Do you have vegan face? How to avoid a lacklustre complexion (2024)

The vegan is a complicated figure. He or she is much maligned in many quarters: for being faddy, neurotic or picky. Vegans are presented as weak, anaemic — literally and figuratively — and joyless. Some of them probably are, others would likely beat you in an arm wrestle.

And so it is unfortunate that vegans — already so tortured — must now see off yet another hardship. Moreover, this one is rooted in science: dermatologists report that the rise of veganism is causing an according rise in what they are calling “vegan face”.

Simply, vegan face is a name for a slack, wasted look that is caused by an absence of protein in your diet. The skin is dry, sallow and flaky. Protein literally props up the face: it makes it look plump (in a good way) and fresh-faced and wakeful.

Not all vegans are lacking in protein but cutting out all animal products leaves a huge protein deficit, and it can be hard to replace the full complement. Hence, vegan face.

“We noticed a lack of elasticity,” observes Inge Theron, founder of Face Gym, which has devised a facial specifically for vegan face. “Collagen and elastin are made up of protein and those are the two most important substances for youthful, toned and sculpted skin so it’s very important to substitute with supplements. If your body doesn’t get the protein that it needs, it can cause your skin to become dry, sallow, crepey and lacklustre, with saggy jowls and a loss of muscle tone and elasticity.” Face Gym was inspired in part because many of its own team had turned vegan (Theron promises she is a “huge advocate of the vegan movement”).

The Vegan Face facial centres on “boosting collagen, reducing inflammation and supplementing your skin with omega-rich prebiotic vegan skincare.” It also involves the FaceGym Pro machine (not as draconian as it sounds), a piece of apparatus which will “lift, tone and sculpt your facial muscles, a laser to remodel the collagen, and our radio frequency machine to plump the skin, giving you a radiance and glow that can be lost from reducing your protein intake.” After a bespoke analysis, you’ll also take home a face oil, and advice on diet, supplements and nutrition to ensure your face does not slacken again (facegym.com).

There are layers within layers: some vegans might worry that a facial, designed to solve their vegan face, might contain products that are not suitable for vegans.

FaceGym’s treatment is vegan friendly, and concerned vegans can be assured that Chelsea facialist Nataliya Robinson’s vegan peel also avoids using any animal by-products.

Robinson exfoliates the skin then applies a care solution that includes blueberry, orange, lemon and sugar cane, which smoothes texture and hydrates the skin. Then she performs a deep cleanse to unblock pores, applies a chamomile compress to calm down the resulting inflammation, and then soothes the complexion with seaweed. She rounds off with a massage, with homemade oils (nataliyarobinson.co.uk).

Once vegan face has taken hold of your complexion, can you fight it? “The effects of veganism are reversible,” Theron reassures, “if you fuel your body with rich, plant-based protein, fermented plant and pre- and pro-skin biotics and look at collagen supplements.

Radio frequency is a huge collagen booster, so we use this a lot on our vegan customers as it’s simply unbeatable for plumping, lifting and toning and generates a big dose of collagen after every use, which means you don’t see the full effect immediately — instead, your skin just gradually gets better and better.”

Of course, you ought also to take matters into your own hands and maximise your protein intake — try the holy trinity of tofu, quinoa, beans — and use strong exfoliaters to slough off all the dry skin cells.

Theron recommends avocado, nuts, lentils and split peas. Moreover, monitor your face carefully: the cheeks should be pillowy, not deflated, and you shouldn’t look, constantly, as though you’ve just had A Very Heavy Night. If this is the case, up your intake and face the consequences.