Beat the heat: Cool beauty products to chill and refresh your face and body

Between our yearlong summer and humidity that could rival life in a fishtank, we look to skincare and body products that can offer sweet relief from the heat.

Why is it important to keep our skin cool?

“Our skin regulates at a temperature between 33 to 37°C, with areas that protrude, such as the nose, slightly lower than that,” shares board-certified cosmetic surgeon, Dr Yannis Alexandrides of 111 Harley Street and founder of reparative skincare range, 111Skin, available at Net-a-Porter. “By reducing the temperature through cryotherapy, we can hack the skin’s thermoregulation to trigger vasoconstriction (the constriction of blood vessels). This stimulates an increase in circulation, collagen production and endorphins while reducing inflammation, pain and the look of fatigue. It also has wonderful lifting, firming and contouring benefits due to the muscle constriction on the face. Cryotherapy activates the production of collagen and elastin in the dermis, increasing the skin’s capacity to rejuvenate itself and appear smoother, lifted and firm. The use of cold means the skin/body achieves an improved ability to neutralise toxins and repair cellular damage, resulting in incredible anti-ageing effects.”

Can overheated skin caused by a hot environment speed up ageing?

“If you are overheating following sun exposure, yes—any sun damage will speed up ageing. If it is another reason, the long-term ageing consequences can usually be negated by rebalancing your body. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to have a cryotherapy facial though,” says Dr Alexandrides.

We admit that a study that showed severe skin ageing in baker’s arms, possibly due to frequent exposure to hot ovens, caused a bit of concern. What role does environmental heat play in inducing skin ageing, especially given Southeast Asia’s hot and humid climate? For Dr Rachel Ho of La Clinic, “the extent to which heat exposure plays in accelerating ageing signs in humans is not known. The link is at best observational, rather than causative.”

“Prolonged heat causing premature skin ageing via protein damage and increased inflammatory markers have been shown in mostly animal studies and human cells in petri dishes (in vitro). However, a direct, causative link in human studies cannot be drawn because animal studies and human cells in petri dishes may not behave the same as living human beings in real life; and the human studies were not able to conclusively prove the link that heat exposure worsens ageing. The studies merely showed that heat exposure increased the levels of MMP enzymes. MMP enzymes decrease collagen levels in the skin.” Assuring us that regardless of how hot Singapore or Southeast Asia gets, Dr Ho is “not overtly worried about thermal ageing as based on the studies described: the high temperatures of >40deg in human skin [means] basically this person is running a high fever plus prolonged duration of 90 minutes is unlikely to be replicated, regardless how hot Singapore gets.”

“My only tip for temperature related precautions for the skin is to avoid washing face with hot water. It can strip the skin of its natural oils and cause dryness. Rinse with lukewarm or cold water instead,” says Dr Ho.

Weather aside, what are the intrinsic factors that can lead to a flushed, overheated face? 

The onset of menopause, inflammation, lack of sleep, and certain phases of your menstrual cycle are just some of the intrinsic factors that can lead to sensitive and overheated skin. “All of the above as well as hyperthyroidism, gut issues such as candida and even stress. If your skin feels overheated that is usually your body attempting to thermoregulate – be mindful of signs such as sweating, dizziness, heat rash and cramping. Look at overheated skin as a symptom, one that is indicating an underlying health issue,” says Dr Alexandrides.

Best foods to eat to help cool down and de-puff the face when it’s hot?

“Aside from heavily rehydrating, de-puffing is normally handled topically. However, you can avoid that altogether by avoiding certain food groups that are high in sodium,” shares Dr Alexandrides.