How to bring lockdown skin back to life

Ongoing lockdowns have been challenging on so many elements of our lives, both physically, mentally and psychologically – from working from home, home-schooling, endless zooms, too much screen-time, being more sedentary, increased lethargy, little physical interaction with other people, and just being indoors at home with heaters and air-conditioning buzzing away and not getting out and about outside!

For many of us, we’re noticing that our skin has been affected and is suffering from post-pandemic blues! Here we have some easy to maintain tips to help you to reinvigorate and enliven your skin so you can celebrate the easing of restrictions with glowing confidence and a big feel-good factor! We may have been wearing less makeup, having less external stressors in our lives, not getting up as early to deal with the morning commute and having more time in the day because of working from home, but the challenges of so much uncertainty and stress have definitely started showing up in our skin, hair and nails, and overall wellbeing.

Stress and skin!
For so long, with so much uncertainty – there have been varying levels of stress and anxiety within this pandemic as part of everyday life, and it was heightened during lockdown where we hear of these effects showing up on our skin and bodies. More claims of alopecia, rosacea, dermatitis, skin dullness from lack of exercise and more lethargy, and also more gut issues have come into play. We all know the well documented effects of stress on our skin, such as hives, psoriasis, eczema, and on our bodies like diarrhoea, and even insomnia! And we also all know about the effects of stress which increases the hormone cortisol in our bodies, and in particular which effects our guts, our skin and our hair where high levels of stress causes cortisol, which can play havoc in so many factors of our body’s functions.

Balanced life and great skin!
So, what are some simple steps to keep your life balanced and reduce these stress levels so that your skin can be the best it can be? What can you easily do, now that restrictions are lifting, life is slowly returning to normal and we’re getting back out into the ‘world’ again, dealing with the last two years, and moving forward? We’d firstly suggest catching up with friends and family, get out and about where you feel comfortable, and if you are still hesitant, meet in a park for a walk or a picnic. But seeing your friends and family again will no doubt bring a smile and de-stress you as you have human interaction and conversations in real life again. Having a balanced life and a good sense of work-life balance, (which has been hard to do in lockdown with working from home and that clear line in the sand of when to switch off), will most definitely show up in your body’s wellbeing, in your skin and your overall health.
There’s some other simple steps to get your glowing skin back in check, so read on to discover these easy tips to getting that ‘life’ back into your skin!

Exercise for good skin!
Exercise is one of the easiest things you can do for your physical and mental wellbeing and it really shows up in your skin!! Exercise gets your circulation moving and your blood pumping, which is great for carrying oxygen throughout your body and into your biggest organ – your skin! We know exercise is great for your complexion, as well as your body and can help improve your mindset, which also shows on your face, and of course your complexion! Try for 30 minutes per day as a minimum, even just a brisk walk will help!

Get A Good Night’s Sleep
Sleep is paramount for when your body takes the time to repair and rejuvenate – why do you think it’s called Beauty Sleep? So, it’s no doubt that getting a good night’s sleep can work wonders for our mood and the appearance of our skin, and helps wound healing, skin healing and skin regeneration. Both quality and quantity count so keep a sleep diary and manage your bedtime process! Having a great sleep time or night time routine is paramount to relaxing and unwinding. Try ditching any screen time (blue light) before bed and replacing it with some calming music or read a book before lights out. A great way to drift off to sleep calmly is to set yourself up with a good bedtime routine, we love the Fusspot “Beauty Sleep Collagen Gift Set” that has a silky pillowcase which helps reduce friction on your skin and tangling up your hair, a silky sleep-time eye-mask, which blocks out light and also protects the delicate skin around your eyes, a silky scrunchie which helps keeps hair in place and avoid frizz, as well as a full packet of Fusspot’s Cloud Nine Sleep Tea which is infused with collagen peptides to help you drift off to sleep and wake up glowing! Another trick is to have a bath with Epsom salts which contain magnesium and can help you relax and de-stress, or you could try taking Magnesium based supplements which help improve the quality of sleep! Make sure you have a good pillow and that you’re slightly elevated so that fluid retention doesn’t make those bags under your eyes get puffy, and don’t eat salty foods too close before you go to bed, which should help reduce bloating, puffy eyes and fluid retention in your face.

Get Enough Vitamins C and D
Spending more time indoors has meant many of us have had far less sunlight and less fresh air compared to what we normally have and need during the last two years, and this diminished the natural way we all gained the valuable benefits of vitamin D. Try and spend 10 to 30 minutes in the sun a few times per week to top up on your vitamin D levels, which should not only improve your mood, but also your body’s healing and growth. Vitamin D is known for mood improvement, and also hair and nail growth as well as skin regeneration – ever noticed that your hair and nails grow madly when you’re on a sunny beach holiday? Even in Summer this is apparent… so top on nature’s natural Vitamin D from the sun, but remember to wear sunscreen! Vitamin D is vital for healthy-looking skin and known to help prevent premature ageing. Talking of vitamins, Vitamin C is also a great supplement to help your skin flourish, especially when it comes to anti-ageing. If you’re taking collagen peptides, then you will benefit from vitamin C to help absorb the collagen better in your body and through the dermal layers, so your skin will be boosted by this synthesis. Vitamin C is high in kiwi fruit, strawberries, citrus fruits and other fruits and vegetables like oranges, lemons and broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower!

Drink Collagen Tea
If you’re not already all over collagen in your daily routine, then you really need to start ingesting collagen tea in your daily beauty routine! This is no longer a secret, as collagen is now part of thousands of women’s daily beauty and skincare routines. Collagen is ingested to help with radiant glowing skin, thicker hair, stronger nails, joints and bones and is like the glue that holds everything together in your body! We start to lose about 1 per cent to 2 per cent of natural collagen production per year from our mid 20’s, so there’s never been a better time to start drinking a collagen drink like Fusspot Collagen Beauty Tea each day to not only get your collagen boost, but also your antioxidant hit and caffeine fix! So easy! And so beneficial! Your skin will definitely start to see results within 8 to 12 weeks if it’s drunk consistently. Try drinking Fusspot Collagen Beauty Tea’s Glow Junkie loose leaf tea, as it’s packed with antioxidants, polyphenols and hydrolyzed collagen peptides to support your skin and your inner glow, and will also help your immunity, energy and overall wellbeing. 

Wear Sunscreen, always!
We all know the effects of the sun and what it does to our skin, even if you don’t consider skin cancer, you should be considering the ageing effects of the sun’s UV rays on your skin, which breaks down collagen, the skin’s dermal layers and helps increase the presence of wrinkles and fine lines as well as skin pigmentation and sunspots. So slap on that sunscreen and ensure that you’re getting your protection on, every day!

Treat Maskne
Maskne is the general term used to describe all of the skin issues and conditions arising from wearing masks daily. Wearing masks forces our skin to sweat and not breathe, and what specialists like to call a “localised microclimate” for the skin that makes it more prone to sensitivity, dryness, and in many cases causes acne from the bacteria trapped in the mask from our sweat and our breath. To counteract skin’s dryness, use a lighter moisturiser that is hyaluronic and helps keep skin hydrated from the outside like a humectant. Also ingesting collagen will help hydrate skin from the inside. To help calm breakouts and irritations, wash the skin after each mask-wear, and don’t forget to cleanse the skin thoroughly morning and night and use a moisturiser with active peptides and vitamins and calming ingredients. You can try using a mist containing active ingredients to help keep skin hydrated and moist, but also keep dry tissues on hand so that you can wipe this area clean when you remove your mask, removing the bacteria build-up.

So, there you have it – a few easy steps to get the glow and sparkle back into your skin after lockdowns and these last few years of challenging times… Remember, to always take time out for yourself, get some fresh air and sunshine, meet friends, call family members, be kind and patient, eat well and sleep more! It may be all you need to get that radiant glow back to normal, now our lives are getting back to normal again too!

Share with us any of your skin-saving tips for other readers below…..

Written by Sam Arcadipane, the Founder of Fusspot Collagen Beauty Teas. Sam left corporate life to pursue her own business and the dream of offering women something just for them – a little time out with a cup of tea that is also great for your skin – but no ordinary cuppa, a tea infused with hydrolyzed collagen peptides to support and enhance your skin, hair, nails, joints, bone and beauty from within. Having spent the 12 months developing this range of 11 blends, all infused with collagen and formulated with a Tea Master, she created various organic blends that support your skin and complexion goals with a variety of organic herbs, tisanes, botanicals and plants that will also assist your sleep, energy or detox needs. There are loose leaf teas, environmentally friendly and biodegradable teabag blends, and a chai and a matcha powder blend.   You can find out about the powerful benefits of each collagen infused blend here:  www.fusspottea.com   or follow on Instagram at @prettylittlefusspot