How To Undo Holiday Havoc and Rejuvenate Your Skin For The New Year

Posted on: January 4th, 2024 by Our Team

Edited by Jennifer Sorrell, MD

Here’s a New Year’s resolution that is easy to keep. Start 2024 by rejuvenating your skin especially if you’ve put self-care on hold during the happy but hectic holidays!

Late nights, sweet treats as well as plenty of hosting and toasting the season? Wonderful, yes but possibly not so wonderful for your skin. Add stress to the mix, and the result could be a fatigued, listless complexion.

No worries. Here are a few easy-to-follow suggestions from CSI’s dermatologists on how to put your best face forward for the new year!

The issue: Lack of sleep

The dark, shorter days of winter can throw off your body’s circadian rhythm and make it more challenging to regulate your sleep. Late nights, travel to other time zones, and upticks in your caffeine and alcohol intake can also interfere with a good night’s sleep. However, sleep is when your skin renews, refreshes, and repairs itself. Chronic sleep deficit can appear as dark circles, “bags” under your eyes, and a bleary, haggard look.

The fix: Now’s the time to prioritize a sleep and exercise schedule you can stick with. Seek gentle sunlight during the day. Natural light sends signals to your brain that optimize hormone functions. Take a walk outside utilizing sun protection. Regular exercise can help you reduce stress and anxiety and get better quality sleep. At night, dim the lights, power off electronics, and perhaps read a book 30 minutes before sleep time.

The issue: Make-up overload

It’s natural to want to look, well, less natural during the holiday season – to glam up with make-up that adds sparkle and shine. And it’s fun when you’re out shopping with your friends to try and buy lots of different products on a whim. But new products, especially glittery makeup, foundation, and greasy make-up pencils, may have triggered skin irritations and aggravated sensitive skin. Going to bed with makeup on may have further clogged pores and caused breakouts.

The fix: Put your skin on a post-holiday detox diet. Create new beauty rituals for your skin based on simplicity and purity. A good way to start is to make an appointment with your CSI dermatologist. Tote along your makeup, lotions, and potions for them to review and evaluate in terms of your skin’s needs and requirements. They can also help you select the best options for you among CSI’s dermatologist-designed products expertly formulated with scientifically researched, non-comedogenic gentle ingredients. Your skin will thank you by looking refreshed and renewed.

The issue: Holiday food and drink excess

Oh, the charcuterie boards, eggnog, sugared and spiced nuts, chocolates, champagne…we could go on, but we won’t. We’ve all been there. Who can resist? But even if you don’t have food allergies kickstarted by common triggers such as wheat, soy, dairy and nuts, too much of certain things like cheese may cause a breakout. Other offenders are highly processed foods and meats, sweets full of refined sugar, salty foods like chips and crackers, and dishes loaded with refined carbs.

Eating too much of these festive foods also can cause puffiness and excess oiliness. Alcohol dehydrates the skin and dilates blood vessels possibly causing facial redness and spidery broken capillaries on the nose and/or cheeks.

The fix: Drink plenty of water. Pack your diet with leafy greens, lean proteins, and fresh fruit. Avoid crash diets or extreme fasts that can further deplete your skin of necessary nutrients. Consider booking a CSI appointment for a gentle chemical peel or laser resurfacing to strip away that dulled top layer of skin. Having your facial skin’s surface professionally exfoliated can increase cell turnover, boost collagen production, and restore your healthy glow. Products containing antioxidants like Vitamin C can also help exfoliate skin cells and enhance your skin’s texture.

The issue: Nonstop Stress 

Not all stress is bad. Stress is part of life and sometimes even things that make us happy can cause stress like shopping for the right holiday gifts for friends and family or waiting for the first guests to arrive at your party. But all stress contributes to wear and tear on your skin. And nonstop stress allows precious little time for your skin to rebound. If you suffer from seasonal affective disorder, depression or social anxiety, the holiday season can feel extra overwhelming. Stress can age you and amplify any tendency your skin has towards dryness and wrinkles, or oiliness and breakouts. Acne, rosacea, perioral dermatitis, and other chronic skin conditions can all get worse due to stress.

The fix: If you’re experiencing a flareup of acne, rosacea, eczema, perioral dermatitis or any other chronic skin condition, make an appointment to see your CSI dermatologist. To undo some of the adverse effects of stress on your skin, use skin care products such as antioxidant-rich serums that help hydrate the skin and have anti-aging properties.

Make CSI your first stop on your new self-care journey for the New Year. We will help you undo any telltale effects of holiday season excess, so you look your best for the new year ahead.  Now may also be the perfect time to schedule a procedure you’ve postponed – IPL, microneedling, a DermaSweep or Diamond Glow facial or a chemical peel.  Schedule your appointment now!