6 easy winter skincare tips
6 easy winter skincare tips
How to care for your skin during the colder months
A change in the weather can often be seen most immediately on our skin. Whilst summer sunshine can be a lot to manage in terms of pigmentation and oil build up through sun cream and heat, the winter also brings its own challenges. So what are the most common problems and how can they be managed?
Stay hydrated
During the winter months, humidity drops and central heating can wreak havoc on your skin. It may feel less plump and moisturised, you could have patches of flaking skin or it may become red and itchy, so you may need a richer and heavier moisturiser to keep your skin supple. If you are really suffering with chapped skin, then you could consider using a humidifier in your rooms. Also, keep hydrated – drink plenty of water or herbal teas. As tempting as it is to run a hot bath on a cold winter evening, it can dry out you skin and strip your body of natural oils. Ensure you moisturise afterwards.
Switch up your products
“Thanks to the dry weather, your skin requires extra hydration to keep the skin barrier strong and the skin healthy,” says Cheryl Dodd from Village Aesthetics in Wimbledon. “Gradually work your way from lightweight creams to heavier options to help it adjust to the change in climate.”
Helen Canning, personal shopper at Elys Wimbledon, recommends using a face oil with vitamins: “Ease your skin through seasonal transitions with Ilapothecary’s Vitamin A C D E Face oil, which is a therapeutic blend of nutrient-rich oils including soothing arnica, calming borage, blue chamomile and tuberose stem cells to feed, nourish and balance the skin.”
Keep the SPF going
Cheryl says: “Just because it’s winter it doesn’t mean you should put away your suncream. Even through clouds, UVA levels can remain high. And on a cold sunny winter day, don’t let the temperature fool you as the sun can still damage your skin.”
Helen adds: “Try a rich moisturiser with SPF to cover all bases like Estee Lauder’s Revitalising Supreme and Youth Power Crème Moisturiser SPF 25.”
Treat your skin
Amanda Azzopardi of Amanda Azzopardi Aesthetics recommends various treatments for the winter months such as Profilho, a skin-boosting treatment that involves injecting hyaluronic acid into the skin to improve its texture, tone and elasticity, and helps rehydrates it: the skin appears glowing and dewy. Another popular treatment is celeb fave polynucleotides, which can regenerate and plump the skin. They can also reduce dark circles under eyes.
You could give your skin a glow-up. Microdermabrasion works by rubbing micro crystals over the top layer of the skin, to shed off dead skin cells and encourage active rejuvenation. It can leave your skin looking a lot brighter and glowing. Winter can be a good time to have a peel as well, because after a peel you are supposed to stay out of the sun. Like microdermabrasion it lifts the dead skin cells and can brighten the skin as well as reducing fine lines.
If you have been meaning to have your pigmentation treated then winter is an ideal time to tackle this. Lumecca IPL therapy is an intense pulse light treatment that reduces pigmentation issues and lesions from skin, covering everything from spider veins to sun damage. It requires minimal sun exposure for a few days post treatment so the winter is an ideal time to embark on a course of sessions.
Look after your lips
During the winter months our lips can get easily chapped so it’s important to keep them moisturised. If your lips are damaged then ointments like white petroleum jelly will seal in water longer than a wax or any oil. Do not lick, bite or pick at your lips if they become sensitive and avoid using lots of different flavoured balms as keeping things neutral can irritate the skin less.
Intensify your eye cream
With the low humidity levels in autumn and winter, the eye area can become dry and dark circles can become more apparent and obvious. It’s a good idea to make sure you are using an eye cream religiously, but if you normally prefer a serum then it might be better to go for a thicker and more dense cream to optimise moisture around the eyes.
