We’re closing this autumn month with a theme that ties everything together: your lifestyle and your skin.
Because skincare isn’t just what you apply on the outside — it’s also how you live, eat, move, and rest.

I often say this in the clinic:

“What you do daily eventually shows up in your skin.”

The melanated skin responds strongly to triggers, both internal and external.
That’s why stress, lack of sleep or certain foods can influence your skin just as much as using the wrong product.
In this final Seasonal Skin Talk, I’ll take you through how to build a calm, healthy glow from within — and I’ll share a bit of my own routine too.

🧘🏾 Stress & Skin: the invisible trigger

Stress is one of the biggest — yet most overlooked — causes of pigmentation.
When you’re under long-term stress, your body produces more cortisol; a hormone that weakens the skin barrier, increases inflammation, and indirectly activates pigment cells.

Think of it as an alarm that stays on too long: the skin remains in “protection mode,” making it more likely to develop discoloration after inflammation or minor wounds.

💡 Tip: Build in a short moment of calm each day. This can be breathing, walking, praying — anything that settles your nervous system. Your skin literally feels that peace.

🍵 Nutrition: what you eat, feeds your skin

Your skin is your largest organ — it reacts to everything happening inside you.
Antioxidants neutralise oxidative stress (which worsens pigmentation), and healthy fats keep the skin soft and supported from within.

Great options include:

• Pumpkin, carrot, sweet potato → rich in beta-carotene (supports cell renewal)

• Nuts & seeds → full of vitamin E and zinc for repair

• Green tea & rooibos → rich in polyphenols that calm pigmentation responses

• Turmeric → helps regulate inflammation in the skin

Personally, I eat mostly low-carb with natural fats. Not out of restriction, but out of peace. Combined with intermittent fasting, I notice my energy stays steady and my skin stays calm.
Haha — and yes… my belly stays flatter too :)

💪🏾 Movement & circulation

A well-circulated skin heals faster and receives more oxygen.
That doesn’t mean hours in the gym — just that movement is a form of self-care.

I train three times a week with my personal trainer and use my Reformer Pilates machine at home 2–3 times per week.
In summer I aim for 10,000 steps per day, but now that it’s colder and gets dark earlier, I keep it realistic: about 7,000 steps.

And even though I have a treadmill at home, I still prefer walking outside. The fresh air and sunlight give me more energy than any machine.
Big coat, earphones in — and off I go. It’s the perfect start to the day!

😴 Recovery while you sleep

At night, your skin is at its most active: it repairs, renews, and calms pigment cells.
Lack of sleep increases cortisol and slows these processes, making your skin appear duller and pigment spots linger longer.

💡 Tip: Did you know magnesium oil helps you sleep deeper?
Apply it under your arms or on your feet before bed.
Magnesium relaxes the muscles and the nervous system, helping you rest more deeply.
Pair this with a no-screens evening routine and a cup of rooibos or chamomile tea, and your skin will thank you.

🌿 The balance of inside & outside

The most beautiful skin doesn’t come from perfection — it comes from consistency.
A skin you feed, move, and allow to rest becomes a skin that feels safe.

Autumn is the perfect season to slow down, reset, and restore.
And that applies not only to your skin, but to you as a whole.

And with that, we wrap up the Seasonal Skin Talks series.
Four weeks of moving from the outside in — from understanding what autumn does to your skin, to learning how you can influence calm, pigment, and recovery with your daily habits.

Keep learning, keep glowing — until the next Melanin Moment! 💛
Love, Angela