Winter Skin Care Tips
Courtesy of White Pear

Chapped and dried skin can be a thing of the past with a few easy to follow skin care secrets. Whether you have combination skin or dry skin, putting the moisture back into your skin is important. Oily skin is especially vulnerable this time of year as some people think that oily skin does not need to be moisturized.

Avoid Dry and Chapped Skin!

Keep your skin hydrated this winter by:

• Drinking plenty of water. Remember to hydrate your skin from the inside. Tea, coffee or lemonade will not satisfy the hydration requirements of your skin. Drink eight one-cup glasses of water per day to prevent your skin from drying out. (Tip: drink your first glass of water as soon as you wake up - it will get one out of the way right away, and you will feel great after it!)

• Use mild soap and cleansers. Natural oils from your skin will be removed with harsh soaps or overzealous cleansers. The detergents will strip your skin of its natural oils necessary to keep it elastic and smooth.

• Take short warm showers. The long hot shower will take the oil from you skin. Just think of the added bonus taking short warm showers will have on the environment by saving water as well as saving money on your gas or electricity bill.

• When applying moisturizer after your shower, do it while your skin is still damp. This will help lock in the hydration that is present on your skin. Pay particular attention to the dry areas on your elbows, knees and heels.

• The real trick to a youthful skin is exfoliation. “As you age, cell turnover slows, and removing the top layer of dead skin cells reveals the younger-looking skin beneath,” explains Jeannette Graf, MD, assis­tant clinical professor of dermatology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. You can exfoliate using body scrubs, loofahs, exfoliation mitts, terry cloth etc.

• Using a humidifier will help reduce the dry conditions in your home. Central heating and generally dry winter conditions can be combated by infusing moisture into the atmosphere by using a humidifier.

• Just because it is winter don’t forget the sunscreen. A sun block with minimum SPF 15 is necessary to protect your skin from the harmful effects of the UVA and UVB rays.