The winter season often brings poor weather: rain, wind, snow and bitterly cold temperatures. We naturally adapt our choice of winter clothing to meet this challenge – but often forget all about winter skincare. Choosing the right care products is important. Yet, by just following a few winter skin care tips you can avoid such problems and help prevent winter dry skin.
What Causes Dry Skin in Winter?
During the winter months, cold weather can cause skin problems. The skin’s sebaceous glands produce sebum, which acts like a protective film, helping preventing pollutants from penetrating the skin and at the same time allowing less moisture to escape, which is very important in the winter months. So, once the temperature falls below 10 degrees, it’s time to think about your skincare routine.
Why do I Get Red Veins on my Face When it's Cold?
While facial red veins may not always be harmful, these small broken capillaries (often known as facial thread veins) can still cause redness as they tend to widen when near the surface of your skin. These can be caused by sudden changes in temperature. In certain severe cases, their removal could require a medical intervention.
What Can Help to Reduce Facial Red Veins?
Try the following winter remedy: when your skin can’t produce enough protection of its own, you can provide an additional barrier using an appropriate skincare product. Moisturising products ideally contain ingredients like glycerine, panthenol and urea.
Even so, it’s rather more difficult to specify an optimal moisturiser for winter dry skin, because that can vary according to your skin type.
When is the Best Time to Apply Cream in Winter?
Timing is crucial!
Never rely on random applications: It’s always best to apply care products immediately after you shower or bathe. Your skin will then be moist, and products can help to seal in that residual moisture.
Men who shave need to be especially careful. Those who use after-shave lotions containing alcohol really should consider a change during the colder weather. Alcohol can dry out skin, and as we have just learned, moisturised skin is very important in winter. So, switch to an alcohol-free alternative – or, if possible, avoid them altogether! As for your shave, we also recommend a razor such as the Gillette SkinGuard Sensitive Razor, specifically designed for shaving sensitive skin. It is particularly gentle, offering maximum skin comfort during your shave while also helping to avoid unpleasant irritation and prevent dry skin.
Winter Facial Cleansing
You should also consider changing your facial cleansing routine once winter arrives. Dead skin cells tend to build up during cold weather and should be removed regularly. Consider exfoliation - there are a couple of different types: face scrubs physically remove build up but may further irritate your skin, if it is already heavily stressed. In winter, you can try a gentler chemical exfoliant; it’s all about what works for you!
It’s no secret your lips have no sebaceous glands. If you suffer with dry, chapped lips in the winter you can try a lip balm, or a protective gel-type cream for moisturisation.
Making these winter skin care tips part of your facial cleansing routine will ensure optimal skin protection and help prevent dry skin in winter.
