The Face of Winter
Protecting Your Skin from Dry, Cold Weather
By Lisa Holmes, CLS & Scott Rollins, MD
Winter cold, dryness and sun is damaging to our skin. Fluctuating from the extremes of cold and harsh
outside weather to warm indoor air is hard on our skin, causing scaly, chapped
and flaky conditions. The dry winter air
really pulls the moisture out of our skin leaving it cracked and dry. Just as we make a transition in our clothing –
from lighter layers to thicker warmer layers – we need to do the same for our
skin.
If your skin is feeling dry and chapped in the winter, then
you might need to change from your usual summer soap and cleanser routine. The sweaty, oily skin from summer is
gone! It’s time to use a gentle,
non-irritating or hypoallergenic soap.
Limit products with fragrances that might irritate the skin.
Thicker, cream or oil based moisturizers provide the best
protection from the dry winter air. The
most susceptible areas are the cheeks, lips and eye regions. The type you choose largely depends on the
dryness of your skin and your tolerance for the greasy feel of the moisturizer.
Oils are definitely greasy, but they
seal in moisture well, and block against windburn. Creams aren't as greasy, soak in well when you
rub them in, and they also trap moisture well. Lotions tend to add the least moisture, but
they soak in to skin quickly so they don't feel as greasy. However, many lotions contain alcohol, which
helps quicken their absorption, but can also dry the skin.
Be sure to keep your skin protected with a sunscreen. Don’t be fooled by cold weather – the sun
reflects off the snow and can cause damage to the deeper layers of your skin. Use only sunscreens that block both the
ultra-violet (UV) type A and B rays. UVA
is present year round and causes skin aging and cancer. UVB is around mostly in summer and causes
sunburn – although with altitude and reflection off of snow, UVB is still
present enough to cause horrible sunburn even in winter.
The only sunscreen ingredients that truly block both UV rays
are the physical sun blocks, zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. The numerous chemical sunscreens not only
don’t block both UV rays but are also linked to hormone disruption, cancer and
other health issues. Finding the correct
moisturizers and sunscreens can be daunting, so be sure to ask a licensed skin
care professional for the appropriate protection for you and your skin.
Another important factor in keeping skin protected is
hydration. Water seems to be a forgotten
factor in the colder months, but it is just as important during winter as in summer.
Hydration is an important factor to
helping our skin stay supple and plays a key role in the absorption of our skin
care products.
Using anti-aging products at home, such as retinol or
retinoic acid, may require a shift to a lower strength or even a temporary halt
in your program during winter months.
The anti-aging effects of retinol creams are due to the stimulation of
skin to exfoliate or clear the skin surface of dirt and dead skin cells. This is excellent for promoting a youthful
healthy glow to skin but can make the skin more tender and susceptible to
drying.
Professional Skin
Care
In the colder months our blood circulation slows resulting
in a dry and dull skin tone making it important to keep up with your facials,
which increase blood flow rejuvenating your skin and returning a healthy
youthful glow.
Professional facials, often thought to be a luxury, should
be done routinely to help prevent damage to skin, remove signs of aging,
improve skin tone, and prevent acne. By having
a licensed Aesthetician monitor your skin monthly, they can spot changes before
bigger problems arise. And as part of
our services we can recommend specific products for your home skin care regimen
that will help you maintain optimal skin health between facials.
Microdermabrasion is a wonderful procedure that gently
exfoliates the. Using a diamond tipped
wand the skin is gently scrubbed while a vacuum pulls away the surface debris
and dead skin cells. The procedure is
painless and simply feels like someone is rubbing a finger across the
face. Microdermabrasion promotes a
smooth and healthy skin surface. Doing a
few treatments during winter can help promote skin turnover without the more
drying effects of exfoliating creams.
Chemical peels are similar to microdermabrasion but instead
of using a physical technique a chemical is used to stimulate skin shedding and
turnover. Numerous chemicals are used to
stimulate healthy new skin cells. We
offer a variety of chemical peels, varying from gentle all natural peels, to
popular standard chemical peels, and the most aggressive such as Levulan that
require a blue-light to “photo-activate” the peel.
Fall and winter can be a perfect time to get laser skin care
treatments. Surface imperfections such
as fine lines, dark spots, or surface blood vessels are all treated easily in a
30-minute rejuvenation treatment. With
no downtime at all the rejuvenation procedure is a quick and easy treat for
your skin.
Deeper wrinkles and sagging skin are targeted with more
aggressive skin tightening treatments such as Pixel or the state-of-the-art CO2
iPixel from Alma Lasers. These
treatments have a bit of social downtime in which it is preferable to be able
to stay home and indoors for a few days to begin the healing phase. Usually within 1-2 days after Pixel, and 4-6
days after iPixel, patients are ready to go back to work or resume regular
activities. I would avoid extreme
outdoor activities such as skiing for several weeks after these procedures.
Don’t let the long cold winter months keep you hibernating. Hydrate, use a quality moisturizer and sunscreen,
and see your licensed skin care professional for the proper skin care products
and services that will protect you and improve your skin. Then, get out and enjoy our many Colorado
mountain winter activities!
Free Seminars
Laser Skin Care Essentials
Monday, November 26th at 6pm, at the IMC
Bio
Lisa Holmes is a Licensed Aesthetician and Certified Laser
Specialist. She is certified in chemical
peels and microdermabrasion. Lisa
believes in helping her clients achieve and maintain optimal skin health and
beauty by using only professional medical spa grade products and is proud to
feature ABI skin care as well as Youngblood Mineral makeup. She is available for a FREE consultation at
Bellezza Laser Aesthetics, 254-1195. For
more information please visit www.bellezzalaser.com.
Scott Rollins, MD, is Board Certified with the American
Board of Family Practice and the American Board of Anti-Aging and Regenerative
Medicine. He specializes in Bioidentical Hormone Replacement for men and
women, thyroid and adrenal disorders, fibromyalgia, weight loss and other
complex medical conditions. He is
founder and medical director of the Integrative Medicine Center of Western
Colorado (www.imcwc.com)
and Bellezza Laser Aesthetics. Call 245-6911
for an appointment or more information.
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