The clocks going forward this weekend could wreak havoc on your skin – from acne to eczema and ageing
THE clocks spring forward this weekend marking the start of British Summer Time – but the change could wreak havoc on your skin.
And you should take precautions to protect yourself from premature ageing, acne and eczema, dermatologists say.
The clocks go forward by one hour at 1am on Saturday night.
But while we will enjoy lighter evenings it will cost us an hours sleep.
And there’s another reason to be concerned - because disruptions to our internal body clock can speed up the ageing process in our skin, according to Candice Brown s dermatologist at London Bridge Plastic Surgery.
“Our bodies are intrinsically linked to our internal body clock,” she said.
“And any disruptions to this so-called ‘circadian rhythm’, however small, can have a real impact on our health, particularly our skin.
“Changes to our master clock can affect our sleep patterns, body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen consumption and hormone secretion.
“All of this has a knock on effect on how our skin looks and feels.
“Meanwhile our skin cells have their own internal clocks which can also be thrown out of kilter, hampering their ability to rejuvenate and repair themselves while we sleep.
“That means that anyone prone to suffering hormone related skin conditions, like acne or eczema, are particularly at risk of an outbreak at periods when the clocks change.
“And it might take two or three days before everything settles back into a new routine.”
Dr Emma Wedgeworth, consultant dermatologist and British Skin Foundation spokeswoman agreed, saying there is absolutely no doubt our skin is influenced by our circadian rhythm.
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“Skin, as the interface between the environment and the internal body, is exposed to the diurnal changes in factors such as UV levels, temperature and humidity,” she said.
“The skin is an incredibly dynamic organ and therefore responds to fluctuations in its surroundings.
“The science of circadian rhythms in skin is still in its infancy.
“However, studies have suggested that during sleep there is a change in cutaneous blood flow, reduced sebum production and increased DNA repair.
“Therefore sleep disturbance or changes in our rhythms are likely to disturb cellular function within the skin.
“Anecdotally, I find that many of my patients, particularly those with acne and eczema, find that sleep deprivation is a huge trigger to their skin condition.”
So what can you do to protect your skin as the clocks change?
Candice suggest you regularly exfoliate your skin to remove any dead skin cells from the healthy ones underneath.
You should also be using an antioxidant serum containing vitamin E and B to protect against any potential damage.
After that, make sure you use plenty of moisturiser.
“It sounds like a lot of product to be putting on your skin, but it will soak in, and you’re giving your skin all the goodness it needs to really repair itself,” Candice explained.
“The antioxidants help to minimise damage from harmful free radicals, which can play havoc with your skin’s collagen.
“And you’ll help to smooth out wrinkles, fine lines, and other skin damage that comes from deep within.”
Several studies have found that changes to our body clock affect our skin.
A report published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences in 2016 analysed how our biological rhythms affect the skin.
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The study, by cosmetics giant Estee Lauder and several leading universities in New York, concluded: “The skin is clearly characterised by rhythmicity in virtually all its functions, which argues in favour of the recommendation that individual rhythms be taken into account for diagnosis and treatment schedules.
“It seems wise to take into account the fact that we have evolved on a planet that, for billions of years, has been rotating on its axis, leading to the rhythmic repetition of days and nights.”
A separate study in 2013 and published in Cell Stem Cell, found our skin has its own ‘clock’ which anticipates the best time to ‘repair at the appropriate hours’ - typically afternoons and evenings.
If that mechanism is thrown into disarray by clock changes, it struggles to perform this repair properly.
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