It might be cold and wet outside in some places, but it’s still warm and dry most days here in Southern California. Nonetheless, the consistent temperature change from cold and wet (or windy and dry) harsh outdoor temps to mild or warm indoor temps (when the heater is running or the cozy fireplace is on), can wreak havoc on your skin during the winter. It can cause dry, flakey skin that tends to break out with weather induced acne. But “hold up, wait a minute”, don’t go reaching for the same skincare products you used in the summertime. Fighting back with drying ingredients will only make your skin worse, so you’ll have to get a whole new arsenal of winter-friendly skin products. Just make sure they don’t have high amounts of salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. In the winter time, those ingredients dry out your skin even more, causing an excess in the skins oil production which can also clog your pores, making it an overall big “no-no”. In a previous blog post, I shared with you what to do to fight the summer time acne blues, now we are going to do the same with winter skincare treatments that are sure to help combat the “winter dry skin blues”.
The best way to avoid an over dose of dry weather skin problems is to make sure you hydrate and moisturize even more in the cold months to balance out what the harsh weather can do to your skin. While we don’t get harsh winter weather here in ( mostly sunny) Southern California, we do get the dry, harsh Santa Ana winds, or the rain that has us going from wet and cold, to warm and cozy (aka temperature fluctuations); so our skin is still susceptible to cold weather problems.
Next, make sure to regularly exfoliate in the winter. All the moisturizers in the world won’t soften your skin unless you first remove the dead skin cells blocking absorption. And because exfoliating your skin also speeds up the skin cell cycle by circulating lymph and oxygen, your skin will be ready to absorb the arsenal of moisture replenishing treatments that Tru Skin Rituals offers, like our Hydrafacial treatment; the secret weapon that works with super serums filled with antioxidants to keep your skin fully hydrated. The Tru Infusion facial is also another good option.
Another tip is to invest in a humidifier for your home. It will rebalance the moisture levels in the air and give your skin a break from the effects of centrally heated spaces. Also consider adding an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement to your diet. Many times the root cause of dry skin is diet related as our bodies are not able to produce certain fatty acids on its own and needs supplementation.
With a weather defined plan of action, and regular visits to your qualified skincare specialist winter skin problems can be a thing of the past!
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Jamie Ortiz of Tru Skin Rituals is a licensed esthetician, healthy skin advocate, age management strategist, and authority on corrective skin care and designer waxing services.
