When the seasons change, and the cool winter weather rolls into West Des Moines, we at Skin Iowa, PC always encourage our patients to change up their skincare routine right along with it. Does your skin lean to the oily side, so you might think you are covered during the winter months? Think again! While drier skin will usually tell you loud and clear that it needs more moisture during the winter months, oiler skin also needs adequate moisture to ensure that it doesn’t start to over-produce oil, leading to clogged pores and unwanted breakouts. Keeping the weather and your skin type in mind is key to ensuring that you keep your skin healthy year-round and we’re here to help with three tips that will help you get glowing.
- Moisturizer: Finding the right level of moisture for your skin during the winter months can feel like a daunting task. You don’t want dry, flaky skin. . . yet you don’t want an excess of oil that has you reaching for oil blotting sheets constantly. Where is the happy medium? At Skin Iowa, PC, we are the only official ZO® Skin Health Institute, by Dr. Zein Obagi, in the entire Midwest. What does that mean? We have access to some of the most innovation skincare in the industry, and we have just what your skin needs during these dry, cool months. As a general rule of thumb, we usually point our patients with drier skin towards a richer moisturizer, like the ZO Skin Health Recovery Crème, while those with oiler skin usually do better with a lighter moisturizer like the Ossential® Daily Power Defense. But, sometimes it’s hard to know where you skin lies on the spectrum! If you are ever in doubt, just give us a call. We are more than happy to schedule a consult and help find you the right moisturizer for you skin: (515) 223-0119
- Sunscreen: Don’t pass this one up! Many, unfortunately, make the mistake of assuming they need little or no sunscreen at all during the winter months, and this just isn’t true! While UVB rays (that cause sunburn) are weaker during the wintertime, UVA rays (that cause wrinkles and premature aging) are just as strong as they are in the summertime. Not to mention, UV radiation exposure increases 4-5% with every 1,000 ft. you are above sea level and even if it’s cloudy out, up to 80% of the sun’s rays can *still* penetrate the clouds overhead. Don’t even get us started on snow reflection! Moral of the story is, you need a good sunscreen year-round. So, what do we recommend? We have our patients start with something with at least 30 SPF, and higher if they spend the majority of the day outdoors. We love [link] Blue Lizard® Australian Sunscreen for its photostable broad spectrum protection, water resistance and sensitive ingredients. Not to mention, it is mineral based and because it’s from Australia, it’s held to the highest standards for sunscreen in the world.
- HydraFacial®: The dry, recycled air of your heating system, combined with the chilly weather outside can do a number on your skin this time of year. That’s why we love the [link] HydraFacial treatment at Skin Iowa, PC. Gentle extraction and exfoliation really help to reveal that fresh, new skin behind all of the dead skin cells that build up during the winter months. HydraFacial works by cleansing with a gentle exfoliant/resurfacer, extracting with painless suction, hydrating with intense moisturizers and finally, saturating the skin’s surface with intensive serums, like the HydraFacial Brightalive® Booster Serum (powered by ZO Skin Health). What we really love about HydraFacials is that they truly don’t have a type, meaning that they are beneficial for all skin types, as they help with fines lines and wrinkles, elasticity, firmness, vibrancy, tone and texture, brown spots, oily and congested skin as well as enlarged pores. It’s no wonder that somewhere in the world, a HydraFacial is performed every 15 seconds.
That’s it! Our three tips to keep your skin glowing during the winter months! It’s all about adequate moisture, gentle exfoliation and sun protection. Interested in a consultation to address your specific skin concerns or are you looking for more tips to get your skin’s glow back? We’re here to help! Give us a call at (515) 223-0119 and we can go over options to get your skin looking and feeling great all year round.
