Perfect Skin Treating’s
Brrr, it is that time of year when you suddenly notice the change in the weather, and you find yourself ramping the heating up and reaching over for something warm and cosy like a cashmere jumper. It is also that time as we approach Halloween, and the one provocative question on your lips is what you are doing for Christmas and the holidays, reminding yourself that this year you need to ensure:
1) You please all and they love their Christmas treating’s
2) Include everyone, as after last year’s Covid restrictions, your list of people and places to be just seemed to have grown...
3) See everybody with enough time to go around – now that is a feat in itself!
It is the dreaded thought of what to gift everyone on your whirlwind tour. Are you the super-organised, envious, “it’s all done and dusted” friend with presents all wrapped, packed, and ready to go and Christmas cards already written or are you a last-minute Christmas Eve shopper and your question to everyone until 3pm the day prior is “What would you like??”
Well, whichever mould you fall in to do not despair! Last minute gifts can be great, especially if you go armed with a little inside knowledge and consider what is really happening to your mum’s, sister’s, and bestie’s skin. Even better…if you can fix it or get your partner started into looking after their skin, need I say more?
Winter skin is a thing -- FACT! As the seasons change and we rapidly approach those dark and dreary months (well, here in the UK anyway!), your skin is going through a change too. When the humidity levels change, your skin’s behaviour starts to change too. We think of winter as being wet, yet the reality is that during winter as far as humidity levels go, the atmosphere can be much drier than the summer months. Think of those howling winds, streaking rain and leaves as deep as your knees, which is beautiful to walk through, yet they did not just drop. They had a firm force pulling them from the trees and that chilling wind can have same dehydrating, crinkling, and withering effect on the skin when it’s exposed without protection.
The other issue that skin faces throughout winter is constant heat fluctuations. One minute you’re warm and toasty, snuggled up in a multitude of layers as close to the roaring fire as you can be. Then, the dog brings you its lead, and no matter how much you try to convince him he really doesn’t want a walk right this minute, those eyes and nudge of the nose tell you a completely different story, so it’s time to pull on your boots, waterproof and SPF and get out there and face the elements.
Throughout the winter months, we may see changes such as drier skin patches, more breakouts and dull skin appearance. Skin can frequently experience that “tight” sensation, a sure sign of dehydration too. Add into the equation that the season for celebrating is drawing closer, so an extra tipple or two on the works “night-out,” increased chocolate consumption (from the added stress of Christmas shopping) and diets that are richer in saturated fats diet than usual from comfort eating and take-aways, all because we want something to look forward to in this bleak period called winter, (and the word “fresh salad” gives you a shiver as you long for something rich, heart-warming and steaming!)
So, what effect does the weather have on your skin and how can you rectify it?
With freezing temperatures, high winds and lower humidity levels, the skin begins to lose extra water reserves and vital moisture levels start to deplete. When using your daily moisturiser throughout the late autumn and into winter, it is a clever idea to check out your moisturiser texture. If it is a thin, light lotion, then it is time to switch up to a richer cream version. If you are already using a cream and the thought of using a moisturiser that is richer and denser in texture makes you think of a face which may look a little like a glazed donut, then looking at your daily serums could be a better change for you. Adding in marine collagen amino acids, Hyaluronic acid or probiotic skincare could be the solution to your winter skincare routine. Great British brands such as Doctors Formula®, and Elemis ® have delicious collagen and pro collagen moisturisers.
Marine collagen is known to replenish hydration levels and keep our skin full of elasticity, so it is a definite choice for winter skin protection even from being as young as in our mid-twenties (when we naturally start to deplete our collagen levels) and is something to consider through to your senior years. Think of collagen like a glue within the body and skin, holding everything together and keeping the outer appearance of skin from looking more like a grape than a wrinkly raisin! Plus, its ability to attract and bind moisture in the skin makes it a sure winner for topical skincare throughout the winter months.
Hyaluronic acid serums are necessary in everyone’s skincare routine. Known for its restorative abilities and ability to boost the skin’s moisture content while it simultaneously soothes and defends against moisture loss, adding Hyaluronic acid into your daily skincare routine is likely to leave you with a visibly decreased wrinkle depth and smoother skin surface whilst helping to reinforce the skin’s protective barrier. Hyaluronic acid is thought to be capable of holding up to 1,000 times its own weight in water, making it an optimal hydrator for all skin types and a definite winter skincare winner. Take a look at The Ordinary®, Loreal Revitalift® Hyaluronic acid serum and Doctors Formula® variations for top choices in HA serums.
Lastly, probiotic skincare may appear to be somewhat of a new phenomenon in the skincare category, but if it is something you have not tried yet, then there is no time like the present. Probiotics in skincare are the ‘good’ bacteria that are designed to restore the balance in your skin, bringing it back to a harmonious state.
Probiotics restore, rebalance, and rehydrate your microbiome, the natural ecosystem on your skin –which ensure your skin’s natural defence mechanisms are always armed and ready to combat the stresses of the weather, life, and the visible signs of ageing. They work by regulating everything from hydration to sensitivity, breakouts to dryness, blemishes to redness. They provide the skin’s living colony of both good and bad bacteria the opportunity to work in harmony. Probiotics work by rebuilding, repairing, and strengthening your skins natural barrier function, which is the invisible protective shield on your skin, so it thrives rather than survives the winter weather change. For the best Probiotic skincare available, take a pre-Christmas peek at leading brands such as Valmont®, Aurelia® and skincare pioneers Doctors Formula Probiotics® for the latest ingredients and skin saving formulations.
During the winter months many people find that as the moisture levels deplete in their skin, their skin suddenly feels tight, become red in patches or even itchy because of the dryness, so the seasonal switch of skincare is an absolute necessity to keep your skin in premium condition. Plus, it is not always just our facial skin which experiences these changes -- your body may also experience more dehydrated skin and if left untreated for an extended period, it causes fine lines to appear on the skin and wrinkles which could have been prevented. So, to avoid the not so lovely benefits of dehydration, another way to boost your total hydration levels in the skin and support your hair, nails and joints throughout the winter months is by taking a collagen supplement or collagen boosting drink. Peter Andre loves his Reverse life® while Jennifer Aniston promotes Vital Proteins®. My best British brand – Doctors Formula® Collagen Boosting Drink with a great taste and 10.000mg of collagen in just one shot per day - easy.
As collagen is the most abundant protein in your body, it plays various vital roles both within the building blocks of your skin, muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments. It also assists with our digestive system and blood vessels. Collagen accounts for a third of your body’s protein composition. Not only is it essential for healthy joints, gut function, and mobility it also keeps skin full of elasticity and promotes a more youthful looking skin appearance.
Decreases in skin collagen starts from as young as our mid-twenties, combined with other physiological changes, resulting in lower moisture levels and reduced skin firmness leading to premature skin ageing. Collagen is a protein that makes up more than 30% of all protein in your body with over 70% of the skin is made up of collagen and water. So by taking a collagen supplement, we treat the whole of our bodies, not just the areas prone to the elements such as our face, neck, and hands. As it is a fundamental building block of the skin to prevent the signs of premature ageing, loss of skin tone and elasticity, fine lines and wrinkles, as well as uneven skin texture, collagen is a definite solution that can addresses these issues during the winter season.
On a frosty winter day, the thought of a long soak in a steaming hot bath or a rainfall pounding from a power shower seems like bliss. Yet again, the extreme of temperature is not great for the skin, as anything which forces your skin to an extreme temperature can influence the skin. Skin likes a constant temperature, so keeping fluctuations to a minimum helps our skin to maintain a better equilibrium. Rethink before stoking up the fire and sitting right next to it so your skin glows from the heat or using water that is red hot. They may be small wins, but they can have a significant impact on your skin health.
Last but not least, no matter what the season, SPF is essential. Just because the days appear dreary and there is no sunshine streaming through the windows, the strength of UV rays are still around us. As one of the major causes of wrinkles and premature ageing, using an SPF daily in your skincare regimen can keep your skin looking more radiant, and fresh, plus assist in the prevention of long-term sun damage such as hyperpigmentation and blocking out those harmful ageing UV rays. So even when it is cold and cloudy, SPF should be an everyday application -- not just for holidays and the summer months.
Around the holiday seasons and during the winter months, there always appears to be more socialising going on, and with it more alcohol consumption. Plus, comfort-food in the winter months feels like it is a given – with hot and steaming soups, stews, and puddings (or is that just me?) Holidays can also bring more take-aways – your most used app becomes Just-eat® or Deliveroo® Meals out, richer, heart-warming dishes, to fuel your inner self and stave off the wintry weather. But this too can influence your skin health, so thinking about a skincare treat as a last-minute gift could be a winter saviour and see your besties’ skin through to January before the detox season arrives.
There is an intrinsic connection between your gut health, brain health and skin health. A few days of celebrating and over-indulgence and your skin lets you know that it has been put through the mill. The complexion you have worked so hard at attaining before meeting up with those family and friends you have not seen in “oh so long” suddenly feels like it has taken on a mind of its own, looking dry and dull with a few blemishes and breakouts. All of a sudden, redness that you have never experienced before pops up and your cleanser feels like it is leaving your skin dry and tight after use. Or was it the weather and an attack of dehydration that has caused the change? Realistically, it is a combination of all three.
We know alcohol can cause our skin to become drier. It restricts the amount of oxygenated blood supplied around your skin’s microsystem, which is a key player in keeping skin hydrated and healthy in appearance -- hence the flat, dull like looking appearance after alcohol consumption.
When your skin is under-nourished with vital nutrients, we often see the colour and tone of the skin change, so skin may appear more patchy and uneven looking in appearance. Alcohol can also cause the body to retain more water, leaving you with a puffy face the following day. Drinks high in sugar with alcohol (which already have zero or minimal nutritional value) not only affects the waistline, but also creates a spike in sugar that triggers your appetite in the early morning hours, causing many to indulge in the “drink munchies” that usually ends up being an unhealthy take-away saturated in fat. All of this to help counteract the effects of the night before when you wake up the next morning, hoping that you don’t feel so bad after all…
Food -- it is the ultimate in skin feeding, nourishment and health preservation. For many of us, it is also a symbol of celebration and comfort (or to the millions watching their waistlines may feel like the forbidden or famine!) The holiday season may bring about an abundance of food and that too can have an impact on skin. We are what we eat.
Short term over-indulgences we can sometimes get away with, but healthy skin really does start from within. A balanced and varied diet packed with antioxidant rich foods, your 5-a-day of fresh fruit and vegetables combined with “good” fats, protein and fibre keeps supplying your ever evolving skin cells with a supply of goodness, with key nutrients keeping it hydrated, supple and healthy. Diet plays a significant role in keeping the appearance of skin to look more youthful -- although gravity, lifestyle and health will all play their part in us naturally ageing.
So, in the countdown to Christmas and the search for the perfect skin treating’s, the wish to look radiant and fresh-faced in time for the Christmas night-out and precision planned visits of all relatives over the holidays. Look, at both your skin nourishing diet and topical skincare over the next few months. It does not have to be a whole new skincare routine, it can be a tweak here and there, and with an average 50ml facial moisturiser and 30ml serum lasting approximately 10-12 weeks of use, just a couple of changes can see you through until spring. Increase the hydration and moisturisation levels with the skincare that you apply by adding in key ingredients such as marine collagen or Hyaluronic Acid. Both ingredients can play a vital role in your skins winter survival. You can also try probiotic skincare to strengthen your skin’s natural microbiome and build your skin’s resilience and protective invisible shield before it gets a winter weather attack. In addition, treat your body as a whole and boost not only your skin but your hair, nails and joints with a collagen boosting supplement or drink.
Do not feel overwhelmed by the vast array of skincare out there -- keep it simple and think of hydration heroes for your last-minute skincare gifts. We all need a boost pre and post the holidays! Use code: HYDRATE50 for 50% off any full price products! Expired 31st Dec 2021.
www.doctorsformula.co.uk