The holiday cheer is great. Vacation skin? Not always. A weekend of salty snacks, sweet treats, late nights, cold air, travel, and—you guessed it—stress—and suddenly you’re dealing with dry skin, dull skin, stress acne, irritation, or a crazy, damaged skin barrier. Sensitive skin is especially prone to breakouts this time of year.
Everyone has a favorite holiday treat—some sweet, some savory, all delicious. But when the holiday snacking goes up, your skin is often the first to notice. Too much of a good thing can leave you dealing with dry skin, dull skin, or an already sensitive skin barrier that feels extra crazy.
“Most holiday foods are either sugary or salty,” says Holzinger. “Eating these foods in large quantities can definitely affect your skin. Sugar tends to cause inflammation and oil production, leading to acne breakouts and worsening of chronic skin conditions. High sugar intake can also reduce the skin’s ability to repair wounds. Excess salt contributes to dehydration, dryness and tightness – this is most noticeable in the area under the eyes. Salt also makes the skin look and feel much more puffy and puffy. During this time of year, I often see patients with flare-ups acne, eczemaand psoriasis.”
Late night holiday parties, travel, family visits from out of town and on and on… the holidays are sure to increase erratic schedules and decrease high quality sleep. In recent years, more and more science is revealing how important good sleep is for every aspect of our health, including skin health. One of the key aspects of sleep is that it restores and repairs damaged tissues during the night, including skin cells. This is why too little sleep can damage your skin.
“If you’re sleep-deprived, your skin will likely look dull, pale, and less radiant,” explains Holzinger. “Sleep deprivation also increases cortisol, which can weaken the skin barrier and lead to dry skin and flaking. Dark circles and puffiness under the eyes are more noticeable due to fluid retention and acne stress it can also flare up if you don’t sleep.”
As if lack of sleep wasn’t enough, holiday stress tends to pile up—fast. And your skin definitely notices. “When you’re stressed, your body releases excessive amounts of cortisol,” explains Holzinger. “Cortisol leads to excessive inflammation, which aggravates skin diseases such as rosacea, psoriasis, eczema and acne. Sudden outbreaks and increased acne breakouts they appear often at this time of year.’ Elevated cortisol levels also increase oil production. 50 million people struggle with acne in the United States, so if stress acne is a problem for you, you’re definitely not alone.
Holiday cocktails are fun — but alcohol quickly dries out your skin, leaving a weakened skin barrier in its wake. Dilates blood vessels, removing moisture from the skin. This can worsen dull skin and cause redness, worsening of rosacea and other varieties of sensitive skin.
“Alcohol depletes your body of water and electrolytes,” explains Holzinger. “This leads to dry, tight skin. Dehydrated skin will look dull and fine lines and wrinkles will be more obvious. Too much alcohol destroys vitamin A, vitamin C and zinc, which further deplete them collagen. Less collagen means slower skin repair and increased skin sensitivity.”
This is not so much a habit as a condition, but it is a major factor that causes dry skin, dull skinand burdening sensitive skin, especially during the holidays.
“Even if you moisturize regularly, your skin can feel drier because the cold winter air holds less moisture,” explains Holzinger. “When the air is dry and there’s less humidity, your skin doesn’t hold onto water like it does in the summer months. Plus, indoor heating also pulls moisture away from your skin.”
As you phase out skin care products with harsh, irritating ingredients that can aggravate sensitive, dry, dull skin, Holzinger recommends replacing them with dermatologist-recommended winter care products that hydrate, soothe, balance, and brighten skin. These are her favorites fresh holiday skin:
If your skin still feels irritated, flaky, dull, or inflamed—even after simplifying your routine and making seasonal adjustments—you’re not alone. Holiday skin problems can be persistent and some conditions need more targeted support.
“If you’re using a gentle cleanser and moisturizer and your skin is still overly dry, I’d recommend it appointment scheduling,” says Holzinger. “Sometimes, ‘dry skin’ is something more, such as atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, or psoriasis. Additionally, if acne, rosacea, or another chronic skin condition is flaky, I recommend seeking a professional evaluation.”
Apex Skin specializes in diagnosing and treating these concerns so you can get quick relief and protect your skin barrier long term. And since the holiday season is pretty hectic, we offer same-day appointments—so you don’t have to stress about finding time when your skin needs help right now.
If your skin isn’t bouncing back, Apex Skin is here to help.
