Ideal Skin for All Seasons
As babies, we have perfectly soft and silky smooth skin. But with age and exposure to external factors like heat and dust, pollution and seasonal changes, the skin starts to lose its natural suppleness, becoming dull and lack-luster. Seasonal changes, especially, can be brutal on our skin. Understanding how each season impacts your skin can mean the antidote to dreary, dry, and damaged skin during all the seasons.
Skin’s Rebirth in Spring
Spring is a season when the skin, just like the flora and fauna, starts to bloom. This is a season when skin returns to its healthy feel and elasticity. After many months of wintry weather, your skin will thirst for exfoliation- ridding the skin of dead cells- and extra moisture. Use a gentle exfoliator and facial mask on the face and neck. A luxurious moisturizer is also a must. Regarding an effective cleanser, use a non-soap-based face wash and gentle cleansers on the face. The skin has a delicate pH Balance, so strive to maintain it by using gentle substances. This routine will give the skin a healthy shiny appearance and will keep it looking healthy throughout the season.
Summer’s Oily Heat Wave
Summers are hot and sweaty, with the maximum level of humidity. Such weather causes sudden hyper-activity of the sebaceous glands, which produces too much extra oil in the skin. The oil produced traps the dirt on the surface of the skin, clogging the pores - a perfect breeding ground for several types of bacteria to flourish on the affected skin. This is why severe summers often give rise to the appearance of acne and spots even on normally clear skin.
Just rinsing the face with cool water, several times a day, can give tremendous relief to the skin during this kind of weather. Reduce the use of harsh soaps and use soap-free cleansers and alcohol-based toners. Use sunscreens with UV protection, while going out in the sun. Always carry good quality sunglasses and an umbrella or cap, to shield the face from direct exposure to the sun’s rays. Nowadays, foundations and powders contain sun protection, so choosing such products can help. Avoid heavy, oily makeup and use only lighter, water-based shades. Also, look for moisturizers that are noncomedogenic, because they don’t clog your pores and trigger acne.
Continue exfoliating the skin, and use a cleanser or moisturizer with alpha-hydroxy acid, which aims to rejuvenate skin.
The Cool of the Fall Brings Dryness to All
With the weather getting cooler, skin becomes more vulnerable to dryness. The chilly temperatures also aggravate skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. Tiny cracks in the skin can occur when there is less humidity and thereby less moisture in the skin. The key to controlling dryness is to apply a cream-based moisturizer. The motto is go greasy! A greasy moisturizer will make a huge difference in protecting your skin during the cooler temperatures. However, if you have oily skin, use an oil-free moisturizer.
Essentially, allow for flexibility in your skin regimen. Those heavier cleansers you use in the summer months may be not appropriate for the fall, so don’t be afraid to mix it up a bit. Choose gentler cleansing products as the weather cools down.
Winter’s Frosty Skin
If autumn is notorious for inflicting dryness upon your skin, wintertime only exacerbates the problem. Essentially, the low moisture level and cold can cause the skin to crack and break, causing dryness and patchiness. The skin loses its moisture and gets irritable and itchy in this weather. Because the skin is especially dry and stretched after a warm shower, immediately apply a heavy moisturizer to it. Reduce caffeine, alcohol and other dehydrating substances and make sure to drink plenty of fluids.
Also, don’t neglect the rest of your body. Just like your face, it’s important to apply a greasy moisturizer immediately after a shower. Limit hot showers, because they tend to dry out the skin even more. By regularly using a mild cleanser and ample applications of a heavy moisturizer to the skin, you can prevent the wintry weather from robbing the skin of its lubrication.
Sunscreen isn’t just for the summer. Snow actually reflects the sun’s radiation, making you just as vulnerable to a sun burn in the winter months as during the summer. So, essentially, wear sunscreen all year round. Many completely forget about protecting their lips from the sun. Choose a lip balm with SPF included.
It’s Raining Bad Skin
Understanding the impact of rain on the skin is also crucial to a healthy complexion. The skin, especially, tends to react extremely to the dull and moist weather outside. In summer, for instance, with the combination of hot temperatures and high humidity levels, skin becomes oily, and prone to acne and blemishes. At this point you may turn to scrubbing your face, but be careful not to irritate the skin. Continue using a mild cleansing product twice a day for acne problems.
In addition, the high level of moisture can also give rise to fungal infections, the most common occurrences being in the groin, armpits and between the toes. Use an anti-fungal soap and anti-fungal powder as well. Of course, also consult with your skin specialist regarding the best anti-fungal product for your skin.
Products for Every Season
As spring arrives, your skin still feels dry and withered after the cold weather, so revitalize it with SkinMedica Rejuvenative Moisturizer.
During the cooler months when you need a gentle cleanser that provides you with clean skin without the harsh side effect of dryness, use M.D. Forte Facial Cleanser III. Overly sensitive skin can benefit greatly from Dr. Brandt Anti-Irritant Cleanser, which is gentle even on the most irritable of skin types. To combat the freezing temperatures of winter, use Kinerase Cream or Elizabeth Arden Perpetual Moisture 24 Cream.
To fight breakouts during the summer, use SkinCeuticals Clarifying Cleanser. Leave the heavy makeup at home during the hot weather, and pick up MD Skin Care All-in-One Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15, which provides you with the necessary sun protection and beautiful glow.
Use SkinCeuticals Physical UV Defense SPF 30 for all seasons, as sun protection is crucial during the heat of summer and the frost of winter.