using skincare to enhance your skin’s circadian RHYTHM
enhance your skincare routine with your skin’s natural rhythm in-mind
Much like the rest of the body, your skin has a circadian rhythm.
During different points of the day, the skin has different needs, and building a skincare routine around your skin’s natural rhythm can enhance your routine’s effectiveness for several skin goals!
So, let’s talk about the skin’s natural circadian rhythm, what happens to it during different times of the day, why some skin issues worsen at different hours, and how we can build a skincare routine with our skin’s rhythm in-mind.
Disclaimer: This post does not constitute as medical advice; is not meant to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any medical conditions or disease; and is meant for educational purposes only. The information in this post does not replace the advice of your medical provider. Speak to your doctor before starting anything new OR schedule your appointment with me.
The skin’s circadian rhythm
Our skin in the daytime is not the same in the nighttime
Our skin has a natural rhythm that’s inherently driven by our genes. But, the environment and our daily activities seem to affect how our circadian genes function as well.
Because of all of this, the skin changes at different points of the day. And because of these changes, our skin also has different needs.
In general, the skin is focused on protection during the daytime, and the skin is focus on repairing during the nighttime.
How our skin changes during the daytime:
During the daytime, it has been specifically seen that the skin has the greatest thickness, highest oil production, highest pH, and lowest skin cell division.
How the skin changes during the nighttime:
During the nighttime, the skin has the highest DNA repair, highest cell division, highest skin barrier permeability, highest skin penetration, highest moisture loss, and highest skin itching.
By knowing the skin’s natural rhythm, it can explain why some skin issues are worse at night. However, there seem to be other circadian rhythms of the body that affect skin health. Keep on reading to learn more!
Why some skin worsens at different times of the day
How hormone circadian rhythm affects our skin’s natural rhythm
Many of my eczema patients notice that their skin issues worsen at nighttime. And, our skin’s natural rhythm can explain why eczema and other skin conditions feel worse at different times of the day.
As mentioned earlier, the skin during the nighttime has the highest skin barrier permeability and highest moisture loss. And because of this, skin could be itchier at nighttime.
However, hormonal fluctuations could be affecting skin circadian rhythm as well. Scientific literature indicates that cortisol is naturally lower in the evening, which could worsen inflammatory skin conditions by making the skin itchier as nighttime.
So, by knowing the skin’s circadian rhythm and how the skin naturally acts, we can use skincare products to enhance what the skin naturally does for healthier skin!
Keep on reading to learn how we can build a circadian skincare routine.
Building a circadian skincare routine
The skin has different needs at different times of the day
I strongly believe that skin health is a reflection of inner health, and that true skincare starts from within. And a robust skincare system takes several elements into consideration to support healthier and clearer skin.
Once foundational health is supported, a robust skincare routine can take the skin’s natural rhythm into consideration for enhanced effects.
As I mentioned earlier, the skin behaves differently during the daytime and during the nighttime.
So, someone could use different topicals to enhance what the skin is naturally doing. Keep on reading to learn more!
daytime circadian skincare
Focusing on skin protection & resilience
The skin is primarily focused on protection during the daytime. This makes sense since the skin is bombarded by different environmental factors that affect its resiliency, such as skin-damaging ultraviolet rays from the sun, skin-damaging free radicals collected from the environment, and much more.
Daytime skin protection:
In regards to protection, sunscreen is key! Sunscreen works as a shield against ultraviolet rays to reduce skin damage.
There are two primary types of sunscreens: mineral sunscreen and chemical sunscreen. While both appear to work differently, the end goal is that the skin is shielded from ultraviolet rays.
Additionally, there are many myths surrounding sunscreen, such as it causing vitamin D deficiency, that sunscreen is inherently toxic, and more. And, I address those myths in in a blog post: Click here to learn more.
Enhancing daytime protection:
Beyond sunscreen, science also shows that topical antioxidants enhance the protective factor of sunscreen.
A 2017 review indicated that topical antioxidants may be helpful for reducing the effects of free radical damage in the skin.
And, studies completed in 2011, 2017, and 2019 concluded that antioxidants add protection to sunscreen through a synergistic mechanism for improved photo-protection.
And, there are many robust topical antioxidant products and serums that someone can consider using under the guidance of their skin provider.
Optimzing daytime oil production:
Beyond protection, the skin is oilier during the daytime. And for some people with acne, oilier skin can be a problem (as it plays a role in the development of acne). So, what can be done about optimizing oil production?
Supporting skin hydration with be right moisturizers could be key! I personally go for lighter, gel-like moisturizers during the daytime to prevent oily skin. There’s also science saying that vitamin B3 (aka niacinamide) optimizes the skin’s oil production.
As mentioned earlier, skincare is a reflection of inner health. With that, skincare products are only as effective as the foundation they sit on. Keep on reading to learn more!
Nighttime circadian skincare
Focusing on the skin barrier & DNA repair
During the nighttime, the skin is focused on repair. As mentioned earlier, we see the highest DNA repair in the skin during this time, and we also see the highest skin cell division during this time.
Beyond repair, the skin has the highest skin barrier permeability, water loss, and skin penetration in the evening.
And, we can build a nighttime circadian skincare routine with this information!
nighttime Skin barrier repair:
To support skin repair, it’s about using the right products that can multi-task.
When we think of skin repair, some might just think of DNA repair, but it’s also about supporting skin barrier function for full-skin optimization.
For skin barrier support, I focus on products that pull water into the skin and keep that water in.
So, I personally use thick creams during the nighttime that have water-pulling ingredients (such as hyaluronic acid and glycerin) and fats (such as ceramides and oils) to keep that water in.
nighttime DNA repair:
Beyond skin barrier repair, there is science saying that certain actives may support DNA repair enzymes in the skin, which can sometimes be found in skincare creams and skincare serums.
As mentioned earlier, skincare is a reflection of inner health. With that, skincare products are only as effective as the foundation they sit on. Keep on reading to learn more!
Foundational Skincare starts from within
Skincare products are only as effective as the foundation it sits on
True skincare sees that the skin is a reflection of inner health. True skincare also sees that our skin’s resiliency towards different environmental factors is dependent upon the nutrients we feed our skin and the lifestyle choices we make.
Diet affects skin resiliency:
When looking at diet, a 2020 study concluded that when people aged 45 years and older regularly ate antioxidant-rich foods, they “experienced approximately 10% less photoaging over 15 years than those who ate foods with low antioxidant capacity.”
Scientists also found that beta-carotene supplementation, vitamin E supplementation, and lycopene-rich diets supported skin resiliency against ultraviolet radiation. Researchers specifically saw that these antioxidants led to less skin redness when exposed to ultraviolet radiation - suggesting increased resilience towards ultraviolet rays.
How about stress? Well, science shows that…
Psychological stress affects skin barrier function and increases skin water loss.
To further understand if psychological stress plays a role in affecting skin barrier function, researchers gave subjects with anxiety an anti-depressant (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor). And, they found that it led to improved barrier function in those subjects.
Sleep also affects skin resiliency & nighttime skin barrier function!
A study looking at sleep and skin aging saw that sleep deprivation could affect skin health
Researchers saw that when subjects slept 4 hours a night for 6 nights in a week, skin hydration significantly reduced after 1 night of sleep deprivation, and skin texture worsened after 4 nights of sleep deprivation.
Researchers also saw aggravation of skin elasticity and skin wrinkles after 1 night of sleep deprivation.
So, sleep is key for skin resiliency! There are many naturopathic and holistic options that I recommend to my patients to support restful sleep.
To optimize their sleep, it’s all about looking at their sleep holistically, as there are several dietary and lifestyle elements that could affect restful sleep.
Additionally, stress response could affect sleep quality! If you notice that sleep is one of those factors that needs support for overall health to support your skin health, let’s work together to address your sleep and skin holistically.
If you want to learn more about how skin resiliency is affected by our diet, lifestyle, and habits, read my blog about it: Click here for the blog post.
Listen to the Holistic Beauty PodcasT
learn how to create a holistic skincare routine with diet, lifestyle, supplements, and skincare production:
Summary & Takeaways
4 things you need to takeaway with
Here are 4 takeaways about the skin’s circadian rhythm & building a circadian skincare routine:
The skin has a circadian rhythm: The skin behaves differently during the daytime and the nighttime, and because of this we can use skincare products during different times of the skin’s circadian rhythm to support optimal skin health and skin resiliency.
Daytime circadian skin health: The skin is focused on protection during the daytime. And, science shows that sunscreen and topical antioxidants work synergistically to protect the skin, enhancing what the skin naturally does already during the daytime.
Nighttime circadian skin health: The skin is focused on repair, but the skin is also more porous, leading to increased skin permeability and more water loss. Because of this and circadian changes to hormones, inflammatory skin issues can worsen and skin can feel itchier. Focusing on skin barrie health during the nighttime with thicker creams and focusing on repair with DNA repair enzymes may support nighttime skin resilience.
Skincare is only as effective as the foundation it sits on: Your skin’s cells need nutrients to perform optimally, and the topical skincare products we use just enhance what our skin is naturally doing. There is science showing that diet, stress, sleep, and other factors can affect the resiliency of our skin from within.
Remember, skin health is a reflection of inner health. Support your skin’s natural processes and resilience from within first, AND THEN enhance the your cellular machinery with robust topical solutions.
Holistically address your skin’s health by working with the right provider.
Work with a licensed naturopathic provider, as we are experts in holistic and integrative medicine.
As integrative medicine experts, we are trained in both natural and conventional options. So, you will be able to capture a vast array of treatment options to help you achieve your skin goals when you work with a licensed naturopathic doctor.
If you want to see me, I see patients in-person and virtually. The only caveat is that since I am only licensed in the state of California, I can only see patients who are physically in the state of California (especially for telehealth patients).
If you are outside the state a California, a great resource to find a licensed naturoapthic doctor in your state is the Institute for Natural Medicine’s directory: https://naturemed.org/find-an-nd/.
Want to learn about skin health from a holistic & integrative POV? Read my articles on:
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