Winter Skin Care Survival

Thanksgiving has come and gone. With our skin starting to feel the dehydrating effects of winter winds and cold, dry air, what’s a woman to do?  Slather their skin with moisturizers, right? Wrong.

A moisturizer is like “dessert” to your skin—it feels good, nice, and smooth, but does little to nothing for your skin cells that lay beneath the surface—the source of skin aging. That’s why it’s important to remember the “main course” of skin care: products that activate, stimulate, and protect your skin.

During winter, it’s especially important to:

• Exfoliate. The dull, dry skin cells on the surface of the skin should be exfoliated, and there are a couple of reasons for this. 1) Exfoliation allows younger, healthier skin cells to emerge. 2) You can enhance the penetration of other skin care products, because they don’t get trapped by the superficial cells—if anti-aging products remain on the surface of your skin, they’re pretty useless. 3) Exfoliation deep cleans the pores, and helps reduce excess oils. We like to recommend the ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Polish—it’s more aggressive than many of the exfoliating creams, because we want to provide a product that’s as effective as can be without damaging or irritating the skin. During the summer, Dr. Obagi recommends exfoliating twice a week, but during the winter, exfoliate every day.
• Protect. During winter the days are shorter, but UVB rays will still damage your skin, and UVA rays will penetrate through windows and go straight to the dermis—where they can create permanent damage. If you’re headed to the mountains for a day of skiing, remember that UV rays are intensified by snow and high altitude, so taking a vacation from sunscreen during the winter is a big mistake. Try ZO Skin Health’s Oclipse Sunscreen—two different physical sunscreens plus melanin all work to protect the skin.
• Avoid the use of hot water. It may feel good for a few minutes (no showers longer than 10 minutes, please!), but will dehydrate your skin, deplete the natural oils, and create parched, chapped, dry skin. After showering, pat your skin dry, and apply ZO Skin Health Body Emulsion while your skin is still slightly damp. The high concentration of lactic acid in Body Emulsion is a great exfoliator—be sure to apply it to the soles of your feet if they’re dry or scaly.
• Hydrate. With shorter days and colder temperatures, most of us spend more time indoors during the winter—where the air is warmer, but also dryer. Use a humidifer, don’t overuse space heaters (including your car), and drink plenty of water. Your face and hands especially need extra care during the winter, because they have greater exposure, so be sure to keep them hydrated (and exfoliated)!
• Escape. These are stressful times, so find time for yourself. Take a warm bath, read a good book, do something just for yourself. Do something that you enjoy for short, daily escapes.

While you take care of everyone else this holiday season, be sure to take care of yourself (and your skin!)