Important skin care rules to live by as we head into fall.
Original Article by Courtney Leiva. https://www.totalbeauty.com/content/slideshows/fall-skin-care-tips-181003#QD9aAs1FK5xLKFbU.99
Now that fall is here, it's a good time to start thinking about tweaking your skin care regimen, as cold, drier air usually calls for lots of moisture and a little less exfoliation. If you aren't sure about which crucial steps of your routine you should actually ditch or keep, COURTNEY LEIVA at totalbeauty.com asked experts to share some helpful skin care dos and don'ts to consider before winter arrives. Here are 9 fall skin care tips and tricks you'll definitely want to keep in mind.
Don't Stop Using Your Sunscreen
"Although summer is over, don’t put away the sunscreen,” says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Susan Bard, MD, FAAD, FACMS. While it’s unnecessary to apply sunscreen to parts of your body protected by clothing, Bard says you still need to protect exposed parts of your body, including your face and hands. And although the sun feels less intense during the fall, those UV rays are still beaming down, even through the clouds.
Use a Humidifier to Add Moisture to Your Environment
“As temperatures plummet, we’ll be turning up the heat, which is oftentimes dry air,” Bard says. Don’t forget to run your humidifier to ensure your skin and mucous membranes (eyes, lips, nose) don’t start drying out, she advises. If you're feeling especially sassy, you can throw in some essential oils and get your aromatherapy on while you're staying moist. *Yes, I said it. Moist* (Please make sure it's okay to use essential oils in your model humidifier first. Not all humidifiers are created equal!)
Stick With Lighter, Humectant-Based Moisturizer
In the cooler seasons, skin requires frequent moisturization, but Bard says that a thicker moisturizer isn’t necessarily better. “Thick, emollient moisturizers tend to contain occlusive ingredients (such as petrolatum, dimethicone, beeswax and lanolin) that help prevent moisture loss from the skin, but they can also clog pores, leading to folliculitis and miliaria,” she says. Bard suggests looking for lighter, humectant-based moisturizers that contain ingredients (such as hyaluronic acid or glycerin) that pull water into the skin and don't clog pores.
Be Extra Cautious of the Lip Balms You Use
“Certain commercial lip balms contain ingredients that can act as an irritant or allergen for some,” Bard says. Try a nice natural Ugly lip balm for happy, plump winter lips.
Decrease Your Retinol Usage
“Your skin tends to get a bit drier as the weather turns colder,” says Dr. Gary Goldenberg of Goldenberg Dermatology in NYC. This is a common time for patients to develop retinoid dermatitis, which is a skin irritation from retinol, he explains. If you notice your skin is getting drier, he suggests decreasing your retinol application to every other night and increasing the amount of moisturizer you use at night.
Don't Take Too Many Hot Showers
Goldenberg says that a hot shower may feel great on a cold fall morning, but it will also dry out your skin. Instead, he recommends taking a lukewarm shower and applying moisturizer all over the body afterward. I'm a big fan of using an ugly moisturizing sugar scrub to buff off the dead skin and add a heavy dose of moisturizing oils so apply lotion is optional but not necessary after showering!
Don't Over-Cleanse
“Do not over-cleanse your skin,” says Graceanne Svendson, a licensed aesthetician at Shafer Plastic Surgery. Instead, Svendson recommends doing a little exfoliation and less cleansing, especially in the fall, so you don’t strip your skin of its natural moisture barrier. Try our Ugly Rose Soap and maybe our Merciful sympathetic face scrub with jojoba beads to gently cleanse and exfoliate.
Layer Your Products
“Instead of reaching for the heaviest cream possible, it's more beneficial to apply different layers of products to provide multiple barriers,” says dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman. Ointments are more hydrating than creams and creams are usually more hydrating than lotions, she says. Depending on the area and dryness, this can help guide which products to look for. Another way to look at layering is working from the smallest molecules to the largest. Order of operations: 1) cleanse 2) toner/hydrating mist 3) water based serum 4) moisturizer 5) face oil 6) last but never least SUNBLOCK! You can pick and chose which steps you want to take as long as 1 & 6 are always included.
Don't Over-Exfoliate
“Over-exfoliation exposes skin, weakens skin-barrier function and, in some cases, triggers inflammation,” Engelman says. If the barrier function is damaged, the skin becomes vulnerable to infection from microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungus, and leads to sensitivity and irritation. And even if the barrier function isn’t visibly damaged, she says that the skin may experience a low amount of inflammation (called chronic inflammation), which prematurely ages skin over time.
Never forget, we only get one skin. Take proper care of it so it lasts longer than you need it.