For great skin in winter you need two things: moisturizer and sunscreen.
ERIN ANDERSEN / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Friday, January 18, 2008 6:00 pm
For great skin in winter you need two things: moisturizer and sunscreen. It’s that simple.
Oh sure, there are different lotions, serums, formulas and spa treatments for improving skin tone and feel, but in the end it pretty much boils down to wearing sunscreen with a minimum sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 every day, and liberal use of moisturizers, said Dr. Rex Largen of Nebraska Dermatology.
“If a person started wearing sunscreen when they were 10 or younger, they would do a tremendous amount toward protecting skin from the usual signs of aging — age spots, skin cancer and wrinkling,” Largen said.
“After that, everything is basically preventative and a little bit corrective,” he said.
Sunscreen should be “an all year thing,” said Ann Alesio, co-owner of Bella Skin Care and Massage Therapy in Lincoln. “Especially with snow reflection and what you get through the car window.”
Studies by the American Academy of Dermatology found that people who did not wear sunscreen year-round were more likely to develop brown spots on their hands and faces — especially the left side, which is exposed to more sunlight through the driver’s side window.
A biology lesson
Skin is the body’s largest organ.
Like our other vital organs, it needs water and good nutrition to thrive.
And like it or not, our skin is a very visible window to our overall health, hygiene and self care, according to Dr. Susan Taylor, assistant professor of dermatology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York City and the School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
“What you apply to your skin helps give it a healthy, radiant glow, but remember what you put into your body is just as important,” Taylor said. “A balanced diet rich in vitamins and antioxidants can make a real difference in the appearance of your skin.”
Antioxidants C and E can protect skin from sun damage and help reduce damage in skin cells caused by harmful free radicals, which contribute to aging skin, states the American Academy of Dermatology. Vitamins B and A help form, maintain and repair skin tissue.
Drinking plenty of water helps keep you hydrated from the inside out. Humidifiers — or simply boiling a pot of water on the stove — can put some moisture in the air and back into skin and hair.
On the flip side, bathing and hair washing can increase dryness. In winter it is good to bathe and wash your hair every other day or even less frequently, Largen said.
If you can’t skip the daily shower, then at least make it shorter; use tepid or lukewarm water, and use soap sparingly, say dermatologists.
Alesio recommends shower gels over bar soap — unless you are using a natural soap infused with oils such as olive oil.
Apply moisturizer immediately after bathing, when skin is still damp. It helps lock in the moisturizing effects of the lotion, she said.
Dermatologic studies back that up. If you wash your hands and let them dry without using a moisturizer you will lose more water out of your skin than if you apply the moisturizer immediately after washing, Largen said.
Faces & foreheads
From lack of humidity to wicked winds, bitter temperatures and furnace-blasted hot air, the moisture literally is sucked out of our skin, Alesio said.
Moisturizers replenish and protect the skin from drying out further. Alesio also recommends adding a little serum to your moisturizer. She prefers essential oils like rose oil.
“The more natural, the better,” she said. “Stay away from petroleum products and synthetics.”
Kristin Judkins, esthetician at White Orchid Spa in Lincoln, recommends moisturizers containing lactic acid.
“It helps moisture penetrate deep in the skin,” Judkins said.
Both estheticians recommend exfoliating several times a week, or as often as every other day. Exfoliating removes the top layer of dead skin and allows moisturizers to penetrate more deeply, Judkins said.
You don’t need to exfoliate, Largen said.
“Skin exfoliates naturally on its own,” he said. “Dead skin is not bad. It doesn’t hurt a thing. It’s just a natural progression of skin.”
And for some people, exfoliating can increase dryness because it removes a protective oil barrier on the skin, he said.
Eyes
Many women come to Judkins seeking to minimize the lines in their forehead, but it’s always their eyes that she notices first.
“The eyes are always a dead giveaway,” she said.
Consistent moisturization can improve the appearance of your eyes and prevent moisture loss, Largen said. But failure to moisturize will not damage the skin around your eyes, he added.
However, applying too much eye cream can attract moisture, making eyes look puffy, and some revitalizing antioxidant treatments must be used in lower concentrations around the eyes, or skin can be burned, Judkins said.
Lips
First rule of thumb: Don’t lick your lips. Saliva evaporates quickly and can leave lips drier than before. Flavored lip balms may protect your lips, but they also taste good, increasing the temptation to like your lips.
Always protect lips with sunscreen.
“People think their lips get skinnier because they are getting older. Their lips get skinnier because of sun damage to the skin,” Judkins said.
Wax-based lip balms, particularly those containing petrolatum, bees wax or shea butter, provide an impermeable barrier, allowing lips to draw moisture from within, Largen said.
You also can use special lip moisturizers, which work from the outside in, say Alesio and Judkins.
For smoother lips, try exfoliating them, both women recommend.
Hair
“When it comes to hair care, less is more,” said Dr. Zoe Draelos, a dermatologist in High Point, N.C.
“Using unnecessary products or subjecting the hair to repeated procedures — such as perms, coloring, waving or straightening — can damage the hair and lead to breakage,” she said. “Although women use these things to improve the cosmetic appearance of their hair, in the long run they will inevitably cause the hair to lose some of its natural luster and look unhealthy.”
Emily Earnest, a hair specialist at White Orchid Salon and Spa, tells women to use a protein-containing conditioner in the winter and shampoos with low levels of alcohol.
Other hair-care tips:
* Wear a hat.
* Avoid or minimize use of blow dryers.
* Handle your hair as little as possible.
* Use hair spray and conditioners that contain sunscreen.
Do-it-yourself skin treatments
Harvest pumpkin exfoliating mask
(Makes 4 treatments)
1 teaspoon green tea, brewed
2 teaspoons pineapple, diced
4 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons aloe vera gel
½ teaspoon sunflower oil
4 teaspoons cornmeal
6 drops frankincense essential oil (optional)
4 drops cinnamon extract (optional)
Steep green tea in boiling water. Set aside to cool. In blender or food processor, puree pineapple and place in medium-sized mixing bowl. Add pumpkin, honey and aloe. Mix well. Stir in sunflower oil, green tea and cornmeal. Reserve remaining green tea for another use. Add frankincense and cinnamon. Stir.
Apply small amount of pumpkin mask to cheeks, forehead, chin and neck. Massage in circular motions, gently buffing skin. Repeat. Apply more product as needed. Leave a thin layer of pumpkin mask on face and neck for 15-20 minutes. Rinse with tepid or cool water and pat dry with soft towel.
Follow with appropriate moisturizer. Store remaining mask covered in refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Dry skin moisturizer
(Makes two applications)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons cocoa butter, melted
2 drops bergamot oil (optional)
1 drop lavender oil or tea tree (optional)
Mix all the ingredients together and apply to clean, dry face. This all-natural moisturizer can be covered and kept in a cabinet, but it will solidify. For a second application, heat in microwave for 10 seconds, stir and apply to skin same as before
Sweethhearts’ chocolate honey body scrub
(Makes 2 applications)
2 cups honey
½ cup grapeseed oil
6 tablespoons unsweetened chocolate, grated (or cocoa powder)
2 cups kosher salt
In mixing bowl, combine honey and grapeseed oil. Stir in chocolate and salt, mixing completely. Consistency should be grainy and thick. Apply scrub to skin and gently massage all over body. Remove with warm, damp towels or rinse in shower.
Source: National Honey Board
Vinegar peel
(Not recommended for sensitive skin.)
Mix ¼ to ½ cup organic vinegar to 1 cup pure water. Take a washcloth and cut out spaces for eyes and nose to see and breathe. Soak the washcloth in the water/vinegar mix and apply to your face while lying down. Leave on for up to 25 minutes.
Body salt scrub
Put 2/3 cup olive or almond oil in small bowl. Add approximately the same amount of sea salt (or table salt if that’s all you have on hand) or sugar. Add enough to make a nice consistency to be able to grab and rub all over your body. Add several drops of your favorite essential oil and begin rubbing all over you body in the tub — seated. Be very careful in the bathtub because the oil can cause you to slip and fall. When done, shower off.
Source: Lily Organics
Dew Fresh Skin Care
Reach Erin Andersen at 473-7217 or eandersen@journalstar.com.