Winter Skin Care

Much of this information is gleamed from Dr. Susan Taylor, Dermatologist and Clinical Researcher.

Now that the really cold weather has arrived and we are turning the heat up in our homes and offices, many of us are experiencing dry, itchy winter skin.  Five easy steps can help heal dry skin, renew it and leave soft, supple, beautiful skin.

1.  Limit your baths or showers to 5-minutes and only bathe once a day. Turn the temperature of the water down so that you are now using WARM (not hot) water. I know that it is difficult to give up those wonderful long, hot showers or baths, especially on cold mornings, but these changes will make a big difference in preventing natural oils from being stripped from your skin.

2. Use a mild soap or liquid cleanser during the winter months (you can use your deodorant soap next summer) and minimize the amount of soap that you apply to your skin. Unless you are a mud wrestler, you just need a small amount of soap. Many people put so much soap on their skin that they cannot see their normal skin tone (that's way too much).

3. Moisturize, moisturize, moisture. First, apply your moisturizer to damp skin (slather it on within 2-3 minutes of getting out of the bath or shower). Plan to use your moisturizer at least two times a day (morning and night), or more. The moisturizer that you select does not need to be expensive to be effective. Look for thick and rich ointments and creams for the winter. For extra dry skin look for products that contain lactic acid or urea. Other effective ingredients include dimethicone and glycerin which help draw water to the skin and keep it there. Finally, lanolin, mineral oil, and petrolatum (also known as petroleum jelly) trap water in the skin. For many people, their skin quickly absorbs the moisturizer and they find that they must reapply it frequently throughout the day.

4. Invest in a humidifier or for an inexpensive solution, place plants around the room. A humidifier can add much needed moisture to dry air. Plants with large leaves can also effectively increase moisture in the air (after you water them, the water diffused up the stem and out into the air). Another solution is to place bowls of water in the room that you spend most of your time in. The water will evaporate and add moisture to the air.

5. Protect your skin from the cold and the wind with scarves, hats and gloves. Clothing can make a big difference but avoid wearing wool and other rough materials next to the skin. Clothing can help protect the skin from the cold, dry air, which can zap moisture from the skin.

Remember, we only have 3 or 4 more months of winter left so as soon as the spring comes, you can go back to your old habits including long, luxurious baths or showers, deodorant soaps and hot water.

New studies in SPF

SPF is not without it detractors; absolutely.
Some of the chemicals are harmful when ingested but deemed safe for external use.
And no chemical sunblock bests a physical one (a long sleeve gauze shirt and hat are the best protection ever). But being that we live in So Cal and enjoy the sun...we have to uncover sometime.  So this week at Consumer Reports, they unveiled the tests of 22 SPF sprays, creams, and lotions; finding nine that provided excellent protection against UVB radiation (which causes sunburn) even after immersion in water, along with very good protection against UVA radiation (which penetrates deeper than UVB, tanning and aging skin). 

No one type—spray, cream, or lotion—protected best. 

The three Best Buys: 

Up & Up Sport SPF 30 (Target), 

No-Ad with Aloe and Vitamin E SPF 45, and 

Equate Baby SPF 50. 

The Up & Up is a spray while the other two products are lotions.

 

The article was so good, I've included the main body of it here below. Hope it's helpful.

 

Although most products were excellent against UVB rays before water immersion, three were just OK, and some lost effectiveness after dunking. Most were very good against UVA rays, but Avon was merely fair. (It's a sunscreen and bug spray in one, not the best idea: In reapplying it for sun protection, you might overdo bug protection.)

Some sprays took more than 30 seconds to dry, but Coppertone SPF 30, a top pick, dried especially fast. Many products had the familiar scent associated with summer, but Soleo smelled a bit like plastic plus stale cooking oil. All of the more effective sunscreens tended to stain cloth.

What's inside

Almost every tested sunscreen contains some ingredients associated with adverse health risks in animal studies. Oxybenzone and other endocrine disruptors may interfere with hormones in the body, and nanoscale zinc and titanium oxides are linked to problems such as potential reproductive and developmental effects.

Retinyl palmitate (look for it among inactive ingredients), a type of topical vitamin A, is an antioxidant that animal studies have linked to an increased risk of skin cancers. In skin, it converts readily to retinoids, associated with a risk of birth defects in people using acne medications containing them. As a precaution, pregnant women may want to avoid sunscreens with retinyl palmitate.

More research is needed, but as of now, the proven benefits of sunscreen outweigh any potential risks.

Bottom line

Don't rely on sunscreen alone. Wear protective clothing and limit time in the sun. Your sunscreen should be water resistant, with an SPF of at least 30. Above 30, there's not much more protection. You need to reapply any sunscreen every 2 hours or so anyway and after swimming or sweating. Use 2 to 3 tablespoons of a lotion on most of your body, or "spray as much as can be evenly rubbed in," says Jessica Krant, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist, "then go back over every area and spray them all completely again." 

 

Don't pay too much. La Roche-Posay, $18.82 per ounce (yes, you read that right), scored lower overall than No-Ad, 59 cents.

Hydrating and Healing: The Oatmeal Mask

I've promised a recipe for a homemade version of our Oatmeal and Honey facial mask.
This mask is great for simple hydration and healing of dry, slightly irritated skin.
So for our very first blog...here it is:

1-2 cups Rolled Oats (Quaker or similar)
1 jar Honey
boiling water

Place the oats in a dry blender and pulse the oats until the consistency of flour.
Store the oat flour in an air-tight, Tupperware-type container.


When you're ready to make your mask, place 1 Tablespoon oats in a dessert or other small cup.
Add 1 teaspoon pure honey and approximately 1 teaspoon of boiling hot water.
Stir until the consistence of a thin paste then microwave for 20 seconds until smooth and hot.

Allow the oatmeal-honey mask to cool slightly; the mask should be applied while very-warm; be mindful not to burn the skin as the mask may be very hot from the microwave.

With a fan-brush or your fingers, apply the very warm mask to freshly washed skin and allow to set for 5+ minutes, then removed with and a wet, warm cloth. Follow this with your favorite moisturizer.