A Guide to Looking After Your Skin this Winter
Winter winds, cold temperatures, icicles, pollutants, fires and indoor heaters reduce our skin's moisture levels and render our natural defenses almost non-existent! These changes can affect our skin in many ways, making it flaky, itchy, dry, red and irritated. If you have sensitive skin, your symptoms may be even more severe.
Pump up the moisture
It is essential to make sure that your WINTER SKIN gets plenty of added moisture and has the proper balance of important ingredients to repair itself and retain moisture effectively. Skin serums that contain antioxidants can help. Serums contain smaller molecules than typical moisturisers. While both are beneficial, serums penetrate more deeply and deliver concentrated nutrients to your skin's cells. Serums with anti-inflammatory properties are especially helpful when the winter turns sensitive skin red and itchy or chapped. You can also choose from serums with antioxidant or anti-ageing ingredients. Try Six's Vitamin Booster Oil after applying your skin serum, it will seal in moisture. Protect your skin with a great moisturiser like Six's Age Reverse Cream, which will not only focus on dryness but will also treat ALL your anti-ageing concerns. So, in short apply serum to penetrate deeper and moisturiser to lock all the goodness in.
Your skin responds to your internal moisture levels too, so drink plenty of fluids to compensate for dry winter air both inside and outside your home.
Hook up the humidifier, and if you can, place several small humidifiers throughout your home; they help disperse the moisture more evenly.
Soaking in a burning-hot bath feels great after frolicking out in the cold. But the intense heat of a hot shower or bath actually breaks down the lipid barriers in the skin, which can lead to a loss of moisture. Not only that, but extremely high water temperatures also causes capillary damage to the surface of the skin, leaving it sensitive and red. You're better off with just warm water and staying in the water a shorter amount of time.
Yes, You Need Sunscreen in Winter
When you're wrapped in a scarf and shivering as you tread through snow, the sun's effect on your skin is probably the last thing on your mind. In reality, the sun can just as easily damage your skin in the winter cold as it can in the summer heat. The sun's rays can exacerbate sensitive skin symptoms. Sun damage also eventually leads to premature skin ageing, discolouration and, in some cases, skin cancer. Wear a quality sunscreen that protects your skin from UVA and UVB rays. Apply it every time you spend time outside, and be sure to reapply it every two hours. You can even use a multi-purpose product like Lamelle's Helase - it has SPF 50 and provides a healthy all-round coverage.
Exfoliation: Know When to Stop
To reduce the dry, dull look of winter skin and allow moisturisers and serums to reach their target cells, it's important to remove dead skin cells from your complexion. However, over-exfoliating your sensitive skin can make it more vulnerable to irritation or even damage its healthy cells. Since everyone's skin is different, it's difficult to make a general recommendation about exfoliation frequency, but if your skin is getting drier and more irritated despite regular exfoliation, you may be doing it too often. Gentle exfoliators, such as alpha hydroxy acids, glycolic and lactic acids are most effective when used in moderation. Try our Lamelle Beta or Lactic acid peels, as they combine two treatments in one easy to use product that removes dead cells and dry flaky skin to leave you with a radiant complexion.
Take a Well-Rounded Approach
We believe that keeping your skin healthy year-round requires good habits, good products and consistency. Maintain your skin care routine diligently; this will help ensure that you don't end up back at square one. If you take a smart approach, your skin can look and feel great even when Old Man Winter delivers his icy stare.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to winter skin, so come in for a free facial analysis and consultation so that we can recommend the best products and routine for your skin care needs.