How to Treat your Skin in Winter

Winter skin can be dull, dry looking & lack radiance. This is due to a number of factors: moving from hot to cold temperatures, spending time in dry, artificially heated atmospheres and the lack of sunshine or even daylight hours. In addition to these factors, this can often be a time when we experience viral illnesses resulting in nose blowing that creates dryness due to nasal trauma and friction. In my experience with clients, the sensation of dry, chafed skin during the winter can result in reaching for richer heavier moisturisers and for those of you who have read my previous post, Do Cosmetic Creams Work?  you will know that this is not the answer! So how can we combat the feeling and appearance of sluggish, dull skin and maintain our summer glow deep into the winter months?  

Often, all we require is a very simple regime of effective skincare - a cleanser which will maintain the optimum pH of the skin, used with tepid water; a product to reduce oiliness for those who experience oil or breakouts and an effective exfoliator to encourage turn over of the skin cells and sloughing away of dry skin from the surface.  For those who prefer something a little more intensive then a resurfacing treatment is the way to go. Microdermabrasion, skin peels and micro needling treatments provide really effective exfoliation & stimulation of your skin. As the skin is more susceptible following to the sun during these treatments, they are best carried out during the winter.  For those of you really in the know and who would like a little extra input with no ‘down time’ at all, then a course of LED phototherapy will stimulate your skin cells.  These cells are responsible for the production of collagen and elastin . This revolutionary award-winning treatment is also an added indulgence for those of us who feel affected by the lack of light during the winter. So you really can keep things very simple if you know the key points to follow.  Finally, and most importantly, try your best not to get sucked in by the glamorous marketing coming our way at this time of year. Achieving radiant skin requires more than just a nice smelling, well packaged pot of cream advertised by a familiar, airbrushed face. If you would like to discuss this or any other skin issue, please get in touch.