Holiday cheer is great. Holiday skin? Not always. One weekend of salty snacks, sugary treats, late nights, cold air, travel, and—you guessed it—stress—and suddenly you’re dealing with dry skin, dull skin, stress acne, irritation, or a cranky, damaged skin barrier. Sensitive skin especially tends to tap out this time of year.
But you don’t have to just “ride it out.” We turned to Alyssa Holzinger, PA-C in our Parma office, to break down the most common holiday habits that upset your skin—and the dermatologist-approved ways to bounce back fast.
Holiday Habit #1: Too Much Sugar and Salt
Everybody has a favorite holiday treat—some sugary, some salty, all delicious. But when festive snacking ramps up, your skin often notices first. Too much of a good thing can leave you dealing with dry skin, dull skin, or an already sensitive skin barrier feeling extra cranky.
“Most holiday foods are either sugary or salty,” says Holzinger. “Eating these foods in large quantities can definitely impact your skin. Sugar tends to trigger inflammation and oil production, leading to acne breakouts and worsening of chronic skin conditions. High sugar intake can also reduce the skin’s ability to repair itself from wounds. Excess salt contributes to dehydration, dryness, and tightness—this is most noticeable in the under-eye area. Salt also causes the skin to look and feel much more swollen and puffy. During this time of year, I often see patients with flares of acne, eczema, and psoriasis.”
Dermatologist Tips to Recover from Too Much Sugar and Salt Intake
- Focus on Hydration—Keep water handy and load up on hydrating fruits and veggies to support a damaged skin barrier.
- Eat the Good Stuff Too — Cranberries, citrus, squash, herbs, and even a little dark chocolate bring antioxidants your skin loves.
- Tune Up Your Skincare Routine—Remember that your skin needs topical as well as internal hydration. Never forget to apply a dermatologist-recommended moisturizer after gently exfoliating once or twice a week to remove dead skin cells and restore a natural, healthy glow. Brighten Up Pads are a quick, easy, gentle choice that won’t over-exfoliate sensitive skin.
Holiday Habit #2: Skipping Sleep
Late-night holiday parties, travel, family visiting from out of town, and on and on… the holidays are sure to bring a rise in erratic schedules and a decrease in high-quality sleep. Over the past few years, more and more science has revealed just how crucial good sleep is for every aspect of our health, including skin health. One of the key aspects of sleep is that it restores and repairs damaged tissues overnight, including skin cells. This is why too little sleep can hurt your skin.
“If your sleep is lacking, your skin will most likely appear dull, pale, and less radiant,” explains Holzinger. “Sleep deprivation also raises cortisol, which can weaken your skin barrier and lead to dry skin and flakiness. Dark circles and puffiness under the eyes are more noticeable due to fluid retention, and stress acne can also flare up if you’re not getting your sleep.”
Dermatologist Tips to Recover from Lack of Sleep
- Make Sleep a Priority—Schedule at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. Even an extra 30 minutes helps!
- Focus on Skin Repair—Use skincare products containing niacinamide or peptides to support skin repair, such as the Peptide Firming Serum.
- Streamline Your Nighttime Skincare Routine—Keep it simple: cleanse, moisturize, sleep. Use a gentle cleanser to remove the day’s dirt and dead skin cells, and then follow this up with a high-quality moisturizer that locks in hydration and bolsters the skin barrier. And then off to bed with you!
- Serums for Exhausted skin—Add a quick hyaluronic acid serum or vitamin C serum to nourish the skin and help elevate skin tone and brightness.
Holiday Habit #3: Stress and Stress Acne Breakouts
As if lack of sleep weren’t enough, holiday stress tends to pile on—fast. And your skin definitely notices. “When you are stressed, your body releases excess amounts of cortisol,” explains Holzinger. “Cortisol leads to excess inflammation, which worsens skin conditions such as rosacea, psoriasis, eczema, and acne. Sudden breakouts and increased acne flares are often seen during this time of year.” Elevated cortisol levels also spike oil production. 50 million people struggle with acne in the United States, so if stress acne is a problem for you, you are definitely not alone.
Dermatologist Tips to Recover from Stress Acne
- Keep it Simple —Once again, for stress acne, do not increase your stress with a complicated skincare routine. “I recommend keeping your acne skincare routine simple during this time of year—less is more for most individuals,” says Holzinger.
- Cleanse Gently —“Washing your face both morning and night with a gentle cleanser helps keep your skin fresh and clean,” she explains. “Gentle exfoliation with salicylic acid or glycolic acid two to three times weekly gets rid of dead skin cell buildup and unclogs pores.”
- Moisturize Wisely—Stick with calming, fragrance-free moisturizers with lipid replenishing properties, says Holzinger: “Using a thick moisturizer helps keep your skin barrier healthy, especially during the cold and dry winter months.” Keeping acne-prone skin moisturized tells the skin to calm down and not produce excess oil.
- Do Whatever You Can to De-Stress—Try healthy de-stressing techniques to reset and lower your cortisol levels naturally.
- Don’t Pick or Scrub—Both lead to more breakouts, redness, and long-term issues. Be gentle.
Holiday Habit #4: Alcohol and Dehydration
Holiday cocktails are fun—but alcohol dries out your skin fast, leaving a weakened skin barrier in its wake. It expands the blood vessels, stripping the skin of moisture. This can exacerbate dull skin and cause redness, worsening rosacea and other varieties of sensitive skin.
“Alcohol depletes your body of water and electrolytes,” explains Holzinger. “This leads to dry, tight skin. Dehydrated skin will appear dull, and fine lines and wrinkles will be more prominent. Too much alcohol depletes vitamin A, vitamin C, and zinc, which further depletes collagen. Less collagen means slower skin repair and increased skin sensitivity.”
Dermatologist Tips to Recover from Holiday Alcohol Consumption
- Rehydrate—Drink plenty of water to rehydrate internally.
- Simple Post-Party Skincare Routine—”After a night of drinking, I recommend removing makeup, gently cleansing with a hydrating face wash, and applying a moisturizer,” says Holzinger. “In the morning, I recommend gently cleansing and moisturizing again.”
- Rehydrate Some More—In addition to drinking lots of water, add a deeply hydrating serum with hyaluronic acid and ceramides to your skincare routine to replenish the skin’s moisture levels.
- Plan Alcohol-Free Days—This enables your skin to reset and recover its moisture levels.
Holiday Habit #5: Cold Weather and Indoor Heat
This isn’t as much of a habit as a condition, but it’s a significant factor in causing dry skin, dull skin, and aggravating sensitive skin, especially during the holidays.
“Even if you are moisturizing regularly, your skin can feel drier because cold winter air holds less moisture,” explains Holzinger. “When the air is dry and there is less humidity, your skin does not hold onto water like it does in the summer months. Furthermore, indoor heating also pulls moisture from your skin.”
Dermatologist Tips to Recover from Winter Dry Skin
- Use a Humidifier—Winter air is extremely dry, and indoor heat pulls even more moisture from your skin. A humidifier helps protect a damaged skin barrier and keeps dry skin from getting worse.
- Short, Lukewarm Showers Only—Long, hot showers strip natural oils and make sensitive skin and dry skin more irritated. Keep showers quick and comfortably warm instead of hot.
- Layer Hydration the Right Way—Winter is the season for richer, barrier-supporting products. Use a gentle cleanser and follow with a ceramide moisturizer (not a lightweight pump moisturizer) to help restore moisture and reduce dull skin. Finish with good sunscreen to protect your skin during daytime exposure.
- Choose Gentle Products—Skip anything heavily fragranced, alcohol-based, or abrasive, since these can worsen dryness and sensitivity. Gentle, hydrating formulas keep the skin barrier calm and supported.
- Exfoliate Sparingly—Over-exfoliating to “fix” flakiness only leads to more irritation. Stick to occasional, gentle exfoliation to avoid damaging already stressed winter skin.
Dermatologist-Recommended Winter Skincare Upgrades
As you phase out skincare products with harsh, irritating ingredients that can worsen sensitive, dry, and dull skin, Holzinger recommends replacing them with dermatologist-recommended winter skincare products that hydrate, soothe, rebalance, and brighten the skin instead. These are her favorites for fresh holiday skin:
- Green Tea Gentle Moisturizing Cleanser—A cleanser with vitamin E and green tea that soothes irritation and supports a healthy skin barrier.
- Daily Hydrating Boost—A gel moisturizer containing hyaluronic acid that can help restore hydration.
- Peptide Firming Serum—A serum that diminishes fine lines and supports collagen renewal.
- Eye Rehab—An eye cream containing retinol and antioxidants that reduce puffiness and the appearance of dark circles.
Visit Your Dermatologist for Glowing Holiday Skin
If your skin still feels irritated, flaky, dull, or inflamed—even after simplifying your routine and making seasonal adjustments—you’re not alone. Holiday skin issues can be stubborn, and some conditions need more targeted support.
“If you are using a gentle cleanser and moisturizer and your skin is still excessively dry, I would recommend scheduling an appointment,” says Holzinger. “Sometimes, ‘dry skin’ is something more, like atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, or psoriasis. Additionally, if your acne, rosacea, or other chronic skin condition is flaring, I recommend seeking professional evaluation.”
Apex Skin specializes in diagnosing and treating these concerns so you can get relief fast and protect your skin barrier long-term. And because the holiday season is hectic enough, we offer same-day appointments—so you don’t have to stress about finding time when your skin needs help now.
If your skin isn’t bouncing back, Apex Skin is here to help.
Alyssa Holzinger is a physician assistant certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. She grew up in Broadview Heights, Ohio, and attended The Ohio State University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition.
