Top Tips for Healthy Winter Skin
As the saying goes “to appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold.” True that, but colder months can wreak havoc on delicate facial skin making it itchy, dry, and irritated. And just when we thought we’d tamed our skin care woes, winter comes and throws us a curveball with blustery outdoor conditions and indoor heating that zap moisture from our precious complexions. Even the things about winter that we love, like sitting by the fire or participating in winter sports, can dry out our skin leading to an impaired barrier function. But alas, there are many simple strategies to combat this and keep our skin feeling hydrated and supple all winter long.
One of the most important elements for keeping skin healthy through the seasons is to understand your individual skin type and condition. Each of us have unique combinations of varying different levels of sensitivity, dryness, sebum production, cell turnover rates, pigmentary responses, etc. Understanding these differences will help eliminate the confusion we may experience while trying to figure out the most effective products for our individual needs. It couldn’t be a more perfect time to consider seeking the advice of a qualified skin expert to help identify the best tactics for keeping your skin smooth, hydrated, and radiant all season.
Even if seeing a specialist isn’t in the cards for you just yet, fret not! We’ve compiled a list of our top tips for healthy winter skin that applies to everyone, regardless of type/condition.
Top Tips for Healthy Winter Skin
Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! During winter months we recommend our patients use a cream or healing balm to moisturize versus a lotion. Creams and balms do a better job of trapping in moisture and preventing TEWL (trans-epidermal-water-loss). Look for formulations that are a w/o (water-in-oil) blend versus an o/w (oil-in-water) blend and don’t forget that this applies to ALL skin, not just the skin on your face. Winter takes an especially hard toll on the hands due to excessive hand washing. Applying a rich, ultra-emollient hand cream after each wash will help a ton as will wearing gloves when washing dishes or working outdoors.
Hydrate the air in your home and/or office. Cold air depletes atmospheric moisture levels as does indoor heating. Our skin is hygroscopic, meaning it can absorb moisture from the air, or have it sucked out. Using a humidifier in your spaces will add necessary moisture to dry winter air and will help keep your skin hydrated and supple.
Apply SPF even on cold, grey days. UVA (ultra-violet-AGING) rays are present from sun-up until sun-down and penetrate through both glass and cloud coverage. UV rays are responsible for 80-99% of skin aging making it imperative to continue using SPF daily. If you happen to live in a climate that snows, it’s even more critical to apply and reapply sunscreen. On bright days snow can reflect the UV rays by up to 80% increasing your risk of photo-aging, sunburn, and skin cancer.
Use a gentle, non-foaming, fragrance free cleanser for both face and body. Foaming cleansers usually contain higher amounts of detergents and surfactants which can strip precious and much needed sebum from the skin. In addition, the wrong cleanser can worsen or even cause a dry, itchy skin condition. You can also avoid winter skin issues by limiting how much cleanser you use. Unless you’ve been rolling around in mud all day, your skin (especially the covered areas) doesn’t really get dirty. Instead of lathering up your whole body, focus your cleansing on necessary areas like hands, feet, face, underarms, and genitals.
Wear breathable, comfortable, non-irritating clothing. Wool, down, poly-blends, and many other cold-weather fabrics aggravate delicate, compromised skin. This can lead to redness, irritation, and itching. Consider wearing light layers of clothing made from soft breathable materials directly against your skin and wear your heavier jackets, sweaters, and scarves over them.
Long, hot showers are a no-no. We get it, the idea of taking a cool shower during winter sounds like no fun at all but however tempting a long, steamy shower seems, your skin is literally begging you to reconsider. Hot water strips the skin of its NMF’s (natural-moisturizing -factors) resulting in dehydration and an impaired barrier function. Hot showers also stimulate our sleep response which can make us feel tired and sluggish before our day has even started.
Just like your wardrobe, change your skincare for the season. Opt for cream or oil-based cleansers and avoid using anything with alcohol or astringents unless you’re truly acneic. Look for products that contain hyaluronic acid, glycerin, ceramides and other moisture boosting ingredients that help replenish and repair winter skin and don’t over-exfoliate! Over-exfoliating can compromise the skin's protective ability and lead to winter xerosis.
Eat right and drink plenty of water! Many skin issues, including winter xerosis (winter-skin), can be helped by consuming foods that have a high-water content and are rich in omega fatty acids. Increasing your internal hydration through the consumption of nutrients dense foods and water will help to prevent water loss resulting in smoother, more supple skin while simultaneously increasing the skin's natural moisture levels.
Don’t ditch the stunner shades! Although sunglasses are usually a summer staple, don’t relegate them to the back of your closet along with your favorite swimsuits. Glare from the sun and snow can cause damage to the delicate eye area (thinnest skin on the body) resulting in deeper lines, pigmentary changes, dryness, and other skin challenges. Wear a good quality pair of UV protective sunglasses and on super sunny days, a wide brimmed hat for extra protection.
Although it may sound torturous to leave your cozy bed for your formidable workout, your complexion will love you for it! Rigorous exercise increases your cardio-respiratory-output which in turn pumps blood into your skin and internal organs. Additionally, the blood vessels and sebaceous glands in the skin constrict slightly in winter making it harder for the skin to keep itself glowing, naturally. Your workout doesn’t need to be insane, it just needs to be consistent! Aim to get your heart rate up 4-6 times per week for at least 20 minutes to keep that luscious glow.
Any special healthy-winter-skincare-secrets we missed? We’d love to hear from you! Feel free to comment below or, send us an email! Keep following us for more skincare tips and hacks and stay healthy and radiant this winter season.
Learn more about our skincare services here or contact our San Francisco office and call us at 415.409.6500.