IS YOUR BEDROOM AGING YOU?
When you woke up this morning, did your skin feel dry? Perhaps did your throat and your lips feel dry? - If you are nodding an almighty yes, you are not alone. These are common signs that your bedroom, where you spend approximately one third of your life, is drying you out and could be prematurely aging your skin.
But what has a scratchy throat and dry lips got to do with aging? These are signs that your bedroom setup is super-drying and lacking in humidity - so very common in the colder Winter months. In fact your entire body is most likely suffering from the drying effects of your bedroom, not just the skin on your face.
However, its the skin on our face that’s most noticeable and therefore most “aging” prone hence what we tend to focus on the most.
WHY DOES DRY SKIN MAKE YOU LOOK OLDER?
It is simply a fact that we consciously associate dewy, smooth, plumped skin with youth. Conversely, we unconsciously associate dry, dull skin with aging.
- As your skin cells dehydrate, they deflate, causing your skin to look noticeably less plump.
- As skin cells on the surface of your skin dry out, they die and sit on the surface, causing your skin to look dull and dry.
- As these dead skin cells accumulate, they cause flakiness, making your skin look super-dry.
- As dead skin cells accumulate, they can also clump together and collect in fine lines making them appear more obvious adding to the appearance of aging.
- When moisturiser is applied to dry, flaky skin, it will be absorbed into any dead skin cells sitting on the surface, making them more obvious. AND this blocks the moisturiser from penetrating and protecting the healthy skin cells below. And thus the cycle continues …
- And if you have sensitive skin, drier skin is always more reactive and itchy, which is also aging.
WHY YOUR BEDROOM COULD BE MAKING YOUR SKIN DRY.
There are 3 main reasons why your bedroom could be causing your skin to dry out and although it is definitely worse in the Winter, similar principles can also apply during the warmer months.
- Heating (or in summer, air conditioning) in your bedroom - Avoid sleeping with a heater on in the bedroom. This is super-drying on your skin and one of the major reasons you could be waking up with a dry throat. Instead, an extra layer of clothing is much kinder to your skin and if you get warm during the night, easy to remove. Have you tried bedsocks? They have a curious ability to make your entire body feel warm.
- Lack of humidity - Boost moisture levels in your bedroom overnight with a humidifier. Your skin, nasal passages and throat will thank you. This is an inexpensive beauty tool, with a huge pay-out.
- Your Pillowcase - Don’t underestimate the impact your pillowcase can have on your skin. The wrong fabric can create creases in your skin and also irritate. Choose a fabric that is gentle on your skin. A silk pillowcase is the ideal but a lovely soft bamboo or cotton sateen can also work wonders for your skin (and your hair too!)
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR SKIN WHILST YOU SLEEP.
- Trap moisture into the body immediately after having a night-time bath or shower with a thick, deeply hydrating Body Moisturiser. The QED Body Butter will soothe and effortlessly hydrate the driest of skin. (As tempting as it seems, super-hot baths just dehydrate the skin even further - stick to a warm temperature which is far gentler especially for those with dry and sensitive skin.)
- Your night cream is your best defense against waking up to dry, flaky skin. Post cleansing, apply liberally to your face and neck before you go to bed. Choose a super-rich option. QED Skincare Wrinkle Rewind Night Cream is a rich, yet fast-absorbing skin saviour packed with anti-oxidant rich oils to help lock in moisture and prevent the apprance of those pesky fine lines.
- Have you tried “slugging”? Applying a thick layer of QED Skincare Ultra-sensitive Face Balm over clean skin before bed three times a week is a huge boost for your skin. It will plump and smooth your skin whilst you sleep.
- Don’t forget to exfoliate away those dead skincells so that your magic moisturiser can get to your healthy skin cells. QED Skincare Wrinkle Rewind Exfoliator once or twice a week is an easy and gentle way to get rid of dullness and flakiness whilst also infusing your skin with much needed anti-oxidant rich oils all whilst exfoliating!
Don't forget the eye area. This delicate area of the face shows the signs of aging more than any other area on the face. Treat your skin to a rich Eye Cream that can help reduce the puffiness and appearance of fine lines. The Wrinkle Rewind Eye Cream glides on effortlessly to protect this delicate area and is rich in hydrating and protective Cucumber Oil and Vitamin E.
SHOP ALL THE PRODUCTS IN THIS ARTICLE:
- Super-rich Night Cream - QED Skincare Wrinkle Rewind Night Cream
- Intense Treatment whilst you sleep - QED Skincare Ultra-Sensitive Face Balm
- Easy and gentle exfoliator - QED Skincare Wrinkle Rewind Exfoliator
- Super-hydrating Body Moisturisers - QED Skincare's body moisturiser range.