do it for them. If you are now sitting down for prolonged periods of time, more than ever, your digestion is gonna take a hit. But really it should be taking a… Gosh sorry, let me focus.
With our commutes to and from work gone, and no more morning drop-offs and evening pickups for the kids, and definitely no extra trips to the shops, the cinema or any activity that you’d usually do, we are definitely moving less. Add to that the fact that the only place we’re visiting on the regular is likely to be the fridge for another snack, and we’re more than likely adding way more sugar or junk food than usual to our diet. On a good, pre-Corona day, you could probably put away a Five Guys meal no problem; but during lockdown, when you’re ordering simply because you don’t have any desire to do ANYMORE WASHING UP, and your poor digestion starts to slow down. On a ‘regular’ day, digestion is no quick thing - especially if you eat meat, it can take hours - but if we’re just sitting there, there’s nothing to get things up and moving. So we slow down, we start to feel sluggish, then we realise, we haven’t had a bowel movement for five days, and it’s easy to understand why your skin’s looking angry.
What can you do?
Set a timer for yourself; if you’re now working from home, like the vast majority of us, it’s vital to take regular breaks. Set a timer for an hour or 45 minutes, then reward yourself by getting up, stretching, moving around, walking, drinking some water. Spend at least 5-10 minutes away from your work environment, then get back to it. Throw a couple of workouts or long walks in, and you’ll be in a better position to get things moving down there.
#4 Your skin’s not getting the air it’s used to
It’s not just movement that we’re missing out on by no more commuting to work - it’s fresh air too. I think one of the biggest ‘little things’ that many of us have realised we take for granted, is pure, unadulterated, no-time-limits fresh air. Feeling the sun on your face, getting that vitamin D, and just being able to breathe in gulps of air, can have a huge effect on our skin, but also our mood. Also, think about what else happens when we’re out and about; all those tiny human interactions, like saying hi to a barista or chatting to someone in the supermarket, can add up to us just feeling better about our day. The air indoors has also changed; at the start of lockdown many of us were having the central heating on all day here in the UK, because it was so cold. That’s a skin dehydrator all by itself. Now that the weather’s warmed up a lot, we’re now struggling with another form of dehydration!
What can you do?
Now that lockdown measures have eased, take advantage of your time outside. Maximise that fresh air and go for a run, grab a skipping rope or play a ball game with your new-found ‘friend bubble’. All at the correct social distance, obviously - don’t be a dick.