What’s Making Your Face Look Dull?

Apart from giving your face a lackluster and unhealthy appearance, dull skin can also add years to your age. This can sometimes prevent you from putting your best face forward, especially if your dull skin is accompanied with other signs of aging. 

If you suffer from this skin issue and want to turn things around, it is best to learn first what causes dull skin and then take measures to give your skin a healthy glow. 

Buildup of dead skin cells

Dead skin cells can accumulate day after day, resulting in dull and lackluster appearance. Aging can also contribute to this buildup. While some of these cells shed away naturally, others don’t fall off. This can give your face a grayish skin tone, along with clogged pores and dry patches.

Dry or dehydrated skin

It is easy for the skin to look grayish or lackluster without enough moisture. Loss of moisture and hydration can also minimize the skin’s thickness and compromise its ability to reflect light. This then gives your face a dull appearance.

Stress

Too much stress can reflect on your skin, making you look tired and older. Furthermore, the stress hormone (cortisol) is known to cause inflammation in the body, contributing to acne flare-ups. It also breaks down collagen, accelerating premature aging.

UV exposure/sun damage

The UV rays in sunlight damage the collagen in the dermis, leading to dull and slack skin. Sun exposure without adequate protection can also cause hyperpigmentation and make existing dark spots even darker. This then results in mottled skin complexion.

Environmental stressors

Low humidity, pollution, sun exposure, and other environmental stressors can dull your skin or even damage it. They can also create free radicals on skin, which can break down collagen and speed up skin aging. 

Smoking

This habit does nothing good for your body and skin. Smoking causes a number of short- and long-term side effects on your skin, including wrinkles and lines, collagen breakdown, sagging skin, and sallow complexion.

Unhealthy diet

The food you put into your body can be reflected on your outward appearance. A poor diet consisting of sugary, fatty, and processed foods does nothing good for your skin, but only increase your risk of having a dull and blemished skin, as well as chronic diseases. 

Getting Radiant Skin

Now that you know what causes dull skin, you can move on to tweaking your habits to get the radiant skin you deserve. Here are some things that can help:

1. Exfoliate – To avoid accumulation of dead skin cells, exfoliate your skin gently once or twice a week. You can use a facial peel pad with glycolic acid to dissolve skin cells or try a sugar scrub. A dermatologist or an aesthetic doctor can also suggest other safe ways to exfoliate skin.
2. Moisturize daily – Don’t forget to moisturize daily with a product that contains ceramides and hyaluronic acid. These ingredients can prevent moisture loss and replenish cell moisture by attracting water to surrounding tissue.
3. Manage stress – Take time to relax and unwind whenever you can. You can also benefit from learning strategies to manage stress and calm your mind. Don’t forget to get about seven to nine hours of sleep at night to help you look and feel your best.
4. Protect your skin from the sun – You don’t need to be told this again, but you need to wear sunscreen, regardless of the weather. Choose a broad-spectrum product with an SPF of at least 30 and try to stay out of the sun during peak hours, between 10am to 3pm.
5. Wash your face at daily – This is especially true at night, after your skin has been exposed to dirt, pollution, and other environmental stressors. Don’t forget to remove your makeup before bed using a gentle cleanser.
6. Quit (or never start) smoking – If you want to save your skin and overall health, get help in kicking the habit. You can talk to a healthcare provider or ask for support from friends and family members.
7. Eat a healthy diet – Cut down on processed, sugary and fatty foods, including soda and alcohol. Load up on colorful fruits and vegetables, especially those with potent antioxidants (spinach, kale, papaya) and beta-carotene (carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes). These help in promoting healthy skin tone and normal skin cell development.
8. Consider aesthetic treatments – At Cutis Laser Clinics in Singapore, we offer a number of nonsurgical procedures that can help you get radiant skin. Here are some procedures worth considering:

• Limelight IPL – an innovative laser device that uses US FDA-cleared “intense pulse light” technology to address several skin concerns. This is designed to treat freckles and uneven complexion. It is ideal for any part of your face, neck and décolleté with skin redness, tiny veins, or brown spots.
• Cutera Pearl Resurfacing – a US FDA-cleared laser procedure that can reverse the signs of aging. It can reduce the appearance of wrinkles, acne marks and hyperpigmentation with fewer treatments and less overall recovery than other technologies.
• Laser Genesis – an innovative skin therapy used to promote healthy, vibrant skin. It uses non-invasive laser technology to safely and effectively improve the natural signs of aging, such as sun damage, enlarged pores, acne scars. It can also improve dull complexion and brighten the skin. 
• VI Peel – a stronger type of chemical peel treatment used to treat sun damage, fine lines, and acne marks on the face, neck, and chest. VI Peel is also an effective pigmentation treatment that minimizes the appearance of freckles and brown spots.

Don’t let a dull-looking skin make you look tired and old. Tweak your skin care routine and don’t hesitate to consider any of the recommended treatment. Contact Cutis Laser Clinics today and schedule a consultation with one of our aesthetic doctors to learn more about the aesthetic treatments mentioned above.