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These holiday habits are hurting your skin

The holiday season is in full swing. Christmas parties, office gifts and holiday dinners usually involve one thing – food. Eating more than usual during the holiday season is a commonly accepted principle. However, taking advantage of the phrase “eat, drink and be merry” can be harmful for your skin.

Eat – Carbs and candy are holiday favorites, but they cause a spike in blood sugar. This spike can unleash hormones, which stimulate oil production. High-sugar diets can cause collagen and elastin to break down, which loosens your skin.

Drink-  Heavy drinking can cause dehydration, which dulls and dries your skin. Some skin conditions can also be inflamed by alcohol consumption. Alcohol also dissolves vitamin A, which repairs your skin through collagen.

Be merry- Don’t stay at your holiday party too late. Sleeping seven to nine hours a night is essential to keeping your skin youthful and healthy.

You don’t have to sacrifice your skin during the holiday season. Enjoy everything in moderation and keep up with your daily skin routine. To schedule an appointment with Knoxville Dermatology Group, call (865)690-9467

Bad Skin Habits You Need to Drop

From bad skin habits to good skin habits

With limited hours of the day, bad habits are easily formed. Here are some habits you need to get rid of, for the sake of your skin’s health.

Popping zits – An instinct reaction after waking up to a zit is to immediately pop it. While this may seem like the fastest way to rid the blemish, it actually doubles the zit’s lifespan by pushing bacteria deeper into the pore. This can cause inflammation, infection or scarring.

Forgetting to remove makeup – We know, life is busy and all you want to do when you get home is sink into your bed. You can – after you take care of your skin. Remove makeup and oil built up throughout the day. Otherwise, it’ll sit in your pores overnight and cause acne.

Ignoring your neck and chest – Many people wash their face and forget about the neck down. Your neck and chest are equally exposed to harsh weather, sun and dirt. Don’t forget to exfoliate and moisturize these areas too.

Over exfoliating – It’s possible to have too much of a good thing, at least when it comes to exfoliating. Harsh cleansing can spread bacteria and make oil production worse. Exfoliating a few times a week is a good routine, but every day or twice a day can cause more harm than good.

Skipping healthy habits – Believe it or not, general health plays a huge factor in keeping good skin. Not only does exercise increase blood flow to the skin, it’s also been shown to reduce stress, which can cause breakouts. Same goes for healthy sleeping habits – getting seven to nine hours of sleep per night is key to both body and skin health. Your diet can also have an impact. High blood sugar causes a surge of insulin, which stimulates oil-producing hormones.

Tanning – Tanning is the worst habit of them all, because research has linked it to an increase in the risk of skin cancer. If you absolutely must darken your complexion, try bronzer or self-tanning lotion.

Contact KDG if you have any questions about your skin by calling (865)690-9467 or visiting www.knoxderm.com.