The Beauty Diary: ‘Skin hunger’ is a thing – and here’s how I fixed it

Single people are suffering with a post-iso problem that couples aren’t, experts warn. Luckily there’s a simple fix to the widespread “deprivation”.

This week I realised just how much social distancing had taken its toll on me as a single person.

The light-bulb moment hit me at the most unexpected time – while having my cheeks and eyebags pummelled back to plumpness in a long-overdue facial appointment.

It was a visit that had been postponed since we went into lockdown in March and while I’d expected to leave with fresh, glowing skin – I actually left with a whole lot more.
Let me explain.

As well as being single and living alone, my family live overseas. While I was fortunate enough to be able to work from home, having colleagues on the other side of a computer screen did nothing for my social life. So it’s fair to say I was pretty excited when restrictions started easing.

I hadn’t been a total recluse in isolation, keeping in touch with loved ones through various video messaging platforms. I even recently started visiting a few friends for dinner and a few cheeky drinks. But as I dipped my toe back into the real world, I followed social distancing measures to a tee.

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After going for $165 facial I realised I had been suffering with a coronavirus-related problem. Picture: Supplied

When beauty salons were finally allowed to reopen, I joined the masses of people who booked in to fix up the areas they’d been able to ignore during iso – which leads me nicely to my Tuesday afternoon at QED Skincare in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

As I was lying there having my face, neck and arms blissfully massaged and buffed, the skincare specialist slid her arm under my shoulders and sort of embraced me in a hug. Instantly I was hit with a wave of a confusion that was hid underneath the cucumber scented hot towel currently placed over my eyes.

“What was that and why did it feel so weird?”

Then it dawned on me why this beauty therapist’s relaxation technique felt so bloody strange – it was because I’d not had any physical contact with another person in months.

After the treatment, I mentioned this detail to Pharmacist Shoshana Eisner who owns the salon and she said I wasn’t the only client who had noticed.

In fact, the lack of human interaction during COVID is something experts have dubbed “touch deprivation” and “skin hunger”.

Without it, we’ve been missing out on a big dose of the happy hormone oxytocin, Dr Vivienne Lewis, a clinical psychologist at the University of Canberra, recently revealed.

Experts are now speaking out about long-term absence of hugs in the aftermath of the pandemic, with one Australian doctor describing the situation as “dangerous”.

Experts are warning many of us – particularly single people – are suffering with 'skin hunger' because of COVID. I realised during a facial at this salon that I had it too. Picture: Supplied

So while I’m certainly no medical expert, I am convinced my $165 treatment has done wonders to help with the “skin hunger” I hadn’t even realised I was suffering with.

Not only have I have I had fully rebooted skin, but I’ve felt recharged as a person, “normal” even. I have also found an unexpected new value in a self-care habit I already adored but often struggled to justify because of my finances.

If you’re able to afford to visit a skincare expert, look to book in with someone who combines their technique with meditation. Sydney-based facialist to the stars Jocelyn Petroni is known for using reiki – which involves transferring “energy” through human touch – and next on my list.

I know money is tight for so many of us at the moment though, so it’s time to pull out all the those skincare goodies gathering dust under the bathroom sink and give yourself a DIY version.

If you’ve got a jade roller – like this one from Salt by Hendrix ($40) I recommended during isolation – you can use it to massage your cheeks and under eyes to recreate a professional facial.

With social distancing measures being part of our lives for the foreseeable future, I can’t recommend the beauty procedure enough – especially if you’re single.

This column is not advertorial content. Every review is independent, honest and ad free.

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