Winter-Proof Your Skin With Six Easy Tips November 23, 2016 For many of us, our skin care needs change in the winter months. With cold temperatures outside and warm temperatures inside, our skin becomes dehydrated. Skin cells turn over more slowly causing a buildup of dead skin, circulation also gets sluggish and just like that, your glow is gone. To help maintain healthy skin this winter, try these tips: Leverage Your Cleanser Using a cleanser that won’t disturb key oils in the skin is essential to hydration in the winter. Try an Epionce cleanser for your skin type, made with gentle ingredients to help maintain moisture. All three Epionce cleansers are formulated to wash away impurities and reduce imperfections, without stripping the skin. Try a More Hydrating Facial Product If your facial lotion isn’t giving you enough hydration, consider switching to a cream for the colder winter months. This will better insulate the skin, which is important when you’re constantly going between the cold outside and the drying heat indoors. If a cream is too heavy for daytime use, try applying at night to get the benefits of extra hydration without the heaviness during the day. Not a fan of heavy creams? Hydrate and calm with a mask. Apply Epionce Enriched Firming Mask to clean skin once a week for 10 minutes. Botanicals like meadowfoam extract boost hydration and the appearance of firmness in skin, while safflower extract calms the effects of irritation. Enriched Firming Mask may be used on all skin types, even oily or problem skin, and is effective at reducing blemishes and redness as well as hydrating the skin. More Moisture All Over And don’t forget your body! Hot showers and not enough body lotion can make your skin resemble a desert. Arms and legs have fewer oil glands, so they tend to be drier and scalier than other parts, especially in the winter. Stick to warm water and try to limit showers to 10 minutes. Since the skin is the body’s largest organ, you want to help maintain its function, and moisture is key. To give thirsty skin extra moisture, try Epionce Renewal Enriched Body Lotion. Its hydrating properties can help prevent the outer layer of skin from cracking and disrupting your body’s protective barrier. A botanical blend of apple and date fruit extract plus safflower and meadowfoam effectively soften and smooth skin without irritation. Protect Your Pucker Chapped, windburned lips can be a pain. We recommend using Jane Iredale’s LipDrink® SPF 15 Lip Balm because it provides an antioxidant-rich protective shield that soothes, softens and protects lips with broad spectrum SPF 15. Keep Your Sunscreen Routine Even in the winter months, you need to beware of sun damage. UV Rays are not exclusively linked to air temperature and sunshine. Although sunny days always pose risks, you can also damage your skin on cold or cloudy days. Between 50 to 80 percent of UV rays can still penetrate clouds to reach your skin on overcast days. In fact, winter conditions can multiply UV radiation as snow nearly doubles your UV exposure as it reflects sunlight back up at you. Broad-spectrum protection helps defend against skin cancer and premature skin aging. We recommend SkinMedica Essential Defense Mineral Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 35. It provides the highest level of UVA protection available, along with UVB coverage to protect your skin from damaging sun rays. Its lightweight formula is chemical and fragrance free. Bolster Your Beauty from the Inside Out Drink lots of water and load up on omega-3s, like salmon, chia seeds and walnuts, which boosts hydration. We get a large amount of vitamin D from sun exposure, so with shorter days it is not surprising that most of us suffer from low energy levels; tiredness that’s instantly reflected in our skin. Try adding in more vitamin D-rich foods into your diet. Fish, egg yolks, liver and wild mushrooms contain essential quantities of vitamin D. Also consider increasing your B-vitamins, as these deliver nutrients and regulate the turnover of skin cells — exactly what your skin needs to recover from dry, flaky patches. Add dark green vegetables to your lunch or dinner every day and your skin will reap the rewards. To learn more or to schedule a consultation, call Samaritan Plastic, Reconstructive & Hand Surgery at 541-768-4370.
