In colder and drier wintery weather, you may have noticed the skin on your face becoming dehydrated, itchy, and flaky.
And as your skin dries, itches, and flakes away in the cold—visible signs of aging accelerate, like wrinkles, fine lines, cracks, and crevices.
In hopes of fending off skin aging, many people spend hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars changing their entire skincare routine.
So to help save you stress and money while protecting your skin during the harsh winter months, here are 3 simple skin moisturizing tips:
The most common skin problem during winter is irritating dry skin.
The sudden shift from cold air outside to hot, dry air inside depletes your skin of its moisture, leaving it dull, flaky, and wrinkly.
One way you can protect your skin is increasing your omega-3 fatty acid intake.
Omega-3s strengthen your skin’s cell membranes, helping your skin better retain water. This then helps the skin stay soft, wrinkle-free, and youthful looking.
You can get Omega-3s from eating wild-caught salmon, avocado, spirulina, walnuts, and flaxseed. You can also take an omega-3 supplement.
When you’re experiencing wintertime skin dryness, taking steps to protect and restore your skin's natural barrier is crucial.
But you don’t need to throw out your entire skincare routine and start over.
Instead, you can listen to your skin and accommodate specific needs with specific products.
As we’ve discussed, dryness is your skin’s worst enemy at this time of year—and the two best natural ingredients out there for maintaining skin moisture are hyaluronic acid and aloe vera.
Hyaluronic acid is a humectant—which is a substance that’s used to keep things moist. In the context of your skin, hyaluronic acid then pulls moisture deep into your skin’s layers, and keeps that moisture there.
In addition to helping your skin soak up moisture, aloe vera has been found to have a significant impact on wound healing and skin regeneration1.
So if your skin is drying out more and more by the day right now, adding aloe vera and hyaluronic acid into your winter skincare routine is a must.
During the cold December days the air inside our home is especially dry due to heating... which only accelerates the loss of skin moisture.
If you’re dealing with dry and flaky skin, you might be tempted to scrub away all the itchy flakes, exposing the new and soft skin underneath.
But as a doctor, I’m obliged to warn you against physical scrubs…
Physical exfoliators such as coffee grinds, facial sponges, or other abrasive products can damage your skin, only worsening the moisture loss and causing wrinkles to form even faster.
Instead, I suggest nourishing your skin with natural nutrients such as Vitamin C, Green Tea Extract and Olive Leaf Extract…
Each of these nutrients have scientifically proven “protective mechanisms” that help your skin fight off oxidative stress, prevent premature aging, and enhance your skin’s ability to repair and regenerate itself2.
So while December can be a harsh month for your skin—implementing these 3 skin moisturizing tips can give your skin the gift of much-needed moisture if you want dry, itchy, flaking skin to be a thing of the past.
To your health!
Dr. Mark Rosenberg
