It feels like forever since life was normal! Zoom calls, social distancing, Netflix- no chill! So how has your skin reacted? Without makeup and a bit more time on your hands, have you been looking in the mirror and feeling pleasantly surprised? Or maybe a bit horrified?

Lockdown skin has emerged as an unexpected effect of the COVD19 pandemic! Let’s break it down.

 1. COVID hands!

Going hell-for-leather with soap and water followed by a rigorous towel dry is bad enough. Add in slathered on alcohol multiple times a day, all this has delivered hand eczema to plenty of us who never had it before! You still need to wash for 20 seconds. Go for cooler water, and pat don’t rub your hands dry. And hand moisturizer is going to be a thing going forward. Doesn’t need to be a hand cream per se. Just a good quality moisturizer will do the job nicely!

 2. Baking breakout

If you’ve joined the next round of amateur Bake off and are pumping out brownies, muffins and chocolate-pecan-ganache-whatever, expect to get reacquainted with the zits you used to know and hate! The solution? Ease off the baking, or maybe switch your talents to making your own sourdough? And meanwhile maybe switch up your skincare for a short patch. Ensure you are using Vitamin A, ideally preceded by exfoliating hydroxy acids. Plus a good quality soap free cleanser! 

 3. Stress bumps

Uncertainty and stress go hand in hand. Unfortunately for many of us, so too do stress and pimples. If stress has you getting reacquainted with some unwelcome pimple guests, just as with your baking buddies, a skin care change-up may be in order. Vitamin A, Hydroxy acids and a soap free cleanser will all help. 

Ultimate A

Vitamins A and B. High strength. Effortlessly improves skin texture and tone for skin that is soft smooth and supple. Also effective in managing acne. 

• Rebuild collagen
• Increase skin elasticity
• Reduce hyperpigmentation

Add to bag $105

Hydroxy Cleanser

A soap free, lightly foaming cleanser.

• Leaves skin feeling clean and soft
• Doesn't strip natural oils
• Perfect for normal/oily skin

Add to bag $49

 4. Wine o’clock blues

Breaking open the pinot on a nightly basis might see you encounter some new skin “friends”. Classically, rosacea will see many of us flush in the cheeks (and maybe the nose too) after just one glass. But did you know that drinking more alcohol has also been linked to new onset of psoriasis and more severe psoriasis? Apart from sticking to drinking at healthy drinking levels 2 drinks a day, 5 days a week, you might need to change up your skincare especially if you develop a new skin condition.

 5. Sunshine side effects

Taken up long walks? Jogging? Cycling? Skincare science nerds like me have been banging on for years about using a broad spectrum sunscreen against UVA and UVB rays (relying on the SPF isn’t enough!) every single day. If you’ve been slack, expect to get a bit sunburnt. Even if you escape a full on burn, your skin can pay the price in the years ahead with wrinkles, pigmentation and fine lines. Time to get on the good stuff every single morning!

 6. Sleepy benefits

Getting more sleeps thanks to losing the commute? Expect to see benefits in your skin. Yes, getting enough sleep will help the appearance of your complexion. Enjoy it while it lasts!