With all the stay-at-home measures in place, self-care is becoming more important, especially during times of pandemic. Our daily routines needed some adjustments, such as sleeping, eating and exercising. On top of this, it is also likely that you are feeling pretty stressed out given the current pandemic situation.

Keeping the immune system healthy and strong is not only crucial to protect us from the virus – it will also play a role in ensuring your skin remains in good shape. When it comes to skin, having a good complexion can make you feel good and provide a mood-booster for the sake of your mental health during such unsettling times. Paying attention to your skin will also ensure you can keep any skin issues at bay.

Here are some tips on how you can protect your skin as well as your health during #StayHome.

Getting enough sleep

While most of us can afford the late nights and getting extra shut-eye by skipping the work commute, you will still need to keep to a schedule and get 7-8 hours of sleep. It is also common for stressful situations, anxiety and worrying to impair sleep. Set an alarm to tell you when you should go to bed and when to get up. Ease your worries by connecting with others during the day and use short mindfulness activities to help you relax before bedtime.

Oversleepers may also feel groggy in the morning – poor sleep can negatively affect daytime functioning and mood when awake. Inadequate sleep also causes the body to release more stress hormones, or cortisol, which can cause inflammation in the skin. This will manifest as acne breakouts.

Wearing sunscreen

We may not be allowed outside for non-essential purposes, but making those short trips to the supermarket still exposes us to UV rays. And even if you sit near the window at home and spend long hours working there, make sure to apply a sunscreen to shield your skin as some UV rays can pass through glass windows and cause sun damage. Over time, this can appear as pigmentation on face like freckles and sun spots.

Pamper yourself during your skincare routine

It is common for the COVID-19 outbreak to take an emotional toll on anyone. Feelings of uncertainty, thoughts racing and stress are easily elicited. Take the opportunity to unwind and take a breather with the ritual of putting on your skincare. Take your time with the product application and massage your face gently to warm up the muscles, boosting blood circulation and enhancing the absorption of the applied product. This also allows for lymphatic drainage, which can reduce puffiness and lower fluid retention. You can also consider using facial massage tools like jade rollers to massage your face and put you in a relaxed mood.

Aside from applying skincare, keep your hands away from your face to avoid transferring dirt and bacteria onto the skin which can clog pores and cause a breakout. In times of stress, people are also more prone to picking their skin. This can exacerbate the situation with more breakouts and cause unsightly scars. Use spot-treatments instead to tackle the redness and pimples.

Treat yourself to an aesthetic treatment once the stay-home measures are lifted. Acne treatments like the Q Switch laser utilises concentrated beams of energy to kill the P-acne bacteria, shrink the skin’s oil glands and prevent breakouts. By controlling excess oil produced, you can lower the chances of clogged the pores with sebum and dead skin cells, especially when complemented with an effective skincare regimen. The laser is also effective as an acne scar removal and targets skin pigmentation such as age spots, sun spots and acne marks. The number of sessions needed will depend on individual skin type and condition, particularly for deeper acne scars. You can also look forward to an overall skin rejuvenation effect.