Skin Care at Bedtime
Supplement your beauty sleep by using a night cream to boost your skin’s natural repair process and keep it looking healthier. It is very important to remove your make-up before you go to bed no matter how tired you are or how late it is. Stale make-up not only feels horrible in the morning, it can also clog your skin, leading to spots and blackheads.
Massage cleanser in with your fingertips then tissue or wash off. Use a complementary toner to remove last traces of cream or lotion. If you have time, leave your skin to breathe for five minutes or so before you apply your night cream. Most modern products are very concentrated despite their light texture, so you only need a tiny amount. Avoiding the eye area, massage it over your skin with your fingertips, using gentle upwards movement until it’s all absorbed.
Finally dot a little eye gel around your eyes to tone and moisturise the thinner, more delicate skin here. Most night creams are too rich and can make your eyes puffier rather than reducing unwanted bags.
Why your skin needs a goodnight’s rest
Too many late nights and even the best behaved skin starts to look a bit the worse for wear. Dark circles around your eyes and a dull, lifeless look go hand in hand with fatigue. Studies of chronobiology (the science of body rhythms and how they affect your skin) show that although cell renewal is a continuous process, it peaks during the early hours of the morning as body rhythm. By measuring the increased oxygen consumtion of skin cells in the laboratory we’ve found out that cellular activity increases by 10 to 20 per cent between 1am and 4am.
A lack of sleep means your skin has lees time to repair itself and its appearance starts to suffer. And just by using a night cream regularly, you’ll bring benefits to your skin. A chemist says, with dry skin we’ve noticed that he epidermis becomes thicker because the outer layers are not shed. If you moisturise well at night and morning, your skin will renew itself more quickly and begin to look younger and softer.
