Skincare for dipping temperatures
There is a LOT to love about Fall. It’s all about kicking fallen leaves, steaming coffee, pumpkin spice lattes and chunky knits…Instagram perfection…. right?
Well, in part yes. But, we deal in reality.
As the seasons change, we must also embrace the need to transition some elements of our skincare routine with it, just as we do with our wardrobe.
So, what happens to skin as the temperature dips?
Humidity (the amount of water vapor in the air) can not only affect our immune system's ability to fight against flu infections, but can also have an impact on our skin.
Humidity levels drop simultaneously with falling temperatures since cold air does not hold as much moisture as warm air does. Because of our reliance on heating during the winter, when this low humidity air enters our households and is heated, its relative humidity (RH) drops even further. Fall and winter, therefore, pose the challenge of dry air both outdoors and indoors.
Our skin is forced to give up its moisture to the atmosphere through transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and in turn this alters the water content in the stratum corneum (the outermost skin layer), decreases the skin's elasticity and increases its roughness.
Low humidity also leads to a general decrease in skin barrier function especially for “dry skin types”, whose natural moisturizing factor (NMF) is more susceptible to further barrier compromise. Among other things, the main role of the natural moisturizing factor is to maintain adequate skin hydration to keep the stratum corneum hydrated. When our NMF is compromised by climatic factors such as low humidity, our skin is stripped off a cocktail of essential ingredients - these include amino acids, lactic acid, pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, and hyaluronic acid.
Simply put, a compromised NMF + an unhappy stratum corneum = dry, dehydrated skin.
So, what do we do about it?
Your main focus, regardless of your skin type, should be to preserve moisture in the skin because dry and dehydrated skin only exacerbates other undesirable effects on skin such as irritation, cracking, infections...the list goes on.
Tune into your skin. Know how it reacts to extremes and pre-empt the changes by adapting your skincare routine to accommodate the fluctuation in conditions, ideally before it has had a chance to manifest.
Here are a few pointers for optimizing your routine this fall/winter season:
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Exfoliate - exfoliating allows you to get rid of that dry flaky skin. We recommend exfoliants that are rich in lactic, glycolic and salicylic acids as they help stimulate skin turnover.
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Moisturize - Remember the low humidity we talked about earlier that accelerates the drying out process of the skin? Once you’ve finished sloughing away dead skin cells, beef up your routine with moisturizers which rehydrate the epidermis and seal in the moisture, such as our 003-Hy Hydrating Face Cream, to boost hydration and support your epidermal barrier.
- Overnight Mask - Is an overnight mask really necessary? In general, overnight masks carry more intense hydrators, and we also know that skin is in repair mode during sleep. Think of it this way - overnight masks not only lock in ingredients from previously used products, but also keep your skin protected with intense hydrators while your indoor heating stays on all night. Sounds like a dream, right?
Consider our 003-Hy Hydrating Facial, an intensive overnight repair for dehydrated and dry skin with Hyaluronic Acid and Marine Omega-3 formulated with Good Silicon+®. Good Silicon+ boosts skin absorption of the active ingredients Marine Omega-3 and Hyaluronic Acid while your skin is in its optimal repair mode. Talk about double efficacy!
Don’t forget the body too! Hands suffer terribly during the colder months, so use any product you have on your hands to help avoid dryness.
SPF remains a critical part of skin health. But then, you knew that didn’t you?
In addition to optimizing your skincare routine, you should also implement moisturizing ingredients to add to your routine.
Hyaluronic Acid (you’ve seen this one already) that is both in our 003-Hy Hydrating Face Cream and Facial works as a humectant to draw moisture into the skin for a plumper, more youthful appearance.
Beta Glucans are another super humectant that don't get enough attention in our opinion. They are polysaccharides - basically sugars - like Hylauronic Acid. Poria Cocos, a mushroom used in traditional Chinese medicine, is a natural source of Beta Glucan and we have incorporated it in our 005-Fi Skin Firming Cream.
And don't forget Niacinamide, also known as Vitamn B3. It's in all our moisturizers, including the 003-Hy and 005-Fi Creams. Niacinamide, is a skin restoring and hydrating ingredient that also works to reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
So, go grab a pumpkin spiced latte (if you’re into that) and check in with your skin to make sure you maintain a moisturized, healthy glow throughout the season and into the next year!
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