7 new skin habits to start building in 2022

It’s that time of the year, the beginning, the freshest leaf, and the time where we put so much emphasis on setting goals. While we here at James Vivian are big fans of looking after your skin all year round, there is something about the start of a new year that inspires us just a little more to put things in place to reach our skin goals. Do you have any intentions for you skin this year? Perhaps you’ll be setting some skin promises to yourself in 2022? Below are some of ours to get you inspired…

Don’t neglect your neck and decolletage

Say it with us- “skincare does not stop at your face!”.

Let’s make 2022 the year we remember to take proper care of our neck and décolletage. Whether it be bringing our skincare down to our neck or investing in products especially for these areas, proper care and SPF application is crucial in ensuring these delicate and sun exposed areas stay protected and youthful. Skincare is so much about prevention and trust us when we say you will thank yourself in 30 years’ time when admiring your immaculate neck and dec!

Re-purposing skincare that you really want to use up quickly on your neck and décolletage is another way to ensure skincare doesn’t go to waste. If you’re unsure whether what you’re using on these areas is appropriate, please
get in touch for some guidance and never neglect these just-as-important-as-our-face areas again.

Clean out your skincare

Did you know each and every cosmetic and cosmeceutical product has a use by date? Well it sure does and the best way to find it is by looking for a small symbol on the back of your skincare products resembling a tiny jar with a lid being opened. Here you’ll also find a number which indicates how many months the product can be left opened before spoiling. The beginning of a new year is the best time to ensure all your skincare is still safe to use and hasn’t surpassed it's best before date. If you are using expired skincare, it can very likely lead to irritation and/or breakouts. You have been warned.

Be consistent

We’re not the biggest gym junkies but just like in exercise, consistency with your skin equals results. The sooner we realise that there is no magic quick fix for great skin, and that skin health is always going to be a journey and never linear, the more we will learn to appreciate the process.

Additionally, nobody has healthy skin all the time (not even JV) and everyone’s skin is forever changing. Pores are normal, everyone has skin texture and thanks to our hormones we can get acne at any time (brilliant!). Nothing great comes easily and skin isn't any different! Skincare and caring for the skin requires patience, hard work and consistency.

Get regular skin treatments

Skincare and skin treatments work synergistically for best results. Making the time for regular skin treatments not only increases circulation and gets rid of dead skin cells resulting in healthier, glowier skin, but also affords us an opportunity to tackle chronic skin concerns such as acne and pigmentation on a more transformative level.

We like to use the analogy that everyday skincare is like the mortar, and skin treatments are like bricks, both support one another and are integral to a robust wall… we mean skin! In-clinic treatments are powerful and transformative, but cannot be sustained correctly without proper, consistent skincare. Each are reliant on one another and are just as important in their own way.

Sleep!

Honestly, we all know how lacklustre and dull our skin can feel after a bad night’s sleep. Sleep is such an underestimated skincare product but one of the most obvious and important ones. Lack of sleep compromises the body’s circulatory system which can worsen dark circles if present, as well as increase levels of cortisol which can trigger breakouts and inflammatory responses. Our bodies transform the most while rested so prioritising rest should be just as important as drinking water and applying SPF.  

In an ideal world 8 hours of sleep per night is the recommendation, but we understand life can often limit these chances. If you can’t sleep, try and rest. Sleep deprivation can devastate much more than just the skin! Have you tried counting sheep?

Don’t pick at your skin

Can we make 2022 the year that we stop picking at our skin? Forever please!

Commit to keeping your hands off your face this year and leave extractions to the professionals. 9 times out of 10 picking at your skin just ends up making things a lot worse. Don’t be part of the statistic, get your hands away from your faces!

Make SPF a mandatory step in your routine

SPF should be the number one product in your skincare toolkit. End of story. It is the best age management tool in your repertoire and popping it on should become routine, just like brushing your teeth.

Not only does it slow the rate at which your skin ages but broad spectrum sunscreen protects from both UVA and UVB rays, greatly limiting your chances of developing harmful skin cancers, burning and sun damage. If you’re yet to find a sunscreen you get excited to apply daily, you MUST get in touch with us so we can help you.