WINTER SKIN CARE GUIDE: COMBAT DRYNESS AND HYDRATE FOR RADIANT SKIN

WINTER SKIN CARE GUIDE: COMBAT DRYNESS AND HYDRATE FOR RADIANT SKIN

As the winter season settles in, it’s common to notice your skin feeling drier than usual.  But why does this happen, and how can you maintain hydration and skin health throughout the colder months?  Read on to discover the causes of winter dry skin and effective strategies to keep your skin nourished and glowing despite the harsh weather conditions. 

Why Does Winter Cause Skin Dehydration?

During winter, the decrease in atmospheric humidity leads to a loss of moisture in the air.  Consequently, your skin struggles to retain its natural hydration, resulting in dryness, tightness, and potential flakiness.  Additionally, central heating systems exacerbate this issue by further drying out indoor air, while hot showers strip the skin of essential oils, compounding dehydration.  Surprisingly, even caffeine consumption can contribute to skin dehydration during the winter months.

Combating Dryness: Essential Steps for Hydrated Skin

While it may seem counterintuitive, exfoliating your skin on a regular basis removes the dead skin cells, that sit on top of your skins surface promotes cell turnover and facilitates moisture absorption, restoring hydration to the skin.  But which type of exfoliator is best for your skin?

With numerous exfoliating products available, it can be challenging to determine which one is right for your skin type and concerns.  In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the different types of exfoliators, their unique features, and the benefits they offer for achieving and maintaining healthy skin.

Physical Exfoliators contain granular particles or textured surfaces that physically slough off dead skin cells.  They typically come in the form of scrubs, brushes or cleansing tools.  Physical exfoliators provide immediate results by manually buffing away surface debris, giving instant results promoting a brighter complexion, unclogging pores and prevents breakouts. This type of mechanical exfoliation benefits problematic, oily, blemished younger skins but the mechanical action can irritate a more mature, sensitive skin that has thread veins near the surface.  Check out our advanced physical exfoliators with additional ingredients to benefit your skin here.

Chemical Exfoliators on the other hand utilises acids, enzymes or other chemical compounds to dissolve skin cells.  They’re available in various forms including toners, serums, masks and peels offering a gentle yet effective exfoliation without the need for physical scrubbing.  These types of exfoliators are ideally suited to sensitive skins with thread veins on the surface of the skin.  They can penetrate deeper into the skin,

targeting stubborn impurities and promoting cellular renewal addressing specific concerns such as acne, hyperpigmentation and deep-set wrinkles. 

Here at the Skin Society, we have a formulated a gentle, yet effective Glycolic Wash that is backed by 30 years of research.  All of our products are manufactured here in the UK and are vegan friendly and palm free.  Our Glycolic Wash is packed with AHA’s and BHA’s and is gentle enough to be used daily to reveal luminous, radiant skin.

Enzymatic Exfoliators contain enzymes derived from natural sources such as fruits, plants or fungi.  They work by breaking down the bonds between dead skin cells, allowing them to be easily sloughed off without causing irritation or inflammation.  Enzymatic exfoliators offer gentle exfoliation suitable for sensitive or reactive skin, helping to improve skin tone and texture, leaving the complexion smooth and radiant. Our exclusive Natural Soothing Daily Cleanser is packed with fruit extracts and antioxidants minimising irritation for sensitive, compromised skin conditions.  Alternatively, our AlumierMD AHA Renewal Serum contains 8% lactic acid to reduce the visible signs of aging and promote a brighter, firmer and more radiant complexion.

Combination Exfoliators are a blend of both physical and chemical exfoliating agents that offer the benefit of both types of exfoliation in a single product.  They’re great for providing versatility and customisation options to address multiple skin concerns or when your skin changes throughout your cyclical month and may be more sensitive at certain times of the month.  We work with the AlumierMD skincare brand which isn’t just backed by science, but their carefully crafted formulations are dual action not only providing excellent exfoliant properties but are packed nourishing, hydration and brightening ingredients improving skin tone, texture and radiance.  For more on this check out our range of solutions here.

Choosing the Right Exfoliator for Your Skin

When selecting an exfoliator, it’s important to consider your skin concerns and sensitivity levels.  Those with dry skin or sensitive skin may benefit from gentler formulations such as enzymatic exfoliators, while oily or blemish prone skin may require more potent chemical exfoliants.  When incorporating chemical exfoliants into your skin care routines ideally start with a lower concentration of acids and gradually increase the frequency to avoid over-exfoliation and irritation.

Introducing exfoliants into your daily routine is key to achieving smooth, radiant skin.  By understanding the different types of exfoliators available and their unique features and benefits you can ensure you get the right product to suit your skin’s needs and achieve optimal results.

Whether you prefer physical, chemical, enzymatic or combination exfoliators, there’s a solution to help you achieve your skincare goals and maintain a healthy, glowing complexion.

Sunscreen: A Winter Essential

Don’t overlook sunscreen during the winter months.  UV rays are still present and can contribute to skin damage and premature aging, which can exacerbate a dry skin.  Incorporating a broad-spectrum SPF cream into your daily skincare regime to protect your skin from harmful UV exposure.  Here at the Skin Society, we believe in ensuring you have the right sunscreen to suit your needs.  Whether that’s a matt finish, sheer hydration or tinted sunscreen we work with you to ensure you have the right fit.  Check out our extensive range of broad-spectrum SPF 40 sun protection here.

Enhancing Results with Professional Treatments

When dealing with dry, flaky patchy skin utilising advanced techniques with a good homecare routine to bring it back to a healthy condition will speed up the process and enhance your results.  A light chemical peel during the winter months removes the outer surface of the skin clearing away dead skins causing flaking on your skin and allows for greater absorption of your hydrating serums, moisturisers and sunscreens.  Our peels are designed to treat uneven skin tone and dryness, generating new skin cells and bringing a natural luminosity to your skin. With a minimum to no downtime, they’re an effective treatment that allows you to continue with your day, without the need to hide away afterwards!  Why not give us a call to discuss how our peels will benefit you?

Ready to take the next step towards radiant, healthy skin?  Our team of skincare experts are here to guide you on your journey to a glowing complexion.  Whether you’re looking to tackle a dull, devitalised, uneven skin tone to fine lines and wrinkles or simply enhance your skin health, we’ve got you covered.

Book an appointment and let us create a personalised plan to achieve optimal results for your skin.  From tailored skincare routines to advanced treatments, we’ll work with you every step of the way to ensure your skin goals become a reality.