10 Winter skin care tips

10 Winter skin care tips

The weather outside may be unsightly, but your skin doesn’t have to be. How to banish dry skin and give your winter skin care regimen a boost?. For many people, the cold clear days of winter bring more than just a rosy glow to the cheeks. They also bring uncomfortable dryness to the skin of the face, hands, and feet. For some people, the problem is worse than just a general tight, dry feeling: They get skin so dry it results in flaking, cracking, even eczema (in which the skin becomes inflamed).

Sound familiar? Read on.

1. Seek a Specialist
If you go to your local drugstore, you’ll be hard put to find a salesperson who can give you good advice. That’s why going to an aesthetician or dermatologist even once is a good investment.

2. Moisturize More
You may have found a moisturizer that works just fine in spring and summer, but as weather conditions change, so, too, should your skin care routine.

3. Slather on the Sunscreen
No, sunscreen isn’t just for summertime. Winter sun still damages your skin. Try applying a broad-spectrum sunscreen to your face and your hands (if they’re itching, cracking, sores, or even a flare-up of eczema .exposed) about 30 minutes before going outside.

4. Give Your Hands a Hand
The skin on your hands is thinner than on most parts of the body and has fewer oil glands. That means it’s harder to keep your hands moist, especially in cold, dry weather.

5. Avoid Wet Gloves and Socks
Wet socks and gloves can irritate your skin and cause

6. Hook up the Humidifier
Central heating systems (as well as space heaters) blast hot dry air throughout our homes and offices. Humidifiers get more moisture in the air, which helps prevent your skin from drying out.

7. Hydrate for Your Health
Not for Your SkinIf you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times: Drinking water helps your skin stay young looking.

8. Grease up Your Feet
Yes, those minty foot lotions are lovely in the hot summer months, but during the winter, your feet need stronger stuff. Try finding lotions that contain petroleum jelly or glycerin instead.

9. Pace the Peels
If your facial skin is uncomfortably dry, avoid using harsh peels, masks, and alcohol-based toners or astringents, all of which can strip vital oil from your skin. Instead, find a cleansing milk or mild foaming cleanser, a toner with no alcohol, and masks that are “deeply hydrating,” rather than clay-based, which tends to draw moisture out of the face.

10. Ban Superhot Baths
Sure, soaking in a burning-hot bath feels great after frolicking out in the cold. But the intense heat of a hot shower or bath actually breaks down the lipid barriers in the skin, which can lead to a loss of moisture. You’re better off with just warm water, and staying in the water a shorter amount of time.