You may physically go to sleep every night… but know your body is working hard on your complexion in the P.M. To make sure you’re maximizing your beauty sleep, we took notes from SLMD founder and board certified dermatologist, Dr. Sandra Lee AKA Dr. Pimple Popper.

Getting a good night’s sleep ensures that our bodies are able to.... 

• regenerate skin cells: cell turnover is the fastest and most efficient at night
• stimulate blood flow: helps deliver nutrients to skin cells and takes free radicals away from working cells
• strengthen collagen levels: protein makes up 75-80% of skin and is responsible for its firmness, how it looks, and ages
• regulate cortisol: higher levels of this stress hormone break down collagen and can impact the hormones that regulate oil production ie. cause sebaceous glands to produce excess oil (more likely to clog pores and cause an acne breakout)

Pro-Tip from Dr. Sandra Lee:

“Wash your face morning and night to make sure to clear away any impurities that build up during the day, and in the morning to reveal fresh, new skin cells. Also, incorporate a retinol serum which will help slow the breakdown of collagen and simultaneously encourage rapid skin cell turnover.”

Try SLMD Skincare Salicylic Acid Cleanser and Retinol Serum. Add spot treatments to your skincare arsenal (BP Acne Spot Treatment for red, inflammatory acne and Salicylic Acid Spot Treatment for blackheads and whiteheads) to be ready anytime a breakout arises!

Be aware of how you sleep and what you’re sleeping on…

How we position ourselves for 7-9 hours of our day can impact our skin long term. Sleeping on your side promotes the compression of your skin against your pillow and can potentially lead to chest and face wrinkles. Like any habit, the more you do it, the more comfortable it will get! Your future, less wrinkled self will thank you.

The material of your pillowcase or sleep mask can also exacerbate breakouts - if you feel that you may be sensitive to cotton, opt for silk which has been said to minimize irritation and promotion of fine lines and wrinkles.

Our epidermis comes into contact with a variety of environmental stressors (blue light from your phone and laptop, pollution, UV rays, etc.) that can really take a toll on our skin. So, now that you have the info you need to pull the "sorry I need to sleep" card, go ahead and get some extra zzzs. Wishing you good skin and sweet dreams!