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Your Skin Cares About How It's Treated After Night Of Partying

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By CLOE CABRERA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 31, 2007

JUMPS: SKIN CARES, Page

Exfoliation brings back the glow.

TAMPA - It's New Year's Eve, the biggest party night of the year.

If you're a passionate partygoer, you'll be staying up way past your usual bedtime, indulging in killer cocktails and partaking in lots of yummy treats.

While some will heed the mandate to moderate, for many of us, exuberant imbibing will triumph tonight.

Such abandonment will not go unnoticed by your skin.

"You want to have a good time, but the next morning you're going to wake up and ask, 'What happened to my eyes?'" says Fran Fernandez, owner of Artistic Hair & Make-up in South Tampa. "You're going to have puffy, swollen eyes. Your skin will be bloated. It won't be pretty."

Now, you may not be able to completely erase a night of mayhem and margaritas, but with a shot of strategy and a chaser of common sense, you can party like its 2008 and still look radiant in the morning.

Start right now by drinking lots of water - and keep drinking it.

Salty drinks combined with rich foods equals dehydration.

"It's all about moisture, inside and out," says Fernandez. "When you drink, it dehydrates your skin. Your skin is going to be thirsty after a big night out. It's going to be begging for water."

For puffy eyes, Fernandez says, play it cool. Soak tea bags in ice water and put them on your eyes. In just a few minutes, you'll see results.

Another way to de-bloat is to sleep with your head elevated.

"Sleep with two pillows instead of one," Fernandez says. "The higher the better, if you want to wake up less puffy. When you lie flat, all that fluid settles under your eyes when you sleep. With your head up, it drains down."

No matter how late - or early - the celebration winds down, never go to bed wearing makeup, Fernandez warns. No exceptions.

Be careful not to wash your face with hot water. It'll strip it of natural oils and could cause broken capillaries. Lukewarm or cold water is best.

Use a light, creamy cleansing wash and rinse. Or just slather it on your skin and take it off with a warm washcloth.

You don't even need a sink or water if you use a premoistened wipe.

To achieve that bright, "I was in early" glow, Fernandez says nothing works better than exfoliation. It removes dead surface cells and increases oxygen and blood supply to the skin, making it more radiant.

Women with sensitive skin should exfoliate weekly using a washcloth. Others skin types can use a cleanser with mild granules.

Follow up with an alcohol-free toner to close pores, seal in moisture and bring your skin back to its pH level, Fernandez says. As a final step, apply your moisturizer while your skin is still damp. It will help seal in the moisture.

Resist the urge to pile on makeup; it will only draw more attention to your skin's hangover. Avoid heavy foundations and concealers, and opt for a light moisturizer followed by a light dusting of powder.

Don't forget lips.

While you're thinking about it, put some lip balm on your nightstand now so you can swipe some on before hitting the sack.

"We tend to have those drinks that have salt, so we lick those lips a lot," Fernandez says. "It speeds up the evaporation of water on your lips, so they get dry and cracked."

Another instant pick-me-up that will make you look as if you've had eight hours of sleep when you've only had three: Put on a dab of lip color, shape your brows, and add some shimmery highlight beneath your brow bone.

"These three things will make you look rested, perky and alert," Fernandez says. "You could be sick and nauseated, and if you do this, you will feel better and look better immediately."

Reporter Cloe Cabrera can be reached at (813) 259-7656 or ccabrera@tampatrib.com.

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