Special Issue on Sleep Deprivation and the Skin: Mechanisms, Clinical Impact, and Cosmetic Perspectives
Published 27 July, 2026
Introduction:
Sleep is a fundamental regulator of cutaneous homeostasis. The effects of late nights, fragmented rest and chronic sleep loss are increasingly recognised in both research and clinical practice. Emerging evidence suggests that many of these changes are driven not only by reduced sleep duration but also by disruption of circadian rhythms, which govern epidermal renewal, barrier integrity, sebaceous activity, immune responses and repair processes across the day–night cycle. When this temporal organisation is disturbed, skin function may become less resilient, contributing to inflammation, delayed recovery and visible changes such as dullness, dehydration and premature ageing.
This special issue presents current research and clinical perspectives on the links between sleep disruption, circadian biology and skin health, with relevance for dermatologists, clinicians and researchers working across skin science and cosmetic technology. By bringing together mechanistic insight, clinical observation and translational evidence, the collection provides a timely platform for advancing the understanding of how biological timing shapes skin physiology, disease presentation and responses to modern lifestyles.
Topics covered:
- Clinical medicine, dermatology and chronodermatology
- Sleep medicine, circadian physiology and skin health
- Molecular biology, genetics and epigenetics of circadian regulation
- Cell biology, biochemistry and skin metabolism
- Immunology, neuroendocrinology and inflammatory signalling
- Microbiology and skin ecosystems
- Pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacology and chronotherapeutics
- Chemistry, formulation science and dermal delivery
- Cosmetic science, cosmetic dermatology and efficacy evaluation
- Translational, applied and computational skin science
Important Deadlines:
Submission deadline: 31 January 2027.
Submission Instructions:
Please read the [Guide for Authors] before submitting. All articles should be [submitted online], please select [Special Issue on Sleep Deprivation and the Skin: Mechanisms, Clinical Impact, and Cosmetic Perspectives] on submission.
Guest Editors:
- Prof. Jiada Li, Central South University, China. Email: lijiada@csu.edu.cn
- Dr. Yimei Tan, Shanghai Dermatology Hospital, Tongji University, China. Email: lwei5811@126.com
- Dr. Qiu-Ling Zhang, Late-Night Skin Research Laboratory, China. Email: qingtan@syounggroup.com