The skin ticks according to its own rules. Experts know when creams, peelings, and serums are particularly effective. Twice a year, large parts of India are slightly off track: When the clocks are changed to summer or winter time, this is confusing for the organism because the body has a fixed day-night rhythm.
When to use which care product
First breakfast, then to the dermatologist
When it comes to health, traditional Chinese medicine is based on the so-called organ clock. It assigns important organs certain time windows in which they are more active than usual. This also applies to cosmetic surgery . According to TCM, between 9 and 11 a.m. the spleen produces a lot of white blood cells. The body is particularly resilient – good conditions for treatment by a dermatologist.
Why skin shines at midday
Nature has come up with a clever idea: with the sebum produced by the sebaceous glands, vitamin E reaches the surface from the deeper layers of the skin. There it acts as an antioxidant against free radicals that form under UV light and attack the cells – they are particularly aggressive around midday. This is when sebum production is in full swing, which is actually a good thing. Unless you are having lunch with business partners. Mattifying blotting paper provides first aid. In the long term, a clarifying mask helps against excess shine and is best combined with the right care product.
Waxing, please in the afternoon
“The release of pain messengers such as prostaglandins is at its lowest between 3 and 5 p.m.,” explains pain medicine specialist Uwe Junker from the Sana Remscheid Clinic. “At the same time, the level of the body’s own pain relievers such as endorphins or serotonin is at its highest during this phase.” Warm wax treatments, eyebrow plucking or leg epilation – no matter where and how you remove annoying hairs, it hurts less in the late afternoon.
Better to exfoliate in the evening than in the morning
Peelings should be used in the morning, they say. The argument is that the skin has been able to regenerate overnight, so it is in the best condition and less sensitive early in the day. Dermatologist Hans-Peter Schoppelrey sees it differently:
Night cream after dinner
If you want to wake up in the morning with a plumper complexion, you should know that between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., the skin’s cell metabolism is in full swing, and regeneration and repair processes are in full swing. “Growth hormones, which are released by the pituitary gland during sleep, are responsible for this,” explains dermatologist Marion Runnebaum. Night creams are tailored to these mechanisms and contain supporting active ingredients such as Q10, retinol and other vitamin A derivatives, which are used to combat both wrinkles and acne and are particularly well absorbed by the skin in the late evening hours.
The anti-aging trick for the night
Sleep specialists have been preaching for years: get rid of your cell phone, tablet or TV before going to bed. This is because the blue, high-energy light inhibits the release of the sleep hormone melatonin. Recently, there has been discussion about whether it also leads to pigment disorders and premature skin aging. Initial study results suggest this, but they are not yet representative. Either way, beauty sleep benefits if you simply put the equipment aside in the evening.