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Health & Fitness

Perfect Timing

Find out how time really is of the essence.

While most people have a daily routine-wake up at 6:30 a.m., lunch at 1 p.m., home by 7 p.m.-few realize that their skin, all 2,700-oddinches of it, sets its schedule of regeneration to their schedule. Like any other organ, the skin is controlled by the body’s internal clock. Until recently, only organizations like NASA (which was interested in the effects of intergalactic travel on the body’s clock) investigated this phenomenon, but now skin-care companies are conducting their own studies to look into the optimal hours for skin care. And they’ve found that  when tending to your appearance, time really is of the essence.

All living organisms from bacteria to humans have a circadian rhythm.  Experiments have shown that the ability to survive on earth is enhanced by circadian rhythms. A circadian rhythm is a roughly 24 hour cycle in the physiological processes of living beings, including plants, animals, fungi and cyanobacteria. In a strict sense, circadian rhythms are endogenously generated, although they can be modulated by external cues such as sunlight and temperature.

Circadian rhythms are important in determining the sleeping and feeding patterns of all animals, including human beings. There are clear patterns of brain wave activity, hormone production, cell regeneration and other biological activities linked to this daily cycle.

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While evolution may have changed us from hirsute primates to Gucci-clad humans, the basic properties of circadian cycles have been preserved throughout time.  Disrupting the clock can  lead to depression and mania; light and sleep deprivation have even been used as a form of torture. And once upset, the delicate system is slow  to reset, occurring at a rate of only few hours a day, which explains why recovery from jet lag can take up to a week. And according to experts, a solid night’s rest is the simplest way to keep the all-important circadian cycle in check. Sleep serves as a form of maintenance that the body relies on for its production of vital hormones, two of which-melatonin (which regulates our sleeping and waking and is thought to have antioxidant properties) and human growth hormone (which burns fat and repairs cells)-are produced almost exclusively at night; getting too little sleep (or even too much, as some studies have shown) can have serious consequences.

NIGHTLY NEWS

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Throughout the day and night, the skin is in a constant state of flux (red pepper with lunch can spark a rosacea attack, one cigarette with evening drinks can send antioxidant levels plummeting). Studies, though, have pinpointed the general tendencies of skin. In the evening, the skin’s priority is restoration. In women’s bodies, blood flow, water loss, and the amino acid content in blood are 25 percent higher at night. It is believed that increased blood flow and amino acid content are signs that the body is repairing itself, to help the process it is suggested using a rich emollient night cream to seal in easily lost moisture. Skin is more receptive to products in the evening, because skin is naturally more porous at night, it’s important to feed it with nutrients. 

Allover body temperature drops in the evening, but the temperature on the surface of the skin is higher at night. This is due to the capillaries expending, to aid in the elimination of wastes as well as the absorption of nutrients. A short massage will give your skin a great start or finish to the day, since this is believed to increase the blood flow. For the average person who is in bed by midnight, the peak time for the body to rejuvenate itself is between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.

MORNING STORY

By sunrise, the surface of the skin is ready for exfoliation, since the body, working to restore itself in the evening, has purged itself of free radicals and waste.  Research shows exfoliation rate at night to be eight times faster then that of the day. And early morning is the best time for surgical procedures, as skin is fully rested and at its most hydrated and healthy. It is recommended tweezing or waxing in the A.M., irritation fades more quickly in the early morning because skin is still fresh.

In the afternoon, the skin produces fewer new cells then it does in the evening, but oil is secreted more rapidly. Skin’s regular changes are linked to both the environment and your hormonal fluctuations throughout the day. During the day, when one is exposed to brighter light, skin is in defense mode. It’s trying to reduce damage from the sun, drying heaters, or pollution. Oil protects the surface of the skin. Sheer, oil-free products are a good solution for daytime. 

Skin care has just begun to tap into the science of time. We’ve only started to learn about the minute changes that occur throughout the day. In the future we’ll probably have skin care that’s tailored to each person’s own schedule. This is just the beginning.

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