The smarter steps to soothing skincare

Have you ever taken the time to listen, that’s really listen, to what your skin is telling you? You don’t need a PhD in dermatology to understand that if your skin feels dry, tight or looks red these are all outward signs that it’s feeling irritated. And as our lives become increasingly pressurised it’s often our complexions that suffer. Stress, over-zealous skincare and stripping the skin of its precious oils are common culprits, but while changing up your skincare can be great at alleviating symptoms of inflammation, the answer to a content complexion is also about taking a more holistic approach.  

‘Imagine your skin as a cashmere jumper; to keep it looking its best it requires special care every time you wear it. Your skin is the same; it needs a little TLC every day,’ says Fiona Brackenbury, top facialist, aesthetician and skin expert.

‘Daily aggressors are constantly attacking our skin and if it isn’t central heating, air conditioning or pollution, it’s what we’re subjecting our skin to with our skincare routines. We’re all looking for that miracle product to smooth lines and erase pores, but a swipe of glycolic acid here and a dollop of retinol there might be too much for some people, especially when combined with the stress hormone cortisol. This can lead to a perfect maelstrom of inflammation and a damaged skin barrier.’

Brackenbury suggests stepping back and listening to your skin, observing how it feels and recognising when it’s signaling that enough is enough. ‘When it comes to stressed skin, “no pain, no gain” is simply not going to cut it,‘ she adds.

According to Dr Andrew Weil, pioneer in the field of integrative medicine and co-creator of the Dr Andrew Weil For Origins skincare line, while normal inflammatory processes help protect our bodies from harm, ‘inappropriate inflammation’ is one of the main causes behind a whole host of skin concerns including wrinkles.

‘The most obvious ways skin shows stress is redness, inflammation, sensitivity and tingling, however itching and tiny red spots known as stress spots are also symptoms that shouldn’t be ignored,’ adds Brackenbury. ‘Interestingly, most people seem to treat dryness and dehydration as an acceptable part of their skin status quo but it can actually cause a huge amount of skin stress. Transepidermal water loss occurs when the skin becomes dehydrated and starts to steal moisture from deeper within the dermis which is unfortunately also where the collagen making cells are found.’ Brackenbury advises flooding the skin with barrier-building ceramides and nourishing fatty acids to up its hydration levels and help reduce inflammation.

There are a whole host of ingredients known for their soothing and healing properties, many of them botanically derived such as colloidal oatmeal, chamomile, aloe and adaptogenic herbs and plants – which help your body handle stress – including liquorice and tumeric.  

‘Ingredients like Centella Asiatica, otherwise known as Tiger Grass, hydrate and infuse the skin with powerful antioxidants to help it to defend itself. Next step is to reduce inflammation and a great ingredient to do this is niacinamide which also helps to restore the skin’s barrier,’ advises Brackenbury.  

Soothing irritation is also Dr Weil’s speciality having studied the healing properties of mushrooms for years. ‘Until recently, Western medicine has largely ignored the power of mushrooms, but they’ve long been used in Asia for their ability to improve health, preserve a youthful appearance, and to counter the adverse health effects of chronic stress. The innovative Mega-Mushrooms product line I helped develop for Origins contains carefully chosen agents backed by scientific evidence that include anti-inflammatory mushrooms, ginger and turmeric to address the root cause of skin irritation.’

We don’t have to delve too far into the realms of psychodermatology to realise that when it comes to happy skin, there’s a definite mind/body connection. ‘A holistic approach is often the best way to take care of stressed skin as it promotes an overall wellbeing which will have a positive effect on the cortisol levels in the body,’ confirms Brackenbury. That means looking at what you put into your body as well as what you put on top of it and is one of the reasons why CBD is becoming an ever popular go-to in order to quiet the skin as well as the mind.

‘CBD’s ability to target specific serotonin receptors in the body is associated with a remarkable range of therapeutic possibilities from enhancing mood to decreasing pain and inflammation,’ says Charlotte Ferguson, psychotherapist and Disciple Skincare founder who attributes most skin conditions to stress. ‘Stress causes cortisol to surge through the body, affecting every organ, with skin being the largest. The result is a break down in collagen while sebum production is increased so skin becomes oilier, pores become clogged and inflamed and your scalp can also become oily and irritated. CBD taken as a supplement can help the body deal with stress better, lessening the effects of cortisol in the body,’ she adds.