Weather plays a significant role when it comes to maintaining healthy skin. In order to maintain healthy skin as we transition from warm, humid air to dry, cold temperatures we need to adjust our regular skin care routine to accommodate environmental changes. By following these winter skin care tips, your skin will stay hydrated, glowing and radiant beyond the holiday season and through the cold winter months:
1. Stay Hydrated — Inside and Out: Winter season is notorious for being dry. The lack of humidity in the air strips your skin of its natural moisture. Excessive dry skin may result in generalized red patches and excess dead skin cells. This leads to flaky, dry skin, especially if you are prone to eczema or other dry-skin conditions. Pores may become clogged by excess skin cells, leading to acne breakouts. According to skin care experts, acne is most prevalent during the winter months. Here are some easy ways to stay hydrated:
• Drinking 8-10 glasses of water per day does wonders for your skin. Water delivers vital nutrients to skin cells, which keeps your skin hydrated and plump.
• Increase the level of moisture in the air at home by using a cool or warm mist humidifier in your bedroom.
• Dress for the weather! Constant temperature fluctuations, such as going from a warm environment inside an office building to the crisp outside air can cause the delicate capillaries in your skin to contract and expand very rapidly. Broken veins, spider veins and inflammation are the ultimate result. Try dressing appropriately for weather by adding layers when necessary, and avoid cranking the heat indoors in order to reduce temperature fluctuations. Applying a light layer of barrier cream to your arms and legs will help protect exposed skin. Products with anti-inflammatory and anti-irritant properties will also help control redness and inflammation.
2. Cleanse, Exfoliate, Moisturize, Repeat: During the winter months, your skin care needs change dramatically. Products that you would normally use in the spring and summer months may not work for your skin condition during the winter months. Your skin generally does not require the same level of moisture from season to season. Adapting your skin care products to reflect the weather changes will keep your skin healthy throughout the entire year.
• Products such as an exfoliator are especially important in order to remove pore-clogging, dry skin cells from the surface of your skin. Exfoliation helps generate the production of younger, healthier skin cells. Moisture from the humidity in the air and skin care products cannot penetrate your skin if these dead skin cells are on the surface. A deep exfoliating cleanse will help enhance the absorption of moisturizers once the dead skin has been removed. Regular chemical peels and microdermabrasion treatments are fantastic ways to keep the your skin cells turning over.
• Invest in a night cream that delivers an extra boost of moisture overnight. While you are asleep, your skin is busy regenerating damaged and dead skin cells with new, healthy cells. Night creams are formulated with slow-releasing moisturizers, which makes moisture recovery during sleep an optimal time to rehydrate dry skin.
• Don’t forget your sunscreen: The winter sun can be just as damaging to your skin as summer sun. In fact, the sun is approximately 80 percent stronger when it is reflected off the snow, and its intensity increases roughly 4 percent for every 1000 foot rise in altitude. During the winter months, apply sun protection with an SPF of 30 or more containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide to any exposed areas to help protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays.
If you have questions about caring for your skin in the winter months, book a consultation with a licensed Aesthetician. Your Aesthetician is qualified to evaluate the current condition of your skin and recommend the best products and treatments that will keep your skin glowing year-round.
