"Skincare Tips for the Party Season"

Dr Rashmi Shetty, leading Mumbai based aesthetic physician; founder of Ra Skin & Aesthetics; author of Age Erase

As you venture out in multiple parties around the New Year time, no doubt you want to look your best. However, a season of parties means an excess of several things over a prolonged period of time. Excess of eating and perhaps drinking; excess of make-up and styling!

Here is a list of some skincare tips to follow during the day even as you party during the night.

1) Religiously Follow the Daily Skin Check: No matter how busy you are, never forget to remove your make-up before going to bed and cleanse your skin with a good cleanser. Keep a facewash in your carry bag so that you do not allow dust and pollution to stick to your skin. Also make sure you stick to a good moisturizer and sunscreen religiously. The complete, facewash, moisturizer and sunscreen ritual shall be followed thrice a day. This will prevent any acne breakout while keeping your skin hydrated and protected against sun damage.

2) Nourishment for the Skin: Apply an anti-oxidant cream which contains vitamin A, C, E or Q10 during the day underneath your sunscreen. This will save skin from free radical damage and help in skin repair. So, even if you do an overdose of make-up and chemicals, your skin is nourished to repair itself.

3) You Are What You Eat: Include a lot of fruits, salads and vegetables in your diet, even as you go about celebrating and partying. This will ensure that you have your daily intake of vitamins and minerals, and also keep the negative effects of junk or fried food in check. Anti-oxidants will also help fight the ill effects of pollution on the skin. A balanced diet will also keep hair in good health.

4) Check Sweet Intake: Parties are synonymous with sweets and we tend to eat a lot of them during this period as we celebrate the New Year. Sugar, however, suppresses activity of our white blood cells and makes us more susceptible to infections like cold and flu. It also worsens allergies and causes damage because of the breaking down of good proteins, leading to advanced glycation end-products, very aptly abbreviated as AGE. AGE makes proteins in the collagen and hair stiff and hard; speeding up the process of skin ageing. So, be mindful of what you eat. Consuming excessive sweets the entire season can cause harm to the skin, not to forget its effect on your weight.

5) Get a Mini Facelift: You can also get Hyaluronic Acid based fillers like Juvederm administered under the eye and on the mid face. This will fill up the hollows, instantly freshen up the face and also provide hydration and elasticity, giving you a facelift and glow that will make you stand apart in the parties.

6) Consume Water: Drink enough water so that if you are drinking a lot of alcohol or eating junk food during the parties, your body should be cleansed and toxins are flushed out. For skin detox go for some treatments like hydra facials or oxygen treatment to cleanse your skin deeply. This will make your skin ready for the heavy dose of experiments in make-up you are going to undertake.