Top tips to maintain skin health at home

With aesthetics clinics and spas closed due to the coronavirus curbs, men and women are finding themselves stuck at home without their regular facials, laser and botox treatments that help to enliven the face and complexion.

Some may panic when they start to see their skin getting dry and dull. The acne or pigments they got rid of long ago may also start resurfacing.

Dr Justin Sii, medical director of S Aesthetics Clinic, recommends some ways to maintain skin health at home, on top of regular exercise and a healthy diet.

HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE

Hydration is a fundamental building block for healthy skin cells, which will deteriorate rapidly without adequate hydration.

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It comes in two forms: The water you drink and the topical moisturiser you apply on your skin.

Water molecules that you drink automatically fill up the natural hyaluronic acid molecules in our skin.

This process provides essential hydration and nutrients to skin to keep it plump and healthy.

However, mere hydration may be inadequate, especially in aged and sun-damaged skin.

This is when topical hydration agents such as a moisturiser and a hyaluronic acid serum may be used.

Apply your regular moisturiser even when you are at home, especially if you are going to be working in air-conditioning all day.

GOOD CLEANSING TWICE A DAY

You may not be using make-up at home, but do not get lazy in cleansing your face thoroughly. No regular facial for a few weeks should be not disastrous to your skin as long as you do proper cleansing twice a day.

Choose a cleanser that is suitable for your skin type.

For oily or acne-prone skin, consider using a foaming cleanser.

For aged skin, go for cleansers that are more moisturising, such as a cream-based cleanser.

SUN PROTECTION

Although you are at home most of the time, do not forget your sunscreen when you go out to buy your lunch or to exercise.

For those at home, the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays do still come in, especially if you prefer good ventilation and have windows open and curtains drawn.

Sunscreen protects your skin from UV damage, pigmentation formation and skin cancer.

Even a brief exposure to the sun can cause some damage to your skin.

Choose a sunscreen with both UVA and UVB protection, and with SPF 30 and above.

Also, wearing a mask does not protect your skin sufficiently from the sun. You will still require a good quality sunscreen if you do not want skin pigmentation.

USE A GOOD SERUM

Sometimes, basic skincare combining a moisturiser and sunblock may still not be good enough, especially for mature and sun-damaged skin.

Add on a good serum to provide additional protection, as it can function as a powerful ally and target specific issues such as skin pigmentation, wrinkles and large pores.

Some examples of useful skin serums are hyaluronic acid serums, vitamin C serums and peptide serums as they provide long-term anti-ageing benefits.

SUFFICIENT SLEEP

Do not underestimate the power of adequate rest, which is important in keeping skin healthy.

When you sleep at night, your skin starts repairing itself - a process that produces more collagen and elastin that keeps skin more youthful.

Having enough sleep also keeps our stress hormones under control, which directly benefits our skin because stress hormones typically cause acne breakouts and pigmentation formation.

Chronic lack of sleep causes skin to dry, wrinkle and age quicker. Combine this with dark circles and eye bags, and you will look old and tired.