Looking after your skin in winter to avoid dry, dull and chapped skin

Winter is when your skin needs some help in looking after itself. The harsh weather can make your skin listless and dull, but you can change that with these simple tips.

Chapped lips are perhaps the first sign that winter is coming. Very soon, your skin goes dry, and looks dull and lifeless. The lack of hydration is often the biggest culprit when it comes to winter skin. Here is how you can keep your skin glowing and radiant all through the cold season.

Don’t stash away your SPF sunscreen

The most common mistake we make is putting away our sunscreens in winter. It is true that you can’t see the sun in winter on most days, but while UVB rays are a bit lower, UVA continues to remain steady. UV rays affect skin and increase ageing as much in winter as it does in summer. Using a sunscreen with a high UVA rating all through the year is a good idea. UVB rays help in stimulating the production of Vitamin D. Since this drops in winter, you can supplement with vitamin D3 tablets.

If you go skiing, a day in the pow can leave you very, very burned. Wear a high SPF sunscreen, sunglasses, and reapply sunscreen after lunch.

Book yourself a professional treatment

If you have been wanting to get yourself professional treatment like a peel or laser resurfacing but hesitated in the summer, then this is a good time to do it. In summer, exposure to heat and the sun before or after a procedure can result in hyper-pigmentation or inflammation of the skin. Winter and autumn reduces the chances of this significantly.

Work double time to stay hydrated

Skin naturally becomes drier during the cold season. It is important to stay hydrated in winters, particularly because it’s easy to forget to drink water. You don’t really feel thirsty that often in the cold. This is the season where a switch from coffee (which dehydrates) to green tea (loaded with anti-oxidants) can make a huge difference to your skin. In winter, if your skin feels tight after a cleanser and you feel the need for a moisturiser, you may need to switch to a gentler cleanser that makes your skin feel soft. These changes for the inside of your body and for the outside can work wonders.

Get a facial

Skin tends to get dull in winter and the best way to combat that is to get a professional facial done once a month. Your skin needs about 30 days to go through a full life cycle of skin cell growth. A mild peel or an exfoliating facial is what you should choose. Regular facials ensure your skin absorbs moisturisers better, and looks more radiant with all the dead skin sloughed off.

Prevent lick eczema

Have you noticed how sometimes your lips seem exceptionally cracked and sore in the winter? This is called lick eczema, which tends to occur when you unknowingly lick your lips to make them feel moist. Always use a high quality lip ointment, particularly before you eat foods like tomatoes, which can irritate chapped lips. If you are spending time out in the snow, you also run chances of getting sunburnt. Using a Zinc Oxide based sunscreen will keep the harmful effects of UV rays away from your lips and your face.

Eating healthy is also important

Don’t burden the digestive system during the winter season as what you eat will reflect on your skin as well. Stay away from fried and heavy foods. These tend to sit heavily on the stomach and can exacerbate existing skin issues. To prevent this from happening, do make it a point to eat clean, fresh food that is light and nourishing. The benefits will be reaped by your skin.

Hydrate at bath time

Bath time is when you pamper your skin. It is a time you can spend relaxing and wind down the effect of stress hormones that can damage your skin. It is also a great time to hydrate skin. Use bath oils that are suitable to your skin type while you are bathing. These can hydrate your skin and my help to reduce itching from ailments like eczema or psoriasis.

Through the winter season, it is important that you work on adapting your skincare rituals to its needs during each season. Winters especially require extra attention and it is important that your products work on protecting your skin. Dryness is the usual fallout of winter and hydration. Work on it from both on the inside of your body with good food; and on the outside with the right mix of deeply moisturising products to give your skin the support it needs.