Christmas Congestion – battle breakouts during party season

Christmas is traditionally a time for indulgence and with all the festive food and drink available, it's difficult to resist temptation.

We're all for treating yourself, life is too short not to but unfortunately, sugary food, late nights and non-stop partying can take its toll on your skin. In a bid to get some expert advice about tackling troublesome skin, we called in some expert advice with Jennifer Rock, The Skin Nerd, coming to the rescue. As Jennifer outlines below, sugar is often the culprit when it comes to congested skin and bothersome breakouts.

"We all know that sugar is unfortunately linked to congestion by the experts again and again, as it causes inflammation in the body".

As we know, inflammation can manifest itself in the form of spots and Jennifer has given us her top tips for dealing with congested skin.

"My ultimate hero ingredient for any type of congestion is salicylic acid, which is a BHA, AKA beta-hydroxy acid. You can get it in the form of cleansers, treatments and essence-soaked pads but a personal favourite of mine would be the IMAGE Skincare Clear Cell Cleanser. Salicylic acid clears out the dead skin cells from the pore, dries up all the sebum and pus and brings down the redness caused by inflammation – making that concealer job that little bit easier!

However, salicylic acid can cause dry skin and it's important to counteract this with some hydration. A serum is light enough to inject some moisture and it's not as heavy as a moisturiser. This particularly applies if you have combination or oily skin and are prone to spots. Jennifer also warns against using any harsh products the night before an occasion or one of the many Christmas nights out and instead advises using a product with lactic acid.

"Be wary of cornflakeyness; the drying effect of salicylic acid typically causes a little ring of dry skin around the spot which Is not easily covered by makeup so it may be best to avoid it the night before any celebrations and opt for something a little bit more gentle, like a product that includes lactic acid. Don’t forget to rehydrate the skin with a serum!!"