Dry Skin.
Like nails on a chalkboard, no one likes the sight or sound of it!
Dry skin is common problem for many people during the winter.
With exposure to cold temperatures, high winds and lower moisture levels in the air, winter can be detrimental to our skin – stripping it of its natural moisturizing oils causing redness, dryness, flakiness and in worse cases, rashes!
WE WANT YOU TO KNOW YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE SUFFERING
You see, the way it works is that skin is made up of layers, each serving a different purpose. The outermost layer called the stratum corneum (Let’s refer to this as our skin barrier because none of us are scientists here), is made up of lipids containing cholesterol, fatty acids, ceramides, and keratin. Without a skin barrier, our skin would be left extremely dehydrated and compromised by external factors! That being said, moisture is essential for our skin barrier to stay healthy in order to function properly, and winter weather puts up a really good fight!
Symptoms of winter dry skin:
itchiness/stinging
dry/scaly skin
cracks
rough patches
acne
inflamed areas
bacterial or viral skin infections
We know you all try your best to do what you can to combat dry skin by lathering up with lotions, oils, and moisturizers, but those don’t always do the trick, do they? Applying moisturizers can be beneficial, but they don’t necessarily get to the root of the problem. They may alleviate the look of dry skin temporarily, but you could wake up the next day back at ground zero! Your skin can still be dry even if you use moisturizers, and this could possibly be caused by a build-up of dead skin cells, using too harsh of products, or overwashing! There are more effective steps you can take to make sure you can get rid of or avoid dry skin altogether during these cold and dry winter months!
HOW TO PREVENT DRY SKIN THIS SEASON
WHEN THE WEATHER CHANGES, OUR SKINCARE NEEDS TO CHANGE WITH IT!
Tailor your Skincare to the Winter Weather
Exfoliation – You might think that exfoliation would worsen dryness, but it is important to make sure you are ridding the skin of the dead and dry top layer that is keeping you from retaining moisture and preventing cell turnover. Sloughing off dead skin cells and revealing new skin will also allow your skin to soak in more benefits from your products! Do this 2-3x per week to allow those new cells to surface and give you that glow!
Product Suggestions:
– ZO Enzymatic Peel
– ZO Dual Action Scrub
– ZO Exfoliating Polish
– IS Clinical Active Serum
Add in more hydration.
With feeling more dryness (especially around the areas where your skin is delicate, like the eyes and lips), now is a good time to add extra moisture to seal in more hydration! For example, simply adding a product that contains hyaluronic acid, such as the IS Clinical Hydra-Cool, to your regimen can be enough to keep you more hydrated. This is because hyaluronic acid holds 1,000x its weight in water and, when mixed with your skincare products, will trap the water molecules and push them into the skin cells! Depending on the severity of your dryness determines what product would be best for your case. This is because there are other ingredients, such as retinol, ceramides, or thicker product consistencies, that help to provide more moisture and cell turnover!
Product Suggestions:
-IS Clinical Reparative Moisture Emulsion
– IS Clinical Moisturizing Complex
– ZO Renewal Creme
– ZO Recovery Creme
– IS Clinical Hydra-Cool
– ZO Growth Factor Eye Serum
– Ormedic Lip Enhancement
Visiting your Aesthetician
Routine visits with your aesthetician for treatments will not only keep your skin hydrated and healthy, but it will give you a deeper cleaning, exfoliation, and hydration than you can do at home! Your aesthetician will also take the time to check in on the state of your skin and the current products you’re using to counsel you on new products they think would benefit you to keep your skin barrier healthy and hydrated!
Stay Hydrated
Drink lots of water, ensure you eat healthy foods, and take your vitamins! These are vital to the health of your skin!
Winter Hydration Hacks: Things to avoid
As well as the things you need to be doing, there are also things you will want to stay away from!
Exfoliating is a must, but you want to make sure you aren’t OVER exfoliating! This can cause additional dryness and irritation. Over washing your skin or cleansing your face can also be harmful to your skin barrier. You should wash your face only 2x daily, once in the A.M. and once before bed!
Avoid over-exposure to heat; this can draw moisture away from the skin. Showering/cleansing with extremely hot water can be drying and irritating, especially on your face! Also, be sparing about how much time you spend in front of a fire or heater!
DRY SKIN DOES NOT HAVE TO BE INEVITABLE!
Follow these small steps to prepare for this season, and as always, we are here for you whenever there is something you just can’t seem to figure out on your own!
January Special
Sign up for one of our monthly memberships and get a free ZO® Getting Skin Ready Kit
($64.50 value)
Set aside time each month to give your skin some undivided attention for treatment and product education with our aestheticians to keep your skin healthy and to glow all year round.
