As if Winters’ arrival isn’t bad enough, now my skin is dry. Not just my face either. My legs, specifically my shins, are driving me mad! Now not everyone will get dry skin in Winter, some of you lucky folks live in the warm, humid parts of the country. For us Southern people though, this is a very common thing and it is horrible!
In fact, I had clients in the clinic complaining of the ‘winter dries’ when it was only April!! I am not looking forward to the real depths of winter. Aside from the lack of moisture in the air, there are other reasons why we suffer so badly. We light our wood fires, we crank up the thermostat on our heaters and we stop drinking enough water because we are cold. We replace our leafy green salads with ‘comfort food’ like mashed potatoes, pastas and other high carb treats and we are less active.
All these changes lead to dehydration internally and on our skin. So come May, you might want to start to think about making a few changes…
What happens to our skin when it becomes dry?
Often, the first signs of dry skin are rough patches on our face and body.
Around every 28 days, our epidermis (the outer layer of our skin) naturally sheds and new skin is revealed. When our epidermis becomes dry, it sheds prematurely, leaving us with scaly, flaky looking skin. If our skin is not receiving the correct attention during these drier months, it will worsen. It can become red, inflamed and prone to infection as small cracks begin to form.
When our skin is not given adequate moisture, we lose plumpness, our collagen fibres begin to break down. Our body tries to compensate by producing extra sebum (oil) which can cause breakouts. Over time, we are left with dull, lifeless skin and we look far beyond our chronological years.
Winter Dry Skin Care Tips
Winter is the time to make some skin care changes, and a few lifestyle ones too. The first thing is to make sure you are maintaining good inner health with an antioxidant rich, non-inflammatory diet. If this proves difficult, incorporate superfoods such as Kissed Earth Replenish. Without a doubt, this will be a great thing to take during the winter. Gut health is imperative to healthy skin! Making sure we are maintaining the 2 litres of water is also imperative – if you can make it 3 litres, even better!
Skin Care is pretty simple during winter. A gentle cleanser that will still remove makeup such as Aspect Dr Mild Clean, a serum containing Hyaluronic acid for a complete moisture boost such as Societe Skin Hydration Complex, Antioxidants like Osmosis MD Replenish, a Vitamin A that is not too exfoliating such as Osmosis MD Calm and then a Vitamin B such as Medik8’s Hydr8 B5 Intense and Vitamin C starting with Medik8’s C-Tetra Cream.
Nourish and protect your dry skin
Your moisturiser should be extra nourishing and you really can’t go past Aspect’s SMC or Aspect Dr Resveratrol. These are great as day and night creams. But just because it’s cold, don’t forget your sun protection. UV Rays are still very harmful during the winter months, and a sure fire way to dry skin is to not protect it. A zinc based sunblock is perfect for winter as it also protects from any cold winds. I love Osmosis MD Protect and CosMedix Hydrate+.
A gentle exfoliation would also benefit in removing flaky skin, but it is important not to use anything harsh. A Fruit Enzyme exfoliator like the one from Aspect is perfect for a weekly treatment. It will keep your skin free from flaky skin and allow maximum penetration of your corrective serums.
Body Care Tips
Our face is easy to care for and often gets the most attention as it is what we see when we first look in the mirror, but our body certainly cops the wrath of Winter dry skin too. My itchy shins require constant moisturising and a much more gentle wash, rather than a soap. Many of our brands also stock body moisturisers so you can keep your whole body supple all Winter long. Products such as Osmosis MD Rejuvenating Body Cream, Medik8 Smooth Body Exfoliating Kit and Aspect Hand Cream are just a few!
If all all else fails during Winter, and you still feel dry, perhaps you should take yourself on a holiday to somewhere warm and humid – like the Maldives…
Still not sure?
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