How to Party-Proof Your Skin This Season, According to a Dermat

The end of the year is right around the corner, and so begins the revelry that this time brings. If you’re not attending a sangeet or wedding cocktails, you’re probably organising ornament-hanging parties and NYE playlists.

You’re out there having a great time until you wake up to your skin’s rebellion against the excesses you’ve put it through. All the drinking, eating, and nights you slept without taking off your makeup, are making their presence felt—very visibly—via puffiness, dullness and breakouts. With a packed calendar still ahead of you, you have to deal with this, ideally ASAP. We asked Mumbai-based dermatologist, Dr Harshna Bijlani, for her best advice for surviving the party season with minimal damage to your skin.

Sleep right

When you sleep after a night of drinking, sleep with your head slightly propped up and not flat on the bed. “This can prevent pooling of fluid in areas such as the face and the eyes. Definitely avoid sleeping on your stomach, as it squishes your face and increases puffiness.”

Cool it down

Woke up with a puffy face? Use a cold compress. “This could even be a towel that you can soak in ice-cold water. Keep it on for around five to 10 minutes and reapply a few times. You can also try ice dunking, which is now a huge thing right now where you put their face into cold ice water. Leave it for a couple of seconds, and repeat a few times.” This is also great for soothing slight redness or irritation.

Massage it out

Follow the cold compress or dunk with a facial drainage massage for best results. “A massage is great for pushing the fluid into the lymph nodes, which are present in the front of your ear, down the side of the neck, and above the collarbone. These lymph nodes drain the fluid out of the face and around the eyes.” You’ll find some great videos to follow along online; be careful to use gentle pressure to avoid damage or bruising.

Arm your kit

Dr Bijlani’s quick fixes for pesky skin issues:

The fastest way to deal with acne or irritated skin is of course prevention. So taking that two minutes to remove your makeup is key. Using micellar water in oil followed by a good foaming cleanser or a milder cleanser for people with drier skin is a good idea.

You can use an anti-acne gel as a base or a primer is great for two-to-three days if you know you're going to wear heavy makeup.

Using a very mild gel-based moisturiser at night with a very low strength of an AHA or a very mild BHA will also help. Block it in with a heavier moisturiser so that it doesn't over dry the skin.

Pimple patches are great for those one-off irritating, pesky spots.

If certain foods like MSG or sulfites in alcohol trigger your skin allergies, keep antihistamines handy and pop one before and after your night out.

Over-the-counter NSAIDs like ibuprofen or Alka Seltzer are anti-inflammatory and can reduce irritation and swelling.