From your face to your feet, let’s explore how to winter-proof your skin starting right now.
Embrace Change with Caution
Rather than completely overhauling your skincare products with each change in seasons, it’s crucial to develop an awareness of your own skin and how it reacts to different environments and products. Simple adjustments can help your skin adapt to seasonal changes.
Keep Vitamin A as a constant, replenishing your skins Vit A levels (winter summer, all year round)
Vitamin A is a crucial nutrient that normalises skin and helps to keep it healthy- looking and resilient. It must be replaced daily to take care of the skin’s deficiency as a result of UV exposure. Yes, even in the winter UV Rays deplete our Vitamin A. Once the optimal level of Vitamin A is restored, your skin will be brought back to its most healthy looking, beautiful state.
Dealing with Winter Skin Reactions
“Negative Response Weather” in skincare, can lead to skin irritation. Vitamin A is as crucial for skin health as oxygen is to life but can also be irritating, especially for stressed and unhealthy skin.
A negative response in winter can often occur in users on a higher dosage of Vitamin A when daylight hours reduce and you start to wear higher necks and/or scarves. It’s imperative that we then manage dosage to deal with the negative response. A negative response will usually present itself as stinging, irritated, often itchy skin. You will have the warning signs before the full negative response arrives so it’s important to take notice of this and stop the Vitamin A application on the affected areas for 2 to 3 days. The areas affected are thinner areas of skin like the neck and eyelids.
We always recommend contacting us if you have any irritation so that we can keep a record of what’s happening and when, we can also guide you through this period and advise correctly if the negative response keeps occurring.. Some clients may never tolerate higher dosages of Vitamin A on the neck area, while some only experience irritation in the winter months. If you experience difficulty with treating the neck we have some tried and tested solutions to keep the neck looking youthful and feeling hydrated. We don’t want to leave the neck area out completely with our topical application.
Environ’s Focus Care Super Moisturiser+ is a hero product for the winter months. This luxurious cream, containing vitamins and antioxidants, assists to lock in moisture and enhance the skin’s barrier function. This is our hero product for dealing with a negative response. It is also our top recommendation for a dehydrated skin that lacks moisture.
Skin specific Supplements like skin omega’s with their essential fats, can boost skin moisture when taken as two – four – six capsules daily. Anti inflammatory benefits also help with skin sensitivity. A supplement will treat every layer of every skin cell in your body. It’s worth remembering that if you can’t tolerate a high dose of Vitamin A on the neck area, the solution is to get Vitamin A into the skin cells by feeding from within. You will not experience negative response when taking Vitamin A orally and in fact it can feed the skin enough to tolerate a higher dose of Vitamin A in the future. It’s a no brainer really. We have seen our eczema clients clear their skin irritation by upping their Omegas from 2 to 6 a day when having flare ups. The same can be applied as a response to a negative response. Prevention is always better than cure!
Be prepared for winter and festive season skin and grab a skin illuminator box with a saving of £34 while stocks last. Each box Contains 180 Skin Omegas and 60 days supply of Vitamin C, the former is hugely beneficial for any over indulgence this festive season. We all like a prosecco or two, not to mention a Baileys, though, unfortunately alcohol also plays havoc with our skin. Research shows that alcohol can increase skin inflammation and worsen skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and rosacea. It also dehydrates the body and disrupts sleep, impacting skin regeneration. Add the dehydrating effects of Central heating when we turn up the heat on a daily basis when the temperatures drop it doesn’t make for the healthiest of skin. Supplements combined with your topical applications will treat 100% of the skin cells, meaning we can reach the Dermis where your skin cells are formed, we cannot do that with topical application alone. We can also help our skin by keeping hydrated by drinking more water and swapping out a coffee or two for a rich in antioxidants drink, like a green tea.
Sun Protection Never Takes a Break
Sun protection should never be disregarded, even in the cold winter months! Although UVB rays may be less intense during this season, the impact of UVA rays on skin aging remains substantial. To maintain skin health throughout the year, make sure to select a sunscreen with a high UVA rating, such as RAD Environ. Keep in mind that limited sunlight exposure can potentially reduce your vitamin D levels. In these cases, consider supplementing with oral vitamin D3 to maintain optimal health.
Winter is Treatment Time
Winter offers an excellent opportunity for professional skin treatments. We are often worried about sun exposure before or after procedures, so with less sunlight the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is minimised. This means it’s a perfect time to get that peel you’ve been thinking about… Also remember to plan ahead to ensure your skin is at its best for the upcoming festive season so that you can make sure your skin has downtime before that big event!
Maintain Hydration
Colder weather and indoor heating can leave your skin dry and sensitive. Stay hydrated throughout the day, and consider switching from coffee to antioxidant-rich green tea. Gentle cleansing is essential to maintain a healthy skin barrier, enabling it to retain vital moisture. If your skin feels tighter or drier than usual, it’s time to hydrate inside and out. Skin Omegas, essential fats, can boost skin moisture when taken as two capsules daily. Hydrating Oil Capsules, containing a small amount of retinol, can be a little treat that can help to restore your skin’s radiance no matter how grey the weather…
Moderation with Alcohol
Whilst the upcoming festive season means we’ll all be reaching for some Baileys or prosecco, keep in mind what too much booze can do to your skin! Research shows that alcohol can increase skin inflammation and worsen skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and rosacea. It also dehydrates the body and disrupts sleep, impacting skin regeneration. Limit alcohol consumption where possible and remember to stay hydrated with water for overall skin health.
By following these tips, you can keep your skin hydrated, healthy, and glowing throughout the winter months. If you have concerns about your winter skincare routine or skin issues, consider booking a consultation with us, or just get in touch if you have any questions! Stay warm everyone!
