How to Enjoy a Christmas Tipple Without Ruining Your Skin

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ageing, alcohol, anti ageing, antioxidants, beer, celebrate, Christmas, cola, decleor, dehydrate, dermalogica, drink, Elemis, exposure, fruit, gin, isotonic, protect, Red wine, repair, skin, skin cancer, spirits, sugar, sun, sun damage, sunburn, tequila, tipple, vodka, wine, wrinkles

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Unless you have a medical or personal issue, Christmas is a time when most of us enjoy an alcoholic drink. The problem is, excessive alcohol consumption can not only play havoc on your liver, it can also be damaging for your skin. There are, however, certain drinks which do less damage than others, so we thought we’d give you the lowdown on which drinks you can enjoy at Christmas without having to worry too much about your complexion.

Beer

Even if you’re not a pint-drinker, enjoying half a lager can be better than other drinks for a number of reasons; firstly, beer generally has a lower alcohol content, so it’s not as dehydrating. Many beers also contain antioxidants and are isotonic, which means they can actually be good for you, replacing certain things which are lost when we become dehydrated! Be aware though – beer can often cause bloating, so be mindful if you’ve poured yourself into a clingy outfit!

Gin

Sugar can play havoc with the skin’s ageing process, which is why something like white wine is a no-no if you’re trying to stay on top of the signs of ageing. Gin, however, is pretty low in sugar and also in salt, so do far less damage to the skin than other, more sugary spirits. In fact, the general rule of thumb is that clear spirits are far less suagry than darker ones like brandy or dark rum.

Tequila

Don’t get us wrong, we’re definitely not suggesting that a night on the tequila slammers won’t be bad for your skin because that’s not the case AT ALL. However, tequila contains more or less the lowest sugar content of all spirits, which means that you can enjoy a few without having to worry too much about the effects on your skin.

Vodka

This is where we have to get specific – vodka in general is not too bad for your skin providing you drink it in moderation (see the sugar rule above) HOWEVER, this obviously depends on what you mix it with as most mixers, such as fruit juices or cola, are full of sugar. Also, according to experts, opting for a potato vodka rather than one made from grains will also be a lot better for your skin in the long run.

Red Wine

While the sweeter white wines are usually frowned upon by skin experts, most generally agree that red wine is pretty good for you. It contains antioxidants which help protect against oxidative reactions, which come from sun exposure, and can cause sunburns, wrinkles and even skin cancer.

5 Products To Help Your Teen Through Prom Season

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acne, acne prone, acneic, anti-bacterial, bacteria, blackheads, blemishes, clay, complexion, dead skin, Dermalogica Daytime Treatment, Dermalogica Emergency Spot Fix, Dermalogica Matte Moisturiser SPF15, Dermalogica Overnight Treatment, Dermalogica Pore Control Scrub, exposure, natural, prom, sebum, sensitised, sensitive, skin, skin cells, SPF, spots, sun, teen, teenager

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If you’ve got a teen who’s in their last year of school then you’re probably well aware that as soon as Christmas is over, prom preparation begins, which means hours of researching an shopping for dresses, hair appointments and make-up sessions. The teen years can be really difficult if they struggle with blemishes or acne and it will be all the more angst-inducing now, so we’ve put together a selection of products which could really help them to get control of their skin in the coming weeks.

Dermalogica Daytime Treatment

Acne and breakout prone skin may seem like it’s moist enough, but it’s actually really important to use a moisturiser even when you feel like you don’t need one. This daytime treatment from the Dermalogica Clear Start range is a lightweight formulation which helps to regulate sebum production and contains anti-bacterial components which actually kill the root cause of the spots before they have a chance to develop.

Dermalogica Emergency Spot Fix

If breakouts do happen at critical times (like, the night before the prom!) then this potent topical application will target the spot-causing bacteria and kill it in its stride. It also contains several powerful, naturally-occurring ingredients such as green tea and licorice which reduce inflammation and redness, making the blemish appear less angry.

Dermalogica Pore Control Scrub

Keeping acne-prone skin clean is of the utmost importance, as is making sure your products don’t irritate the skin further. This scrub removes dirt and dead skin cells from the skin whilst employing natural clays to soak up excess sebum, ensuring teen skin is spotless…both literally and figuratively!

Dermalogica Overnight Treatment

It’s important to take care of skin during sleep hours as this is often the time when spots develop, so using Dermalogica’s Overnight Treatment is a really great idea. It soothes over-stimulated skin, thus reducing the skin’s need to produce sebum which will halt one of the main causes of acneic breakouts. Use after cleansing and toning before bed for the best results.

Dermalogica Matte Moisturiser SPF15

If your teen has particularly sensitive skin, then the sun can actually be a problem as over-exposure will play havoc with oil production and can damage the surface of the skin. Encouraging your teen to use a moisturiser which is both suitable for acne-prone skin and containing an SPF could help to protect their skin in the long run and will also help them to form good habits for later in life, ensuring that the signs of ageing don’t appear in an untimely fashion.

Hay fever – what you need to know

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allergic, Antihistamines, asthma, balm infused tissues, clothes, corticosteroids, dock, eczema, exposure, eye drops, GP, grains, hay fever, immunotherapy, inflamation, inside, itchy, medication, methods, mugwort, nettles, options, outside, pain, pollen, red eyes, resistance, running, shower, sinus, summer, sunglasses, swelling, Vaseline, weeds

Whilst many of us open our arms to the summer, for hay fever sufferer the warm, pollen filled days aren’t always smiled upon.

Itchy eyes, runny noses, coughs and sneezes are usually associated with winter colds and flu, but hay fever can bring summer misery and pain.

It is thought that around a quarter of the population suffers with hay fever. Men and women are equally affected, symptoms can start at any age, seriousness changes year to year and some people find it become less severe as they get older.

So, let’s start with the basics.

Basically, you will suffer with hay fever if you have an allergic reaction to pollen. Pollen is a fine powder that is released by plants as part of their reproductive cycle. The proteins in pollen can cause the eyes, nose, throat and sinuses to become inflamed, irritated and swollen.

The pollen forecast is usually given with the weather in the summer and this is how things tend to be described:

• Low is less than 30 grains of pollen per cubic metre of air
• Moderate is 30 to 49 grains of pollen per cubic metre of air
• High is 50 to 149 grains of pollen per cubic metre of air
• Very high is 150 plus grains of pollen in every cubic metre of air

In general, symptoms often start once the pollen count hits 50.

The main types of pollen people are allergic to are:

• Tree pollen which is released during the spring
• Grass pollen which is released at the end of spring and in the start of summer
• Weed pollen, such as dock, mugwort and nettles, tends to be released late autumn, but far less people react to this

The most common symptoms of hay fever are:

• Blocked, watery, runny nose
• Coughing
• Itchy, running, red eyes
• Constant sneezing

Other symptoms people experience include:

• Disrupted sleep and tiredness
• Earache
• Headaches
• Reduced sense of smell
• Sinus pain
• Sore throat
• Worsening asthma symptoms

It is worth noting that if you suffer from, or there is a family history of allergies, particularly asthma or eczema, you may be more susceptible to hay fever.

The obvious way to control hay fever is to avoid exposure to pollen but this really isn’t viable unless you stay inside with all windows and doors closed. Despite all the advances in modern medicine, to date there is no cure for hay fever. The good news is that in the most, symptoms can be relieved.

Over-the-counter medication from your pharmacist can be used for hay fever. Antihistamines can help prevent an allergic reaction from happening in the first place. It is a good idea to take these before your nose and eyes start to run and a regular dose will keep the drug in your system to fight off the pesky pollen. Corticosteroids can also be taken and these help bring down inflammation and swelling.

Eye drops and nasal sprays can help a blocked nose and itchy eyes so take them with you wherever you go along with plenty of clean tissues.

If your symptoms get too much then it it’s worth speaking to your GP, as you may require prescription medication. Some people choose to try a treatment called ‘immunotherapy’ which involves pollen exposure over time to build up resistance. This is done via an injection or pill in severe cases but it can take months or years to work so you will need to use other option to start with at least.

As well as medication, there are some easy steps you can take to help ease the pain of hay fever.

• Try to stay inside as much as you can when there is a high pollen count
• Wear sunglasses outside to stop pollen getting in your eyes – wrap around models are preferable
• Take a shower and change your clothes when you have been outside to remove the pollen on your body and wash your sunglasses too
• Apply a little bit of Vaseline at the bottom of your nose as this can actually trap pollen grains
• Try and have a good diet and add extra vitamins and local honey because whilst they won’t stop the allergic reaction they will help keep your immune system strong

Good luck and it you have top tips for living with hay fever, let us know.