Seasonal changes from summer to fall can also signal the start of changes to your skin. The dryness, cold temperatures, and wind of autumn can cause significant moisture loss, leaving your skin feeling or looking dull and rough. Be proactive by changing your skin care regimen and including products that can protect, or even prevent dryness and irritation.
Dr. Rivers shares five simple skin care tips to help you manage some common seasonal skin changes:
1. Choose the right cleanser
Use a gentle cleanser that won’t strip away natural oils. The natural oils produced by your skin have a protective effect that helps balance your skin’s moisture level. Use lukewarm water instead of hot water when washing your face.
2. Moisturize throughout the day
It can’t be overemphasized that the key to successfully managing dry skin is to keep it well hydrated. The best time to apply lotions or creams is right after you’ve dried off following a shower or bath, which seals in the moisture that’s just been absorbed into your skin. Also, adjust your product choice by selecting a thicker moisturizer to restore adequate hydration levels.
3. Continue to exfoliate
Exfoliation is beneficial for every season, but it is especially helpful as your skin becomes drier during fall and winter. Cellular build-up on the skin’s surface can result in dull-looking skin. A skin care regime that includes exfoliation can encourage the skin to absorb more moisture and remove surface debris.
4. Protect your lips
The dry, cold air outdoors combined with low humidity and heat indoors can easily dehydrate your lips, making them prone to peeling and cracking. Furthermore, the instinct to lick your lips makes the chapping worse. Using a lip balm with a sunscreen of SPF 15 will form a protective barrier and prevent cracks from forming while maintaining hydration.
5. Apply sunscreen
Sunscreen use shouldn’t be limited to the summer months. We’re well informed about the essentials of ultraviolet (UV) protection during the hot and sunny season, but we easily forget the importance of daily sunscreen use throughout the fall and winter months. Keep in mind that clouds don’t block harmful UV rays, depending on the type of cloud coverage, they may only serve as a weak filter. UV protection through sunscreen use has been proven to reduce premature skin ageing and skin cancer risk.
For more skin care tips, please come into the clinic and speak with one of our skin care professionals.
Image source: The Gloss via Altafulla