The holiday season is all about shiny ornaments, shimmering light displays, warm glowing fireplaces…but one thing that tends to not glow during the holidays is dull chapped and dry skin! No matter how perfect your skin is, we all seem to get more sensitive and dry during the holiday season. The key to beating the cold and dry weather is exfoliation, nourishing and protecting your delicate winter skin, and askderm.com has the perfect recipe to looking your best for every holiday occasion.
Be Gentle
The most significant mistake that we can fall into with our skin is using a cleansing regimen that is too harsh. DCL Express Waterless Makeup Remover is gentle yet effective and won’t dry out your skin. It also has calming ingredients like Aloe and Chamomile and uses Hyaluronic Acid to keep moisture attracted to your skin. It’s also important to use a gentle and non-drying face cleanser. Glytone Mild Gel Cleanser uses the power of glycolic acid to gently exfoliate away dead skin cells and but will still leave your skin supple and smooth.
Exfoliation
Because this weather can be harsh enough on our skin as it is, it can be better for some people to opt to use a chemical or enzyme method of exfoliation during the winter and save their brushes and scrubs for the summer. NeoStrata Skin Active Perfecting Peel is a high strength at home face peel. When used once a week this two-step peel kit offers remarkable anti-aging and skin smoothing results and improves the appearance of pigmentation, fine lines, and overall skin texture. If you have very sensitive skin, the Z. Bigatti Re-Storation Impact Fruit Enzyme Facial Mask may be a better option. After smoothing on the face and neck, leave on for just 3 minutes, and the mask will gently exfoliate and condition your skin, improve elasticity, apparent pore size, texture, tone and reduce the appearance of fine lines. The best time to exfoliate your skin is at night after cleansing your face. Although a lot of exfoliation products may say that its ok to use them daily, start with once a week and adjust your use depending on how your skin reacts, so you don’t run the risk of burning or irritation. Following up your exfoliation treatment with a moisturizer or moisture barrier product is critical. Even if your skin isn’t red and raw, that doesn’t mean that you didn’t get results.
Nourish
Now that you have wiped away your dead skin cells it’s important to nurture that fresh and exposed layer of your skin. NeoCutis Journee BioCream Riche Bio-Restorative Skin Balm was designed with climate changes in mind and is perfect for people who have just had exfoliation treatments. The wild yam extract balances and moisturizes skin and it locks in moisture all day. It’s anti-aging properties also works wonders for fine lines and wrinkles. For really dry and sensitive skin sometimes the only thing topical heavy winter products seem to deliver is breakouts. Whether you’re breakout prone or you need something extra to boost your winter regimen, taking oral supplements is the best solution. I fall into this category and have found that Elon R3 Extra Strength delivers fantastic results during the winter and all year long. The Aqua-Nutrient complex, Biotin, Silica, and L-cysteine are a wealth of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Although Biotin is known for its effects on hair, it also promotes more youthful skin. When taken along with other supplements your beauty and glow will be nourished from the inside and out even during the winter!
Heal and Protect
The final step of a good winter skincare regimen is to help heal your sensitive skin by protecting it from the harsh weather and other pollutants. Glytone Lipid Recovery Cream uses the power of healthy lipids to speed up your skin’s healing process. Designed for severe weather and for use after laser treatments and peels, the blend of vitamin A, Squalane, Camelina Oil and Shea Butter is a professional strength and luxurious cream that will treat you with the tender care that it needs. You may also find that on especially irritated or chapped skin you need a full on barrier to protect it. Lantiseptic Skin Protectant is enriched with 50% lanolin and is the number one choice of long-term care facilities. The product provides a moisture barrier for sealing out wetness and irritants to help maintain your delicate skin's integrity. It can be used all over the face an body and it totally fragrance-free.
Many of these products are beneficial all year round as is making sure to use an SPF 30 or higher during the day (yes even if you’re just going in your car to get something from the grocery store!). Now you can be party ready for any winter day and any winter’s eve.
