With winter officially here, its time to change up your skin care routine to protect your skin from the cold, windy, and dry weather. Not only does this wintery weather lead to dull and dry skin, and can aggravate chronic skin conditions like rosacea and eczema. So, what can you do to survive the winter?
Keep Reading to find out my top Winter Skin Care Tips to keep you looking hot, as the temperatures continue to drop!!
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EXFOLIATE
Exfoliating helps get rid of the top layers of dead skin, which is what give your skin that dull appearance. I suggest using a gentle exfoliating facial scrub 3 times a week, such as Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Pore Scrub ($7, drugstore.com) For the body, I like the Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish (www.fresh.com, $65), it leaves your skin smooth and smells wonderful. Be careful about over-scrubbing your skin, especially during the winter, because it will actually dry out your skin. Aim for exfoliating 2-3 times a week for the best results, or try a Clarisonic Brush, which can be used daily. A Clarisonic can be used to exfoliate and cleanse without irritating or adding anything harsh to your skin. If you’re interested in finding out more about the Clarisonic Pro with bodybrush ($250, manhattanaestheticsurgery.com), give us a call at 917-703-7069.
MOISTURIZE
Keeping your skin hydrated during these winter months is a must! Winter weather tends to dry out your skin, leading to dull and even cracked skin. I love the original Eurcerin cream for my body, and the Eucerin Redness Relief Daily Perfecting Lotion ($14.99, drugstore.com) for my face. Any moisturizing cream will work, but should avoid anything with alcohol (which can dry out your skin even more), and anything with a scent. Also, you want to apply your moisturizer immediately after you shower… this allows your skin to absorb the moisturizer easier and more effectively.
HUMIDIFY
Humidifiers are not just for when you are sick! When it gets really cold and dry, put a humidifier on at night (or whenever you are home). This helps keep your skin hydrated, and can help keep you from getting sick during these cold and dreary months!
AVOID
Obviously you cant completely avoid the cold weather, but try to limit the amount of time you spend outside with exposed skin. If you will be outside for long periods, make sure to dress in light layers and don’t forget the gloves, scarves, and hats. You should also limit the amount of time you spend in the shower (5-10 min), and keep the temperature “warm” instead of “hot”. Long, hot showers can actually strip the moisture out of your skin and lead to excessive dryness.
SUNSCREEN
Just because its cold and cloudy doesn’t mean you can skip the sunscreen! You should apply sunscreen before you head out the door to every area that is not covered, such as your face, neck, top of the ears, back of your neck, etc. Instead of adding another step to your routine, try a moisturizer with SPF, like Neutrogena Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer SPF 50.
HYDRATE
It is important to stay hydrated no matter what time of year, but this winter, put extra effort into drinking at least 8 glasses of water each day. This will keep your skin hydrated, while also maintaining a healthy, glow to your skin.
COLLAGEN
Believe it or not, the wintertime is the time to seek treatments that stimulate new collagen growth and superficial skin regeneration. Gentle skin resurfacing treatments like peels and lasers are excellent ways to encourage new collagen growth, but they leave your skin a little pink and raw for a few days, which is why the wintertime is a better time to have them done. The sun is less intense in the winter, which is important for your the delicate new skin that forms after a resurfacing treatment, and it’s easier to stay indoors while it’s cold outside 🙂 Phototherapy treatments like IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) can get rid of sun damage, age spots, and broken capillaries. This will even out your skin tone considerably, and leave you with a healthy glow just in time for the spring. CoolTouch collagen treatments are an excellent adjunct to resurfacing and IPL therapies since they act like icing on the cake for new collagen stimulation. The CoolTouch laser heats the deeper layers of the skin, and does a wonderful job in treating fine lines, acne scars, and in tightening saggy skin around the eyes and mouth.
If you have any questions about any of the treatments you just read about, please feel free to give us a call, or send us a text message, at 917-703-7069. You can also send us an email through the contact form on our website at www.ManhattanAestheticSurgery.com!
Shea Parker, PA-C, MSHS
Physician Assistant, Clinical Skin Care Expert
Manhattan Aesthetic Surgery
www.ManhattanAestheticSurgery.com
Shea@ManhattanAesthetiSurgery.com
Hello Mas,
I take your point, When most of us think of nutrition, we think of foods that we eat to help our bodies nourish and grow. What we often don’t consider is that our skin also needs the proper nourishment to help keep it healthy and young.
Thanks