Whether you've been on a social whirlwind since Thanksgiving or are about to enter a blur of festivities from now until New Year's, the best way to stay looking fabulously festive is to pamper your skin.

You spend your time having your hair done, your nails flawless and finding the perfect party outfit. What really sets everything off is your radiant skin. But let's face it all the celebrating that goes with the holiday season can cause your skin to lose its holiday glow.

Those late nights, stressful schedules jam packed with holiday shopping and school plays; fabulous high carb food, (likely accompanied by a cocktail or two), deplete the skin of nutrients, strip the skin of its protective ceramide barrier and upset the delicate hormonal balance. The aftermath of a great party is often dull, tired looking skin, under eye bags, dark circles and perhaps a blemish or two. It's enough to make one say "bah hum bug" to attending yet another holiday affair.

It's one part planning, two parts reacting. What exactly is the potential cutaneous aftermath of a long night of festivities and what can you do about these concerns?

• Dark Circles
• Under Eye Bags
• Deeper Appearing Wrinkle Lines
• Lackluster Skin

GET READY TO PARTY

Pre-Party Recommendations

Start taking your vitamins now. Ideally one should maintain a healthy diet, but seriously, can you really ignore that gorgeous looking dessert another minute? Partaking in not-so-healthy food choices fills one up with unwanted calories leaving your body, and your skin with fewer nutrients. Consider taking a multivitamin during the holidays to supplement poor party eating habits. Or take a vitamin that targets skin, nails and hair such as DERMAdoctor Wrinkle Revenge Rescue & Protect Eye Balm.

Avoid smoke-filled rooms the night before you want to look your best. Smoke irritates the eyes making them look red, plus inflammation can cause fluid to pool under the eyes contributing to dark circles and undereye bags. Other things to factor in: computer eyestrain, stress and even water retention can also contribute to under eye puffiness.

Try to exercise. It reduces stress levels, which might otherwise lead to acne flare-ups. And everyone knows how stressful the holidays can be! A bevy of hormones can cause acne to form. Hormones responsible for acne include testosterone (an androgen), progesterone, anabolic steroids, gonadotropins, corticosteroids and ACTH. Stress increases circulating glucocorticosteroids and should be factored into the hormone driven flare-up. Working out for even 20 to 30 minutes a day can help reduce stress and keep skin looking great.

Your system takes a beating with all of the holiday hustle and bustle, which can have an effect on your appearance. Dehydrating from alcohol consumption combined with dry weather and low wintertime humidity levels leave skin parched and dull looking. Stay fresh looking all holiday season. To make sure that you glow from the inside, drink at least 8-10 8 oz. glasses of water to flush out toxins and keep the complexion bright, and use a treatment like DERMAdoctor Wrinkle Revenge Rescue & Protect Facial Cream and T. LeClerc Correcting Fluid Pen to keep your skin looking satiny. Now you're ready for anything this season throws at you!

Lines simply don't belong on your face. Whether pre-party rejuvenation woes, or post-party havoc, it's simple to relax them away with a tiny dab of Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum. This instantly lets you look well rested; no one will ever know you were out all night!

The counterpart to Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum is DERMAdoctor Wrinkle Revenge Antioxidant Enhanced Glycolic Acid Facial Cleanser 1. Reducing deep lines on the neck and dcollet can maximize the effects of your fabulous holiday cleavage-baring dress. It's also wonderful for temporarily plumping up small shallow acne scars and deeper facial lines.

Look glam! A touch of sparkle may be just the thing to get your skin ready to match your party-ready mood. You can achieve this one of two ways. If you're going to moisturize, get a bit of sparkle along with that hydration by using a moisturizer with glitter. It will give your skin the ideal shimmer.

Another option is skin glitter. There are skin glitters on the market with the perfect gold shimmer for all skin tones and ages. They can make your skin glow without looking outlandish. Some are a mineral based powder (which means there is less chance for skin irritation). You need to be careful with many brands of glitter dust as they can cause unwanted itching. That is why we recommend a mineral base as a better choice.

Another option is to go bronze. Most people look great with a bronze-gold color. You can self-tan (remember tanning beds are bad news to your skin's health) and apply a gold glitter, or mix a bit of skin glitter with gold. The fairer your skin tone, the more sparingly you should apply bronze glitter. To make the most of your skin, use your DERMAdoctor KP Duty Dermatologist Body Scrub with Chemical + Physical Medi-Exfoliation for a tropical glow. Gold will look extra fabulous on a base tan.

Post Party Tips

Okay, most dark circles have nothing to do with actual skin color changes. Rather, dark shadows form when changes in facial anatomy occur. A normal part of the aging process, the infraorbital fat pad (the fatty layer located just above the cheek bone and below the eye) thins producing a sunken appearance. Light reflects off these hollows creating the illusion of shadowy circles.

But late nights can exacerbate the appearance of dark circles. Eliminating dark circles begins with camouflage. Therapy options to improve dark circles don't work overnight. Hiding them provides immediate gratification and restores radiance to the eye area. Yellow counter acts blue so this is the color of concealer to look for.

A simple effective cover-up is Miracle Skin Transformer Treat & Conceal for Eye & Face. It may be applied alone or beneath foundation depending upon one's skin tone.

Bags emerge as a result of gravity, loss of dermal integrity, hormonal skin changes, allergies, capillary fragility and inflammation from chronic sun damage. Under eye puffiness augments the tired appearance and exaggerate dark circles.

Pooling of excess tissue fluids contributes to bag formation. This edema (fluid buildup) forms as a result of the inflammatory process, leaky capillaries and poor lymphatic drainage.

Reducing fluid build-up and bagginess beneath the eyes makes the face look fresher, more rested and youthful. Caffeine has its uses. We know that when consumed, caffeine can be dehydrating. It also helps reduce fluid build-up when applied topically. White tea, an antioxidant also helps shrink bags.

One solution is DERMAdoctor Wrinkle Revenge Rescue & Protect Eye Balm, which not only helps neutralize the dusky blues and purples of dark circles, but also rapidly helps shrink bags.

If unprepared for under eye bagginess and the dark circles that inevitably follow, try a quick fix straight out of the kitchen. Moist cool tea bags (the caffeinated ones) rapidly reduce swelling. The tannins in the tea help reduce the swelling by reducing inflammation. And again, the caffeine draws water from the skin helping deflate puffiness.

For heaven's sake, wash away the grime when you get home! Make-up and smoke should not find their way to your pillowcase. Use a glycolic acid cleanser like gloMinerals Body Glisten to cut through and lift away this residue. Your skin will look much fresher in the morning.

Make your skin the perfect fashion accessory this holiday season, and enjoy whatever festivities come your way!

Thank you for taking the time to read my article. I hope you have found it informative.

Audrey Kunin, M.D.

(Any topic discussed in this article is not intended as medical advice. If you have a medical concern, please check with your doctor.)

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