For those of us lucky enough to be able to work from home during the coronavirus outbreak, you've probably already downloaded Disney Plus, binge watched all ten series of Friends, and eaten all your emergency chocolate Hobnobs.

Just me then?

A common theme from this 'lockdown' period (apart from an intense fascination with Joe Exotic's husbands), seems to be breakouts.

Yep, despite the fact that we're all going makeup-free and avoiding the pollution from our daily commutes, our skin seems to be more unhappy than ever.

To find out why so many of us are struggling with spots during this time, I asked clinical aesthetician and co-founder of Mortar and Milk, Pamela Marshall for some much-needed help.

Why is my skin breaking out right now?

"There are so many factors involved," explains Pamela. "However, the main culprits will come down to stress, diet, lack of vitamin D and hygiene."

"When our body is stressed it releases cortisol which is our fight or flight hormone. When cortisol is high, oestrogen production is lowered. As our oestrogen decreases, our androgen (male sex hormone) is in abundance and it will send messages to the sebaceous glands to produce more oil." Never a good sign, if you ask me.

"Our pores don't like an abundance of anything," says Pamela. "Therefore they will swell and inflame, creating a spot."

Rochelle Brock / Refinery29 for Getty Images Getty Images

Understandably stress is playing it's part right now (thanks a lot for that), but Pamela also points out that my earlier packet of Hobnobs may not be helping matters either.

"Succumbing to junk food may feel good in the short term but will wreak havoc on our gut, which will in turn wreak havoc on our skin," she tells me.

Brilliant.

But wait, there's two more things to blame here, one being a lack of vitamin D as we spend our days inside...

"Vitamin D is important for cell development, so not being able to be outdoors will increase our deficiency," says Pamela. Vitamin D also has an important role in helping reduce inflammation in the skin which as we learnt earlier, helps prevent breakouts.

Lastly, while you may feel like you've never been so clean (hello lizard hands), it's understandable that our skincare routine and habits have slipped during this godforsaken time.



Cosmopolitan

So, how can I combat it?

To use what will inevitably be the word of the year, these are 'unprecedented' times and coping with the stress we're experiencing isn't simple, as Pamela explains.

"It's really easy to say to someone, 'practice mindfulness' or 'don't stress', but putting those words into action is much more difficult. The best way I manage my stress is making sure I eat a healthy diet. This at least reminds me that I'm doing something good for my body."

To help keep your cortisol somewhat in check, do whatever you need to do and be kind to yourself. We've got a whole host of things you can do whilst staying in from podcasts, to batch cooking, to help take your mind off things. Not to mention 7 things that will help reduce your covid-19 anxiety.

In terms of diet, Pamela recommends eating a "nutrient-rich" diet as much as possible. Foods like fatty fish, cheese, eggs, and mushrooms are high in vitamin D, so will help combat the loss you're experiencing from being in lockdown.

However, we're all aware of the current food shortages, so the next best thing is a vitamin D supplement.

Holland & Barrett Holland & Barrett Vitamin D3 100 Tablets 10ug Holland & Barrett hollandandbarrett.com £3.59 Buy now

In terms of skin hygiene, Pamela recommends washing your bed sheets on a weekly basis (especially as you're probably spending a lot more time in there). If you can't do that, at least wash your pillow cases once a week.

Finally, keep up your skincare routine - cleansing, exfoliating, hydrating and not forgetting SPF for your daily sunny walk. Remember, even if you're not wearing makeup at this time, your face still gathers sweat, sebum and dirt build up throughout the day.

Nice.

Your lockdown skincare kit

So, remember to be gentle with both yourself and your skin.

Follow Laura on Instagram.

Laura Capon Senior Fashion & Beauty Writer Laura writes about everything beauty and fashion related for Cosmopolitan UK and specialises in makeup, plus-size fashion and the world of YouTube.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io