|
New Articles
 |
November 17, 2008 | Web Exclusive
Winter Fresh Skin
With the winter months approaching and the cold temperatures becoming unavoidable, the itch for warm temperatures and sunshine begins to nag us. Or perhaps that nagging, itching feeling is actually due to something else—dry skin. As temperatures decrease, low-humidity and moisture-sucking air can become quite problematic for our skin. These conditions can cause myriad problems ranging from tight, dry, flaky skin to a surprising increase in breakouts! To ease your concerns and keep your beautiful skin flawless into spring, we’ve rounded up the top skincare tips and products from five of the most popular women’s magazines.
Cosmopolitan Although acne has many causes, one of the most common is having a hyperactive sebaceous gland that produces oils to hydrate skin and can clog pores, forming outbreaks. By using alcohol-based products to strip our skin of the excess oils, we sometimes cause the sebaceous gland to overcompensate, thus producing more oils and more acne. This can be particularly true in the winter. Additionally, you can purchase an inexpensive humidifier for the room you spend the most time in. This helps replace the moisture in the air that is often decreased by the use of indoor heating.
When in comes to winter, our face seems to get the brunt of the cold and wind. Vogue recommends that you should start a daily exfoliation regimen before the cold fully sets in. Use the system that works best for you—whether it is microdermabrasion, products that contain glycolic acid or using grainy products and rough cloths. Exfoliating daily will help your skin absorb the crucial ingredients it needs like moisturizers and antioxidants. You may want to consider changing your moisturizer to a cream in the winter as well. Vogue also recommends adding face oil, specifically Jurlique Skin Balancing Face Oil, to your makeup regimen. Usually seen as a cosmetic disaster, adding a small amount of facial oil to your foundation or moisturizer will help give your skin the dewy healthy glow it deserves. Face oil will also help replenish the natural oils that are stripped away by the cold.
More often than not, we tend to limit our skincare concerns to our face, but our face is not the only part of our body affected by the winter temperatures. Our hands, lips and body are equally susceptible to the conditions. Marie Claire is a big advocate of exfoliating and moisturizing lips regularly. A great homemade exfoliant is a combination of fine salt and olive oil. Another secret: use your richest eye cream on your lips for an intense moisturizing treatment. Finally, regularly apply lip moisturizers with SPF for continual protection. Our hands also receive a lot of abuse during the winter with the combination of cold temperatures and excessive hand washing to avoid catching the office flu. Marie Claire recommends applying a heavy hand cream to your mitts in the evening and covering them in cotton gloves before going to sleep. In the morning, you wont believe the difference. But, if sleeping with gloves gives you the creeps, you can also do the treatment in a mere 30 minutes while watching your favorite primetime TV show. Even though getting out of the shower in your chilly bathroom first thing in the morning seems like torture, cranking up the heat in the shower is a big winter no-no. Marie Claire says that exiting the hot temperatures of the shower and entering the cool dry air of the bathroom is one of the main culprits to creating dry, itchy skin. To avoid this, keep showers short and lukewarm, pat your body dry instead of rubbing and immediately coat yourself in a thick alpha-hydroxy body lotion. Additionally, be sure to hydrate your skin from the inside out by having a diet rich in fatty acids, flaxseed and olive oils and be sure to stay hydrated by drinking at least 6 glasses of water a day. In Style recommends some great new products that can help treat some of winter’s worst symptoms. The first is a new product from Ren skincare called the Photo-Dynamic Instant Lifting spray. This product is said to give the skin an instant lift and glow, helping to eliminate the dull appearance that can come from dry and flaky winter skin. It also is great for setting makeup. For those who are looking to splurge on themselves this season, In Style also recommends Adorage Gel C serum. Gel C is for all skin types and uses a highly concentrated vitamin C formula to protect skin from environmental stress.
Women’s Health takes a unique approach to skincare and gives us some interesting and surprising nutrition tips that can do wonders for our skin. The first tip is great for a guilt-free trip down the candy aisle. That’s right ladies, chocolate! Women’s Health suggests that eating a few pieces of dark chocolate (milk chocolate contains too much sugar and fat) a day can help the appearance of skin. Dark chocolate arms your skin with additional flavonols, protective nutrients that researchers believe absorb UV light and increase blood flow to the skin. “In one German study, women had flavonoid-enriched cocoa every day for 12 weeks, and afterward their skin was softer, less irritated, and up to 25 percent less sensitive to sun damage when exposed to ultraviolet light.” The other nutrition secret may not be as sweet, but is equally as important. Women’s Health learned that eating 5 tablespoons of tomato paste a day can produce milder sunburns. Researchers think lycopene, a powerful natural antioxidant found in tomatoes, provides the sun-shielding benefits. This is especially important for those who plan to hit the slopes this season. High altitudes in the mountains provide little to no protection from UVC rays and the reflective property of snow magnifies these rays even more! Keeping your skin radiant, supple and hydrated can be relatively easy just by making some minor adjustments to your daily skincare regimen. Be sure to exfoliate at least several times a week if not daily, upgrade your moisturizer to a heavier cream-based product and perhaps adjust your diet to include more water, oils and dark chocolate. Remember to avoid long, hot showers that can dry and irritate the skin and above all, don’t skimp on your SPF! Sun in the winter can be just as harmful as it is in the summer.
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
