Only snowmen look their best in the freezing cold – for the rest of us, winter can wreak havoc on our skin! (At least the groundhog didn’t see his shadow this year, spring can’t come soon enough…)
How do we keep our skin from getting the winter blues while not sacrificing our anti-aging agenda?
1. One of the biggest causes of rough dull winter skin is that the air tends to be very dry outside – pair this with the indoor heat that we have blazing, & it’s the perfect storm for dehydrated skin. Using a hydrator {hyaluronic acid & glycerine are best} is essential at this time of year, as they pull water into the skin. One great hyaluronic acid product is Kate Somerville’s Quench {this has the added benefit of time-released retinol, more on that to come!}. A common mistake: don’t just dab these on & run out the door, since they just pull water from a moist environment into the less moist environment – this means that in dry air they can actually pull water out of your skin, which is the opposite of what we’re trying to achieve! I recommend that you apply a hydrator in a steamy bathroom after you shower, let it sink in for a minute, and then top with a moisturizer to lock in all that delicious hydration. Oily skin? You still need hydration in the winter, and SkinCeuticals’ Hydrating B5 Gel is an oil-free formulation that’s perfect for your skin.
2. Peptide products are ideal for wintertime, because they deliver powerful collagen boosting ingredients while also being anti-inflammatory – this means that you won’t dry out or redden your skin by using these, which is rare for an anti-aging product! With all the outside-cold to inside-warmth running around we all do at this time of year, blood vessels in the skin are constantly constricting & dilating, which can leave skin blotchy, particularly if you’re prone to redness. If you add irritating skin treatments to this, you can easily wind up on the wrong side of a rosy glow. Peptide creams can help to limit redness & are a perfect choice to layer over potentially inflaming treatments like retinol {more on that in a moment!}. The best-studied peptides are Matrixyl & Dermaxyl, which have been shown to promote new collagen, but many companies now have their own peptide ingredients. While these may be shown to be effective after more study, I recommend that you choose the most proven products possible – after all, peptides are simply the building blocks of proteins, so a company could grind up some grilled chicken, put it in a jar, & sell you a ‘peptide cream,’ but that doesn’t mean that it will improve your skin. Kate Somerville’s Deep Tissue Repair has both Matrixyl & Dermaxyl, & the Hydropeptide line {a great new addition to the La Papillon beauty arsenal} has a Matrixyl derivative & Dermaxyl.
3. Since retinoids like retinol or prescription-strength tretinoin make skin sun-sensitive, the less sunny winter months are the best for getting this super star ingredient into your skin. Retinoids are the most proven ingredient out there to improve the condition of your skin – they smooth texture, even tone, clear out pores, & stimulate collagen. The most powerful over-the-counter product available currently is likely SkinCeuticals’ Retinol 1.0 {of course, La Papillon has stocked up!}. If you’re ready for more, prescription-only Atralin combines tretinoin with hydrating hyaluronic acid to minimize irritation – this helps to avoid the chapped look that’s given retinoids a bad rap. Retinoids are best applied at bedtime & topped with a soothing moisturizer – you can multitask with a peptide cream to combine soothing with added collagen boosting!
With these tips, you’ll definitely have a glow in the snow!
xo,
your Diva of Dermatology
Noëlle Sherber, M.D., F.A.A.D.
1 comment:
Yep, good timing, Noelle! Thanks so much for the great advice!
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