Skincare ingredients to avoid if you get less than 5 hours of sleep include popular AHA's and BHA's. Skin health has a direct correlation to how much sleep you get. There's finally some data to validate the cliche phrase, "Beauty Sleep". Canceling plans to ensure enough beauty sleep was only an excuse up until this article. Even though it was only an excuse, there is scientific data that can validate that reasoning. In a study published in Clinical Dermatology, sleeping for less than 5 hours results in increased trans-epidermal water loss and decreased barrier recovery. In simpler terms, this means your skin loses more water and becomes thinner.
Ingredients to Avoid if You Sleep Less Than 5 Hours:
- Lactic Acid
- Glycolic Acid
- Salicylic Acid
If you’re anything like me and believe that sleep is important but have major FOMO; then there are a few important skincare ingredients to avoid that will further thin your skin. Ingredients that resurface or exfoliate your skin also decrease the skin’s barrier leading to increased trans-epidermal loss. Sleeping for less than 5 hours has the same effect furthering this damage.
Three of the most common ingredients found in skincare products responsible for exfoliating include glycolic acid, lactic acid, and salicylic acid. Typically, these ingredients can be beneficial when used in low concentrations around 1%. However, an article published in peer reviewed journal, Molecules states that higher concentrations of AHA’s and BHA’s above 10% resurface the skin and disrupt the skin barrier resulting in increased trans-epidermal water loss which may expedite the appearance of skin aging.
Sleeping Less Than 5 Hours Results in Thinning Skin:
60 healthy women were categorized as poor-quality sleepers or good quality sleepers. Poor-quality sleepers received less than or equal to 5 hours of sleep and good quality sleepers slept between 7–9 hours. Both groups underwent evaluation off their dark under‐eye circles using standardized photos and barrier recovery after tape-stripping the skin to measure their trans-epidermal water loss. The women were exposed to simulated solar ultraviolet light, and recovery from erythema was monitored. The women also completed a questionnaire evaluating self‐perception of attractiveness.
Unsurprisingly, poor sleepers had increased trans-epidermal water loss compared to good-quality sleepers. Additionally, good sleepers had a 30% greater barrier recovery 72 hours after tape stripping the skin and had significantly better recovery from erythema. Good-quality sleepers also reported a significantly better perception of their appearance and physical attractiveness compared with poor sleepers.
The good news is that there are ways to improve the skin's health and barrier function with natural ingredients to combat the effects of too little sleep.
Ingredients to Look For if You Suffer from Lack of Sleep:
- Hyaluronic Acid
- Vitamin B5
- L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
- Alpha-tocopherol (Vitamin E)
Ingredients that help in maintaining optimal skin health are vital in a good skincare routine but are even more essential when the skin is thin. Thin skin tends to sag, produce pronounced wrinkles, and discolors easily.
Common ingredients to search for to improve the skin’s health and barrier are hyaluronic acid, vitamin B5, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E. Hyaluronic acid holds up to 1000x its weight in water. Adding vitamin B5 and hyaluronic acid will leave your skin hydrated, moisturized, and rejuvenated. This may be the reason Phyto-C's B5 Gel is one of the best-selling products for hydration and skin maintenance.
Vitamin C and vitamin E have been well studied as the strongest vitamins to combat free radical damage and protect your skin from the premature signs of aging when formulated correctly with L-ascorbic acid, below a pH of 4.2, and in a concentration less than 20% similar to what is found in Phyto-C's E in C Serum.
Ultimately the only way to have healthy, radiant, and younger looking skin is to ensure you get more than seven hours of sleep, use clinically proven skincare, and minimize environmental aggressors that will take a toll on your skin over time.
Next Post
