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Dull Skin - What's it all about?
Dull skin, it’s so annoying isn’t it! At some point or another in our lives, we will all experience dull skin, that looks tired and fed up. There are many causes of dull skin, here’s just a handful of them:
- Build up of dead skin cells.
- Lack of hydration.
- Ageing – often as part of the menopause.
- Lifestyle factors.
- Stress (that old monster!)
- Lack of Sleep.
- Nutritional deficiencies.
The good news is, that there’s lots of things you can do to turn that dull skin into glowing, healthy looking skin. Read on, for my 3 steps to banish the dullness!
Step 1 - Banish Dull Skin with Lifestyle choices
The fact I’ve used a photo of the moon, should indicate to you that my first lifestyle tip is to ensure you get 7-9 hours sleep a night. Your skin removes toxins and fluids from your skin, and produces fresh collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid whilst you’re sleeping. All of those things are important for youthful, bright, and glowing skin. It’s called ‘beauty sleep’ for a reason.
My second lifestyle tip is to try and reduce your stress levels, if your stress is constantly a 4/10 or higher. Cortisol, your stress hormone, wreaks havoc with your skin, as your body is redirecting it’s energy to keep you from danger. So less effort going into keeping your skin looking beautiful – because who needs to look glowing when you’re running from a tiger, right!? Some stress is healthy, but constant levels of stress are not good for us. Try this breathing exercise: Breath in for 4, hold for 4, breath out for 4, hold for 4. Try 10 rounds of this, to naturally lower your cortisol levels and bring your stress levels down.
Step 2 - Exfoliate those dead skin cells away
Dull skin is very often caused by a build up of dead skin cells on the surface of your skin. Gentle exfoliation can help to remove these dead skin cells, and reveal healthy, glowing skin underneath.
Be careful not to use harsh exfoliating products though, as they can actually damage your skin, and make your skin vulnerable to damage from UV rays. I recommend Alumier MicroDerm Polish, as it’s gentle, yet powerful – and leaves your skin looking amazing. You can click on the link HERE, if you’re interested in Alumier products.
Exfoliaters aren’t just about scrubs, you can also use an enzyme mask, which breaks down the dead skin cells. And products with glycolic acid are exfoliaters, and your flannel and face cloths too. TOP TIP: If you use a face cloth to wash your face, use a clean on every day, to avoid a build up of dead skin cells and bacteria.
If you’d like advice on skin care, then please get in touch via the button below.
Step 3 - Water is the winner!
Dull skin can be caused by lack of hydration in our skin. This can be caused by internal and external dehydration. To combat this from the inside, aim to drink 8 glasses of water a day. You could also consider taking a supplement, such as Rejuvenated’s amazing H30 Hydration, or H30 Night Repair – these supplements will super charge your hydration levels from within, and support healthy collagen production. Find out more by clicking HERE. Take skin to the next level, and add Collagen Shots or Skin Perfecting Complex too.
Hydrating your skin from the outside, with a hyaluronic acid serum will help to keep your skin supple and glowing. Hyaluronic acid is great for dull skin, as it holds 1000 x it’s weight in water. It’s one of my ‘must have’ serums for most anti ageing skin care routines, and it’s a game changer during those times that your skin is dull and tired. Investing in a rich moisturiser can boost hydration even further – and don’t forget that sunscreen!! UVA rays are responsible for up to 80-90% of premature ageing, and will leave your skin tired and dull. Never forget – SPF is your number one anti ageing product.
Step 4 - Banish Dull Skin from Within
With a background in nutritional therapy, I can’t ignore the importance of looking after your skin from the inside!
Firstly, I’d recommend taking a microbiome supplement, to help balance your gut flora. You’d be amazed at the difference this makes, as an imbalance in your gut can show up as dull, dry skin, eczema, rosacea, acne and hives – to name a few! Good skin really does start from within.
For dull skin, aim to eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and ‘eat the rainbow’. Each different coloured food is packed with different nutrients, that will benefit your skin. Vitamin C is essential for healthy collagen production, so oranges, strawberries and sweet potatoes are 3 great foods to include.
Include nuts and seeds in your diet, and good fats such as avocado, oily fish and chia seeds. It’s also important to eat good sources of protein, as it’s essential for building healthy skin.
Step 5 - Assess your hormones
Hormones can play a huge part in how our skin in looking and feeling.
If you’re 40+ (for some, even earlier), we start to move towards peri menopause and menopause. During this time our collagen and elastin levels take a dive, due to our changing hormones. This notoriously leaves us with dull skin, that starts to lose it’s glow and elasticity.
I’ve written a blog on menopause skin changes, which you can read by clicking on the button below. This might help you to determine whether your hormones are playing a part in your dull skin.
By balancing your hormones, you may find that your skin improves significantly. As a menopausal women (at the time of writing), I know first hand the impact of hormonal changes on our skin. So, if you’d like some some support or help with managing your skin during this time, please reach out.
Dull Skin - The Truth
The truth about dull skin is that we all suffer with it, at some time or another.
There are multiple factors that can cause us to experience dull skin, and they are unique to each and every one of us. There’s not a ‘one size fits all’ answer to address your dull skin issues, but I hope that you’ve found some helpful information and tips in this blog.
My 5 Key Tips are:
- Get 7-9 hours sleep a night, and take steps to reduce your stress.
- Exfoliate your dead skin cells away.
- Hydrate inside and outside.
- Eat the rainbow, and choose skin boosting foods.
- Check your hormones and health.
Need some help? Then get in touch via the button below, and I’d love to help you.
Feel ready to wave goodbye to dull skin?
I really hope you’ve found my blog on dealing with dull skin helpful.
If you’d like to find out how I can help you, then you can book a complimentary Zoom consultation. Just click on the link below to book your appointment. You can also download my Ultimate Skin & Scar Guides too.
I offer both remote skin care services, and in-clinic treatments. So, don’t worry if you’re not local to me – we can still get you started on a skin transformation journey.
I’d love to welcome you to my aesthetics clinic in Alton, Hampshire. I am right on the Hampshire / Surrey border and just 15 minutes from both Basingstoke and Farnham. I am also at the end of a direct line from London Waterloo, and a 5 minute walk from the station.
I look forward to chatting with you soon. Kindest wishes, Nikki x
