6 Skin Care Tips to Face the New Normal
Wearing a face mask is one new habit that we all had to embrace almost overnight, when governments started imposing its mandatory use in public spaces. And it’s fascinating and almost entertaining to see how posts on social media transformed from rants and complains on how uncomfortable it is to wear now into how fashionable these new accessories can be, to match their OOTDs (outfits of the day)!
Amidst the rising trend of mask design creativity and ingenuity, there’s one topic that needs to be unmasked: Skin Care. Especially if you live in high humidity countries or even extreme heat for geographies enjoying summertime, you may have experienced skin irritation, redness, rashes and breakouts for the first time again, in a really long time. Which then begs the question, is there a need for a new healthy skin care habit to adapt to this New Normal?
Face the Facts: the Culprits that Compromise your Skin
Red zit-like spots on your laugh lines. Heat spots on your cheeks. Irritation on the bridge of your nose. What are the most common reasons behind these skin irritations?
Mask Material: the non-woven fabrics of your surgical masks are made from plastics leads to inability of the skin to comfortably breath. Similarly, some pretty looking designs can be made from polyester, nylon and rayon and may cause irritation.
Moisture: breathing in and out in an enclosed material, trapped with sweat and oil – on their own sounds like an uncomfortable environment to thrive on.
Fit: improper use of mask that compromises that tight, snug fit leads to creation of movement and friction between the fabric and your skin that also causes irritation.
Face Your Fears: 6 New Healthy Habits for Your Skin
Go for Cotton: be conscious of what your masks are made from and ideally should be soft, breathable cotton. Nevermind the pressures to stay fashionably on trend, let’s aim for function over form.
Wash After Every Use: practice good mask hygiene and wash your cotton masks regularly as your skins’ natural oils get absorbed each time you use it. There’s now a higher chance of your skin in direct contact with dirt – so watch out and wash out!
Don’t Over Cleanse Your Face: while the increased paranoia on safety and cleanliness is inevitable, over washing your face can lead to further dryness and irritation. Overcompensating strips off your natural oils that makes it even more prone to dryness and eventual breakout. Responsibly limit to twice a day cleansing.
Pat Dry, Don’t Rub: anything that avoids friction is beneficial. Gently pat-dry with a clean towel after washing. I’d even go for air-dry, just leave it to naturally evaporate.
Stay Hydrated: while drinking water does not entirely solve dry skin, ensuring you cover your ground by keeping hydrated with at least 8 glasses of water every day is necessary. If dryness persists whilst you’re keeping hydrated, best it allows you to isolate and identify the root cause of your skin irritation.
Measure and Manage Stress: we all live in peculiar, uncomfortable set-ups given the pandemic that’s leading to stress. Whether it’s juggling family and home life in a confined ‘work from home’ space or just the anxiety of lock down that’s affecting your skin, wouldn’t it be more empowering to start measuring stress and manage it directly? All you need is your camera phone, your finger tip and Healthzilla which you can download here.
Let’s Face It: Adapting Healthy Habits in the New Normal
Caring for your skin need not be expensive. While some would find comfort in applying hypoallergenic moisturizers or repair creams on sensitive areas prone to friction or chafing to increase the hydration of the skin – you’d probably want to make sure you cover the practical basics first before even starting any new skin care routine.
Frankly, the Corona Virus isn’t leaving us anytime soon. While it is mandatory and of utmost priority to keep safe and protect yourself at all times by wearing face masks, we do want to continue caring for our wellbeing through healthy habits – and that includes taking great care of the biggest organ in the human body - our skin!