Aisling on beauty: Sleep your way to the top

Beauty sleep is not an old wives’ tale. Several studies have corroborated the fact that not getting enough sleep is directly responsible for a rake of symptoms affecting skin. Pores can look bigger and skin duller. Lines can appear. Redness, rough skin and puffy eyes are also all up there on the “you-look-knackered scale”.

Of course, you didn’t need science to tell you that: it’s obvious the second you look in the mirror.

Add alcohol to the mix and you’ve set yourself up for dehydrated skin and possibly bloodshot eyes to complete the effect. And I know you didn’t take your make-up off before you fell into bed on your last night out, now did you? No judging here; neither did I.

That’s all right if you miss one or two nights of sleep, but if you are sleep-deprived for weeks or months, then the body reacts badly. When we don’t get enough sleep, the body produces too little human growth hormone and releases more of the stress hormone cortisol. Both of these actions can degrade skin collagen, a structural protein that plumps up the skin and makes it look young and healthy (so, naturally, when we lose too much of it the skin looks prematurely aged).

As someone who is a chronic insomniac, I can see the sense behind the science. I know there’s nothing we can do about crying babies or the dread of a presentation in work in the morning, but we can take steps to maximise sleep. Ban the television, the laptop and the iPad from the bedroom and sleep in a cool room with blackout curtains or blinds.

Try using products containing retinol, which increases cell turnover and stimulates collagen production. Skinceuticals Retinol 1.0, Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Serum or or Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti-Aging Intensive Repair Treatment are good ones to use. Creams containing copper can also contribute to collagen stimulation, and Kiehl's Powerful Wrinkle Reducing Cream is one of my favourites. Vitamin C is another collagen-friendly ingredient and can be found in lots of skin creams; try The Body Shop Vitamin C range.

Collagen creams and masks won't actually make the body produce more collagen and don't make any difference in the long run. Don't spend too much money on them, because the molecules are far too big to do anything but sit on the surface of the skin. L'Oréal Wrinkle De-Crease Collagen Re-Plumper Night Cream is a good quick fix, however.

• amcdermott@irishtimes.com
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