7 Beauty Resolutions to Keep in 2023
Keeping New Year’s Resolutions can be tricky—only a small percentage of people even make it to February before those good intentions are abandoned. To help you look and feel better in 2023, we are sharing 7 beauty resolutions that are worth keeping this year and what treatments will complement your efforts.
1. Prioritize beauty sleep
To support healthy, youthful-looking skin, make your “beauty sleep” the foundation of your 2023 skincare routine. When you do not get enough sleep, you likely notice immediate effects on your face; swollen eyes, dark circles, and more defined lines and wrinkles. The reason skin responds this way is because it is dependent upon sleep to heal and renew. One study found that just two consecutive days of poor sleep decreased participants’ perceived attractiveness and overall health.
On the other hand, people who get sufficient sleep had 30% better skin barrier recovery, significantly better recovery from UV exposure, and much less trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) compared to people with poor sleep habits. While the appropriate amount of sleep for each person will vary slightly, it is generally recommended that adults need a minimum of 7 hours of sleep per night for optimal skin health and wellness.
Treatment tip: To help you look more well-rested, fillers can be placed around the face to create or restore volume for a refreshed appearance.
2. Drink more water
Drinking more water is a simple yet still vastly under-utilized beauty booster that will help you look and feel better. The importance of being adequately hydrated is not a ground-breaking concept when it comes to essential functions of the body, but drinking more water can be as effective as using the right skincare products.
In a study conducted by Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2 liters of water were added to participants’ regular diet. The increase in water consumption positively impacted the skin’s physiology and also suggested that increased water intake had a similar effect on the skin as applying a topical moisturizer. This study also noted that greater water intake reduced visible signs of stress in the skin.
Additionally, The Mental and Physical Signs of Dehydration (Other Than Thirst) are important to note: they can help you understand when you need to hydrate as well as learn how to address a variety of bothersome symptoms that can be mitigated with increased water intake.
Treatment tip: Adequate hydration is certain to support your health and appearance, but it can’t soften all wrinkles. If you have stubborn expression-based lines (or want to prevent them from forming in the first place), Botox® is an ideal treatment to complement the visible effects of hydrated skin.
3. Establish a workout routine
If a workout routine wasn’t already on your list, add it now! Exercise is an effective way to boost mental well-being, prevent weight gain, and support overall health. And its beauty benefits are too good to ignore!
Scalp and hair benefits
Regular exercise increases blood circulation in general, but one area that deserves a special mention is the scalp! Better circulation helps more oxygen-rich blood reach your hair follicles to promote growth and help prevent damage from free radicals.
Skin benefits
The skin also benefits from increased circulation as more nutrients reach the skin for a healthy-looking glow. Sweating during exercise releases toxins and helps unclog pores and remove other impurities from the skin to help reduce and prevent acne breakouts. When breakouts are hormone-related, regular exercise can help reduce stress and lower cortisol levels that cause weight gain and overproduction of pore-clogging sebum.
Body goals
Exercise is an effective anti-aging method, and while it won’t reverse the aging process, it can help delay and soften signs of aging by boosting collagen and elastin production. Physical activity strengthens and tones your muscles, creating pleasing contours and a healthier appearance.
Treatment tip: Cosmetic breast surgery and/or body contouring can support and enhance your hard work in the gym; many find a tummy tuck’s correction of diastasis recti a game-changer when it comes to comfortably exercising. Additionally, a facelift and/or neck lift can help tighten the skin of your face and neck that exercise will not be able to address.
4. “Eat the rainbow” every week
The skin’s appearance and overall health are greatly impacted by nutrition, and consuming a “rainbow” of foods each week will likely benefit you more than any OTC beauty product. Prioritizing a colorful diet will help protect against sickness, support an active lifestyle, and deliver a number of beauty-boosting benefits:
Red foods such as strawberries and raspberries are anti-inflammatory and contain powerful antioxidants to protect against collagen breakdown.
Orange foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, and apricots contain carotenoids which boost the immune system and support healthy skin.
Yellow foods are known for being good sources of fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and antioxidants to protect against free radical damage and illnesses. Bananas, yellow squash, pineapple, and lemons are great additions to your weekly meal prep.
Green is king when it comes to supporting your beauty goals! Add foods like avocado, kale, broccoli, spinach, and green tea to help slow the process of skin cell death that leads to aging.
White foods like mushrooms, cauliflower, quinoa, and oatmeal may look bland, but they are nutrient-dense and support a number of processes in the body to keep you looking and feeling great—plus, they are quite versatile!
Blue looks good on every plate, and foods like blueberries, concord grapes, and elderberries help fight inflammation and promote healthy aging.
Purple fruits and veggies are anti-inflammatory and may help prevent obesity and other common diseases. Eggplant, acai berries, purple sweet potatoes, and blackberries are great options to complete your journey to the end of the nutrition rainbow.
Treatment tip: A colorful diet will certainly boost your skin’s appearance and adding treatments like microneedling will help achieve more noticeable skin improvements by boosting cell regeneration for a smoother, brighter complexion.
5. Regularly clean your makeup brushes and skin tools
Bacteria harbored in unexpected places could unravel your other beauty efforts, especially if you have acne-prone or sensitive skin. To keep your skin healthy, regularly clean your beauty tools. Makeup brushes and skin tools can quickly turn into Petri dishes as they collect oils, dead skin cells, and bacteria. Applying cosmetics with a dirty tool introduces impurities to the skin and can trigger or worsen breakouts and irritation. Residue left behind by dirty brushes and sponges will also affect the quality of your products. Lastly, your makeup brushes, sponges, and skin tools will perform better if they are not coated with excessive old product, oils, dead skin cells, and harboring bacteria.
Treatment tip: Skin treatments that include LED light therapy, such as VirtueRF microneedling, can help reduce the amount of bacteria on your skin and improve your skin’s appearance.
6. Wear an SPF you love every day
Never a day shall pass in 2023 (and beyond) without sunscreen! While SPF is easier to remember as temperatures rise, UV rays can damage your skin year-round and is responsible for 90% of visible skin aging. Wearing sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or greater, and reapplying as directed, is your best defense against skin cancer and premature aging.
Treatment tip: Laser skin resurfacing helps reduce signs of aging, such as dark spots, large pores, fine lines, and wrinkles. Anti-aging skin treatments are commonly performed during cooler months as we typically have less sun exposure (protecting treated skin is crucial to preventing damage and achieving optimal treatment results).
7. Upgrade your skincare
To take your beauty routine to the next level, upgrade your skincare in 2023. By your early 30s, collagen production begins to slow down and will continue to decrease as you get older, so it’s important you are using the most effective products available. Physician-only skincare products contain higher concentrations of active ingredients—achieving stronger improvements in a shorter time frame when used consistently. These higher-quality products are subject to FDA regulation, with ingredients backed by clinical studies for their effectiveness and safety.
Treatment tip: To be sure you are using the right products for your skin type, schedule a skin consultation to receive professional guidance on the most effective spot treatments and procedures to achieve your skincare goals.
About female board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Sharline Aboutanos in Richmond, VA
Dr. Sharline Aboutanos offers a range of services and procedures to help you achieve your 2023 beauty goals. Whether you are interested in transformative surgical procedures or would like to work with Dr. Aboutanos and our licensed master aesthetician to select the most advanced non-surgical skin treatments and products, we invite you to call Dr. Aboutanos at (804) 355-3410 or contact us online to schedule your consultation.