NIGHT
WORKERS
Night is the perfect time to enlist formulations
with ingredients that don’ t love the light, like:IT’S NOT ONLY HOW LONG YOU SLEEP THAT’S
IMPORTANT, BUT WHEN... HERE’S WHAT’S GOING
ON AT SKIN LEVEL WHILE YOU’RE SLEEPING9pm:
This is the ‘evening
phase’, where your
skin gets ready for
sleep. Melatonin
increases, boosting
our skin’s ability
to repair itself, so
make sure you have
your night-time
products on by now.10-11pm:
You’re in light
sleep now. Your
heart rate slows
and blood flow
increases, which
oxygenates the
skin to deliver
nutrients and rid it
of toxic build-up.11pm-12am:
Your body is now in
deep sleep phase,
a key time for your
complexion because
it’s when the body
suppresses the
release of cortisol
and encourages the
release of HGH to
repair and rebuild
the skin.12am-4am:
Cell turnover is at
its peak, increasing
by up to three times
its usual rate. Skin
also becomes more
permeable around
about now, allowing
active ingredients
to penetrate more
effectively.4am-6am:
Repair of the skin
continues more
slowly, getting
ready for you to
start the day.6am-9am:
Your skin is at
its driest now. It’s
also particularly
susceptible to UV
light, so make sure
you add SPF before
you head out the
door for the day.RETINOL
AHAS & BHAS
ENZYMES
HYALURONIC ACID
A derivative of vitamin A, retinol
works on all skin types and is one of
the only ingredients proven to reverse
the signs of ageing. Use it two or three
nights a week when you start out to
let your skin adjust a bit more slowly.
Try Ultraceuticals Ultra A Skin
Perfecting Serum, $125.Both AHAs (think glycolic, lactic and
mandelic acid), and BHAs (hello salicylic
acid) are the perfect actives to apply at
night. AHAs ‘unglue’ dead skin cells,
while BHAs ‘de-gunk’ pores to leave
skin smoother and clearer by morning.
Try Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos
Glycolic Night Serum, $132.Able to boost the skin’s natural
cell renewal cycle, enzymes are
good for eating up dead skin cells
during the night, i.e. peak cell turn-
over time. Try Elemis Dynamic
Resurfacing Night Cream, $210.Able to hold over a thousand times its
weight in water, hyaluronic acid will
give skin heavy doses of hydration.
Try Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula
Ultra Hydrating Serum, $24.99.O
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ON
THE
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