Winter Skin

Winter Skin Come to an End

As I wrote the title I thought, "Is  there any season we LOVE our skin?' 
Winter is dry, summer is oily and sweaty, fall and spring are unpredictable.  Not trying to sound negative, but I do feel like we are always battling something...even if it is just a bit.
We really haven't  had too much of a cold winter, but regardless, our skin still feels dry!   
What do we do for dry skin?

First, let's talk about our skin in general. Our body gets just as dry as our face. My back gets dry and itchy, my legs, too.  So from our toes up, here are a few suggestions...
Don't stay in the hot shower or bath for an extended period of time. Don't use bubble bath because it is like bathing in detergent.  Use bath oils if you want to add something to your water.  Once you are out and dried off, immediately apply a heavy moisturizer.  The moisturizer will absorb better on moist skin.  One great choice is Cetaphil Cream found easily at the drug store. Make sure you get the cream not the lotion. Another option is a cream with Lactic Acid.  Lactic Acid can help severely dry skin. Lacticare is an over the counter choice and our office has a nice one made by DCL. The Lactic Acid creams may sting a little when you first apply it, but should resolve quickly.

For our faces, heavier moisturizers are usually necessary during in the winter.  
Remember, moisturizers are made up oil and water. A heavy moisturizing cream has more oil than water where as a light moisturizer has more water than oil.  
So on your face, a heavier cream can help make a difference when you feel extra dry...I guess that is obvious. Hopefully the one you have chosen will absorb some, but also staying on the epidermis creating a light layer of protection. 
There are some differences in moisturizers besides the amount of oil added in them. There are ingredients which can help with absorption and also may do some correcting with growth factors or acids, for example.  Drug store brands are fine to use, but personally I cannot find one that I feel absorbs well enough.  The reason being, technology behind the nicer creams is too expensive for the drugstore types. My favorites are Dermal Repair from the Skin Medica line and a new one called Hydrate made by Obagi.
Be aware, for those oilier skin types, even if you feel dry,  it could clog up your pores and cause breakouts.  Be aware as to how heavy you should apply it and how often so you don't get zits and milia.
 I vary the moisturizers I use from summer to winter, but also may vary from day to day depending on what my skin is doing. If I am flaky, I apply a heavier cream. I may be really dry around the sides and not down the center, so, I apply more around the edge. Duh!
Speaking of flaky, the other winter skin tip that can help with dryness is to adjust your Retin A.  
My Retin A schedule changes a bit from winter to summer. For winter, it may help to decrease the number of nights you apply it or decrease the strength of your Retin A. 

One other thought about the winter months and your skin is... It is a perfect time to have laser treatments done like Fraxel and IPL (FotoFacial) .  Because of less sun exposure and maybe a more predictable schedule, it is the best time for these treatments.
One more important note, you still need sunscreen in the winter.  Since I am the sunscreen police, I need to make sure you understand everyone still needs to apply sunscreen, no matter the season.  Even if you aren't on the ski slope absorbing the refection, it is still necessary....speaking of, I sure wish I was skiing right now.  Well, that's on my bucket list to become a better skier.:)

Hope this helps,
Liz