The Five Biggest Skin Saboteurs To Eliminate Before Undergoing Facial Resurfacing

Before heading in for CO2 fractional laser or any facial resurfacing, you may want to think about how your lifestyle could be sabotaging your best skin efforts and what you can do on your own to get glowing, radiant skin. Here are the five biggest skin saboteurs, as noted in the November edition of Allure magazine.

 

1. THE THERMOSTAT

Heat and air conditioning are the two most common causes of dry, dull skin so try using a humidifier to combat the effects from these two culprits. You may also want to consider a top moisturizer that won’t leave your face feeling greasy, such as the Obagi’s new Hydrate Luxe rich-moisture cream.

 

2. LACK OF SLEEP

“Your skin can rebound from the occasional late night, but if you usually get less than six or seven hours, it’ll catch up with you,” say Amy Wechseler, a dermatologist in New York City. So if you need that occasional nap to make up for the loss of sleep, take it and your skin will thank you!

 

 

3. OVERCAFFEINATION

Hopefully you are getting enough sleep and don’t need to compensate with a lot of caffeine. “Caffeine is like kryptonite,” says Harold Lancer, a dermotologist in Los Angeles. “It’s dehydrating.” If you need that extra Cup of Joe, or 2, make sure you are drinking a lot of water as well to stay hydrated.

 

4. EATING LIKE A COLLEGE FRESHMAN

“Sugary foods break down collagen and elastin in the skin, causing dullness and wrinkles over time,” says Fredric Brandt, a dermatologist in New York City and Miami. “And alcohol is dehydrating and causes inflammation, which makes your skin red and dry.”

 

 

5. STRESS
“When you’re stressed out, your cortisol levels go up,” says David Colbert, a dermatologist in New York City. “And high cortisol levels cause inflammation in the skin.” This will leave you with dull, sometimes red, patchy skin so be sure to manage your stress through whatever means work best for you, such as exercise, relaxation, therapy, or just cutting back where you can. It’s hard to not feel constant stress when you are completely overwhelmed with all that needs to be accomplished in a day, and often times, that to-do list in just unrealistic.

 

 

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