Acne-prone skin can be your worst nightmare. We all desire clear, healthy and luminous skin. It makes us feel confident and good about ourselves. Some struggle to fight acne, and the winter season can be a most trying time. Winter time is all about snow, cold temperatures, and harsh winds. But if you have acne-prone skin, this can be a challenging time to an already difficult situation. Because of the changes in the weather, it’s a good strategy to change your skin care regimen to meet your skin’s needs. Acne can be caused by a number of factors, including: lack of hydration, improper care, oxidative damage, hormonal imbalances and poor nutrition. The London Dermatology Centre suggests 4 tips to fight acne and keep your skin healthy during the winter, and to prevent dryness and flakiness. By following these tips, you can take active measures to ensure that your acne won’t get worse during the winter season.
1. Keep your skin clean
Your first task on the list is to keep your skin properly cleansed. Keeping your skin clean is something that you should be doing all year round, and especially during the winter, you want to use a facial cleanser that is soap and detergent free. Try to avoid cleansers that contain ingredients such as salicylic acid and alcohol, as these tend to dry out the skin, which can worsen acne.
Opt for an oil-based cleanser; it will clean your skin well without drying it out. You can use a product with natural skin-cleansing ingredients, such as yogurt or plain milk. Aloe-based products are highly recommended, since the properties of aloe can be used to clean, moisturize and tighten your skin.
You can also effectively cleanse your face with steel-cut oats. All you have to do is soak 2 tablespoons of all-natural, steel-cut oats in 2-3 tablespoons of lukewarm water for just 3-5 minutes. Go ahead and use the milky liquid as you would any cleanser. You can even use the softened oats as a delicate face sponge. Afterwards, rinse your face with warm water.
2. Moisturize
You want to keep your skin moisturized all season long, especially in the winter. Moisturized skin will feel more healthy and supple, whereas tight, dry skin will feel more flaky and patchy, and is not attractive in appearance. Keeping your skin dry will not prevent you from getting acne. In fact, it would only result in your skin producing more oil, which would then mix with bacteria, and create more acne. It then becomes a never-ending cycle.
Remember, the light moisturizer you used during the warmer months, may not be sufficient for your skin inthe cold weather. Have a look at the ingredients list to decipher if a moisturizer is suitable for your skin in the winter. For the winter season, you could try using an oil-based, non-comedogenic moisturizer, with nourishing oils such as coconut, almond, avocado, jojoba or olive oils. These oils are easily absorbed into the skin, and can have a great impact on its overall health.
As a word of caution, you want to stay away from products that contain ingredients such as oleic acid, cocoa butter, andshea oil/butter, since these may end up clogging your pores.
3. Nourish your skin
Apart from eating fruits to get your daily intake of vitamins, you can also apply them directly to your skin, to help give it a fresh, healthy glow. If you apply fruits to your skin topically during the winter, your skin will thank you for giving it the nourishment that it craves.
To keep your skin looking great all season long, you could try blending together a variety of ripe fruits—grapes, papaya, strawberries, mangoes--altogether with some plain yogurt. Then, apply this mixture to your face and leave on for about twenty minutes, and then rinse off. Do this routine at least once a week and you’ll be able to see beautiful results!
4. Protect your skin from the weather
During the winter, it’s important to protect your skin when you are both indoors and outdoors. Besides wearing protective clothing, there are other forms of protection that should be implemented, especially when you’re trying to maintain the health of acne-prone skin.
When indoors, it’s best to keep the temperature between 68 and 70 degrees, to help keep you warm, but be sure not to overdo it. If you’re exposed to too much artificial heat, you can end up drying out your skin, so it’s best to use humidifiers to keep the moisture in the air. Alternatively, you can place bowls of water near the heating sources to maintain moisture.
On the other side of the coin, when going outdoors, you will need your sunscreen. Even though the sun may not be out as often as it is during the summer, you still need protection. The winter sun can be just as damaging as the hot summer sun, and snow glare can be harmfulto your skin. We recommend using a broad-spectrum sunscreen on all exposed body parts, including your hands. Apply it about 30 minutes before going outside, and remember to reapply if you stay outdoors over an extended period of time.
When winter time comes around, the dry, cold air can make you feel as though you’re fighting an uphill battle. However, if you are disciplined, and consistently apply these 4 tips, you’ll notice remarkable results, and you’ll be able to go through the winter months with much healthier skin. All you have to do is follow the same skin care regimen that you have been using in the warmer months, taking note to switch up your products to combat the effects of the cold weather on your skin. Make use of products with moisturizing and nourishing ingredients, and cleanse, moisturize, nourish and protect. You may have to do a bit of testing around to see which ingredients agree with you the most, but it’ll definitely be worth it!