Yesterday I was reading an article about night creams and all ‘their benefits’. The article was arguing that because the skin repairs itself at night, then it is also the ideal time to treat the skin at the same time – and you would do this by applying a specific treatment cream, now appropriately marketed as a ‘night cream’. It also went on to say, that recently there has been a lot of the big brands launching their night cream, and are expecting a surge of people actually buying night creams. It is interesting to note that currently only 10% of Canadians (the article was from a Canadian newspaper) buy a night cream.

So, my goal here is to see whether we do really need 2 different creams, …

Is my skin different in the morning and at night?

Let’s first talk about the functions of the skin…
 Protection – the skin serves as a barrier to protect the inner parts of the body, and to prevent transport of harmful materials as well as water loss.
 Temperature Regulation – the skin helps to regulate the body temperature by warming and cooling the body.
 Healing – the skin has the ability to self-heal, repair tears and injuries.
 Immunity – the skin contains numerous immune cells that help identify, control, and eradicate germs from affecting the skin and entering the body.
 Sensory – the skin contains many nerves that detect cold, pain, pressure and heat.

It is good to note that the skin does all of the above all the time – that is day and night. The only difference that one can argue, between day and night, is that, if your body is resting during sleep, then your skin is mainly focusing on repairing the damages that the skin has gone through throughout the day – so that by morning it would be ‘recharged’ and ready to face the day, fighting pollution and germs. Hence, night cream marketers, take advantage of this and say that, there is no better time to apply a ‘high-tech cream’ than at night, so that the skin would have the cream’s hi-tech ingredients to absorb, when it is in its repairing-and-treating-mode – hence achieving better results, while getting more out of your cream.

This reasoning might hold some truth, however, one has to understand that there is more to it, than just applying a night cream, to achieve your desired skin results. It is useless, neglecting the skin by the day, reasoning, that your miracle night cream will reverse all the damage that the skin went through, during the day.

In addition, one has to note that the skin, although a highly-complex organ on its own, it is still part of a whole body system of different organs and systems. Hence, having your skin in top condition, is dependent on all systems working together harmoniously.

Some myths addressed

 Skin can be greasy at night – no one will see. A product doesn’t have to be rich and heavy for it to work. A greasy skin doesn’t mean that the product is better. Nowadays, products have moved away from the thick greasy texture of earlier days.
 A day cream and a night cream have different roles. It is true that in a way, your day cream has to protect the skin from the pollution, while your night cream has to have ingredients which will ‘treat’ the skin. However, the same product can do both for you, meaning that it is ideal both for the morning protection and the night treatment. In addition, there is no reason why your skin can’t have some hi-tech ingredients during the day (after all your skin is still repairing during the day), and no reason why your skin can’t have any protection at night (after all, is there less harmful environment pollutants in your bedroom than there is in your office?).
 A night cream is the answer to my problem. Night creams are not miracle products. Your lifestyle is more your answer to your problem. Aging of the skin is caused mainly through inflammation. The sun’s rays are very harmful, as well as alcohol and smoking, lack of sleep, bad nutrition, lack of exercise and stress. Your night cream, doesn’t reverse all this damage.

Do I Really Need A Night Cream?

So, my advice to you is that you are better off focusing on:
 making sure that you are applying the correct moisturizer for your skin’s needs,
 making sure to apply your moisturizer during the day and night (can be the same product),
 learning how to de-stress,
 protecting your skin from the sun’s rays, and
 ensuring that you are getting enough sleep.
All this will give you better skin results, than the urge to purchase expensive night creams.

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