4 tips to prevent dry skin this Winter

Winter is well and truly here, and more than likely, you’ve noticed your skin responding to the cold change.

Winter weather can wreak havoc on your skin, leaving it dry, dull, and prone to irritation. However, with a few simple adjustments to your skincare routine, you can keep your skin hydrated and glowing all season long. In this post, our expert skin therapists share four essential skincare tips to help you prevent dry skin during the winter months.

By using the right at-home products alongside in-clinic facials, you’ll be able to keep your skin looking soft, smooth, and vibrant all winter long. Dry July, be gone!

1. Nourish and replenish with oils

During winter, your skin typically requires a boost in lipids and hydration. In a nutshell, lipids are the skin’s natural fats. They are essential components of skin and play a crucial role in maintaining the strength of the skin’s protective barrier, which holds moisture, protects the skin from damage and keeps dirt and impurities out.

Try swapping in a gentle oil cleanser as either the first step in a double cleanse, or on its own. The Medik8 Lipid-Balance Cleansing Oil is an ultra-gentle oil cleanser that gently dissolves impurities and waterproof make-up to reveal replenished skin. Perfect for even the most sensitive skin types, the nourishing formula features an optimised ratio of essential lipids to replenish the skin’s natural defence barrier.

For a luxe treatment at home that provides an instant boost in nourishment and hydration, we love the benefits of an at-home bio-cellulose sheet mask (Medik8 does an excellent one here), followed by the powerful Proteoglycans ampoules by mesoestetic. Its concentrated formula contains active ingredients such as glycoproteins, Vitamins C and F that act synergistically to provide more firmness, elasticity, and nourishment to the tissues of your skin.

Handy Hint: If you’re currently using a Vitamin A, change up from emulsion-based Crystal Retinal to the extra nourishing oil-based Retinol 3TR Intense by Medik8.

2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

If you’re not already using a hyaluronic acid (HA) in your skincare routine, winter is now the time to incorporate one! Hyaluronic acid provides a hydrating and firming action to the skin, binding up to 1000 times its weight in water. It acts as a humectant, keeping your skin hydrated by holding water molecules on its surface.

Anytime we’re talking about skin that’s hydrated, we’re referring to skin that has a lot of water content. And the goal in the colder months is to lock all that hydration in.

You may have heard the term transepidermal water loss, or TEWL for short. This is the scientific term for the measurement of how much water is evaporated from the skin. By adding a hyaluronic acid, such as the mesoestetic HA densimatrix into your at-home skin care, then layering with a nourishing moisturiser, you can essentially lock in that hydration resulting in a hydrated and happy skin.

In the drier, colder months, replenish skin by using a moisturiser that contains ceramides or a humectant like hyaluronic acid. Our pick? The ultra-nourishing Hydra-vital Factor K by mesoestetic; a moisturising cream to hydrate the outer skin layer and help to restore the hydro-lipid balance, maintaining smoothness and elasticity. For combination to oily skin types, mesoestetic Hydra-vital Light is a gel-cream moisturiser formulated with hyaluronic acid of different molecular weights, to provide immediate, long-lasting hydration.

3. Stay radiant with gentle exfoliants

Winter can bring about pesky issues such as dry, flaky skin and a dull complexion. In winter, move away from mechanical exfoliation and opt for gentler chemical exfoliants, such as Polyhydroxy Acids (PHAs).

Balance is key when it comes to exfoliation; overuse of powerful acids everyday can often lead to sensitisation of the skin and premature skin ageing due to the skin’s inability to repair itself. PHAs are made up of larger molecules than AHAs and BHAs, meaning they do not penetrate the skin as deeply and instead exfoliate the surface of the skin.

This makes the Medik8 Press & Glow Daily Exfoliating PHA Tonic the perfect match for the cooler months and those with sensitive skin, as the formulation provides a safe daily exfoliation whilst keeping the skin barrier healthy.

As always, wearing sunscreen is imperative, even in winter. If you’re skin is on the drier side, consider switching your sunscreen to a nourishing formulation in winter. The mesoestetic Mesoprotech Melan 130 Pigment Control SPF 50+ is a unique tinted emulsion that melts into skin, giving a radiant skin glow and includes a depigmenting ingredient to help regulate melanin synthesis by reinforcing the preventative anti-spot action.

4. Consider professional skin treatments

Winter is a great time of year for skin treatments. This time of year presents the perfect opportunity to perform a course of chemical peels or depigmentation peels such as cosmelan (depending on your skin concerns). Why winter? We want you to limit any sun exposure before or after these treatments, due to a higher risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation from the sun, and ensure you have ample downtime for your skin to settle – ready for peak party season come Spring.

You may think you’re suffering from dry skin (lacking in lipids) in winter, when in fact your skin may be dehydrated (lacking in water). A diagnostic skin analysis with our Skin Therapists can help identify if you have a lipid dry skin or dehydrated skin.

Using the state-of-the-art OBSERV 520 skin analysis device, we can identify if lipids are present in the skin. Often the case is that the skin is producing lipids, however, the natural barrier function of the skin has been compromised, leading to an increase of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) that leaves you feeling dry, tight, and uncomfortable.

Ready to rehydrate your skin with an instant hit of nourishment this winter? Treat yourself to a luxurious Winter Rescue Facial at Bobbie Charles Skin and Cosmetic Clinic.

Delivering a nourishing boost of hydration with powerful skin-strengthening ingredients to leave your skin supple and smooth; coupled with the healing power of our near infrared LED light therapy to improve your skin health and elasticity. Say goodbye to dry, lacklustre skin and embrace a radiant complexion this winter. Book your Winter Rescue Facial and indulge in a pampering experience like no other. Your skin will thank you!

P.S. Ask your therapist to add on a hydrating hair mask if your hair is also feeling dry and lacklustre. Bliss!