How To Keep Your Skin Glowing During Winter || Guest Post

Winter is an uncomfortable time for your skin. For starters, the cold and dry air attacking your skin constantly makes it dry, itchy and flaky. The wool clothes that keep us so warm and look so good irritate when worn directly on the skin. It seems like skin just can't catch a break during the cold season. But not all hope is lost. Here are some measures you can take to keep your skin looking refreshed in this stressful time of the year.

1. Apply sunscreen

It may seem counterintuitive putting on sunscreen during the winter, but there is a good reasoning behind it. While it is very cold and there are fewer sunny hours in a day, the sun still affects your skin while it’s out. In fact, on snowy days, the snow actually reflects about eighty percent of sunlight directly back to your skin, increasing exposure.

Don’t let gloomy days fool you either. Clouds do not stop harmful rays from getting to your skin. UV radiation penetrates them and still causes damage to skin cells. If you want your skin to be in good shape and lessen your risk of skin cancer, apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen of about SPF fifteen before you go outside to ski or snowboard.

2. Limit shower time

While everyone enjoys a long, steamy shower, your skin probably doesn’t enjoy it as much as you might think. Hot water and long exposure to it will act as an irritant and cause your skin to become drier. This is especially true in winter when the contrast between a hot shower and the cold air is apparent.

A much healthier alternative would be a five to fifteen-minute shower or bath with lukewarm water. A good rule of thumb is: if the water causes your skin to turn red, it’s probably best to tone down the temperature. Redness indicated vasodilatation of blood vessels and can be a sign of irritation. Studies show that washing your hands and face with cold water is just as effective in removing bacteria, and much healthier to boot.

3. Modify your skin-care regime

In winter, cream-based skin cleansers are your friends. Toners and astringents less so. A lot of astringents contain alcohol, which is known to cause dryness when applied directly to the skin. This holds true on cold days where your skin is already dry, so further drying won't help you look good at all. Avoid products that have both alcohol and fragrances so your skin can keep its natural oils. A rich moisturizer at night won’t hurt, either.

Your choice of soap should also be different during winter-time. Soaps contain fragrances and other irritating agents that are no good for skin care when your skin is dry. Use less soap overall during this time. Alternatively, try a fragrance-free moisturizing gel or cleanser. It may even be a good idea to try this in other seasons, too.

4. Treat yourself with skin rejuvenation

Whether it’s surgery or long therapeutic facial treatments, winter is a good time as any to improve on your skin. If you’ve been looking out for your skin and it still feels dry and textured, go for a hydro-facial treatment that can improve impurities; not to mention that it’s also very soothing. If you feel like your skin is sagging and you want a younger appearance, a facelift could do the trick.

If you feel like a previous facelift needs to be improved on, winter is an ideal time for a proper facelift revision as there is enough time before sweaty summer months to reduce swelling. The cold weather helps reduce swelling as well.

5. Wear the right kind of clothes

Cold weather fabrics serve as an ideal barrier to the painful cold air we all hate. But they come at a price. Wool and other rough fabrics can and will irritate your skin if they continuously rub off of it. Ideally, you should have another layer of more comfortable fabrics between the wool and skin to avoid this. These should be lighter so you don't overdo it. Overdoing warm clothes will make you sweat and this, combined with the heat, will actually irritate your skin even more.

Changing out of wet clothes is also a must. If your gloves or socks get wet, try to change them immediately as wet and cold fabrics will further harm your skin and make you uncomfortable as well.

Conclusion

In conclusion, skin care during the winter is a daunting task. The weather doesn’t want to cooperate and neither does your skin. But measures can be taken to mitigate these things. These are just some examples that will work wonders for your skin if you try them this winter. If all else fails, consult a dermatologist for some more ideas and guidance.

Author Bio:
Mia Johnson is a freelance writer with a ten-year long career in journalism. She has written extensively about health, fitness, and lifestyle. A native to Melbourne, she now lives in Sydney with her 3 dogs where she spends her days writing and taking care of her 900 square feet garden.