Even after only a few nights of missed sleep, people have experienced sallow skin and puffy eyes. Why? Sleep deprivation causes a stress reaction in the body, which includes the release of cortisol. This chemical can break down skin collagen, the protein that keeps skin smooth and elastic.
The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Skin
According to a new study conducted by Case Western Reserve University¹, chronic inadequate and poor quality sleep also accelerates intrinsic aging, including uneven pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles and skin laxity. In addition, poor sleepers have been found to have a diminished capacity to recover from outside stressors such as epidermal barrier disruption and UV induced erythema. One study found that sleep deprived people were perceived as less healthy, less attractive and more tired than after a normal night’s sleep.²
How Estheticans Can Help You Sleep More
The good news? Estheticians, massage therapists and skin care professionals are in a unique position to help clients reduce stress in order to enjoy better sleep and reduce sleep deprivation. According to studies, relaxation techniques including massage can be very beneficial to help reduce anxiety³. This includes body and facial massage. Scents, including chamomile4 vanilla5 and lavender6, have been shown to help reduce anxiety and promote relaxation.
Professional Treatments That Help Promote Better Sleep
One of the best ways to incorporate relaxing and sleep-enhancing benefits into a salon or spa treatment is to combine massage with aromatherapeutic scents in a facial experience. Stressed, sleep-deprived clients are also short on time, so a 15 minute express facial with soothing massage, like FUSION™ Express Bar and Spa Masks, is a fast and easy way to help promote good sleep.
Protocol for sleep-deprived clients:
1) Apply contents of FUSION™ Cleansing Cream (1) packette into your palm and warm between both hands. Apply to client’s face and neck using circular motions.
2) Thoroughly remove cleanser with Repêchage cotton saturated in lukewarm water and pat dry with tissues.
3) Empty contents of FUSION™ Soothing Massage Cream (2) packette into your palm and warm between both hands. Apply warmed cream to client’s cheeks, forehead and neck using the following massage techniques. Diagrams illustrating movements are provided below. Massage for about 5-10 minutes.
- Effleurage: Starting at the neck, apply cream upwards all over the face using light gliding movements.
- Tapotement: Begin lightly tapping face, following the diagram below, to improve circulation.
- Resume effleurage movements, gliding hands up and down the sides of the face.
- Following the diagram below, perform Shiatsu pressure points on key areas of the face.
- Perform effleurage again, ending at the temples, holding for a few moments.
4) Once you have determined the correct flavor for your client, empty the contents of the FUSION™ Seaweed Aloe Powder (3A) and the selected FUSION™ Nutriceutical Organic Flavor Actives (3C) packettes into a Repêchage Rubber Mixing Bowl and mix together. Once powders are mixed together, add the contents of the FUSION™ Laminaria Complex Gel (3B) packette and continue to mix together until a smooth paste is formed. Apply the mask to the entire face.
5) Place enclosed Eye Rescue Pads over client’s eyes, and allow client to relax for 10 minutes.
6) Remove mask by gently lifting off the face, first loosening around the edges, then carefully rolling the mask upwards from the chin line.
7) Remove any mask residue with moistened cotton.
8) Empty contents of FUSION™ Face Moisturizer (4) packette into the palm of your hands and lightly apply to the client’s face, performing light effleurage movements for a few moments. Hold at temples then release.
To help reduce the appearance of visible signs of poor sleep and lessen the appearance of dull, dry skin and tiredness around the eyes, opt for a gentle, exfoliating mask, like our new Biolight™ Luminex Mask, that combines AHA’s with moisturizing seaweed and deep cleansing clay combined with cooling eye pads. This type of mask combines the deep cleansing effects of clays with the brightening effects of a peel, to help reduce the appearance of sallowness and laxity in the skin.
There are a myriad of ways skin care professionals can help their clients promote healthy sleep habits to reduce sleep deprivation and counteract the negative effects of sleep loss on their skin’s appearance. Implementing a program for this at the salon and spa is not only helpful to the 79% of the population that get less than the 7 hours of recommended sleep, but is also good business.
Have questions about this article? Leave them in the comments below.
¹ “Does poor sleep quality affect skin aging?” P. Oyetakin-White, B. Koo, M. S. Matsui, D. Yarosh, K. D. Cooper1 and E. D. Baron, Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, Version of Record online: 29 SEP 2014
² “Beauty sleep: experimental study on the perceived health and attractiveness of sleep deprived people” John Axelsson, Tina Sundelin, Michael Ingre, Eus J W Van Someren, Andreas Olsson, Mats Lekander, BMJ (15 December 2010)
³ “Lower back pain and sleep disturbance are reduced following massage therapy.” Field, T., Hernandes-Reif, M., Diego, M., Fraser, M., Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, (2007, Nov. 2).
4 “Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future,” Janmejai K Srivastava, Eswar Shankar, and Sanjay Guptal, Molecular Medicine Report, (2010 Nov 1).
5 “Effects of Fragrance on Emotions: Moods and Physiology” Stephen Warrenburg, Chemical Senses (01 January 2005)
6 “Lavender and the Nervous System” Peir Hossein Koulivand, Maryam Khaleghi Ghadiri, and Ali Gorji Evidence Based Complementary Alternative Medicine. 2013 Mar 14.
