Senior Skin Therapist - Rachael Forbes

Summer (if you had one :-D) skin is happy, calm, and more hydrated. Then autumn, and then winter slowly creeps in and your skin goes “NO NO NO!!!” This change in environment can have a huge impact, so much so that a lot of us think we’ve damaged our skin somehow. This is not the case.

Think of it as additional stressors for your skin — cold air outside, then we head inside to a toasty warm, artificially heated building — continuous moisture loss is activated. This often leads to dehydration, sensitivity, and barrier disruption.

We do also need to take note and remember: skin doesn’t get “worse” in winter. All of the hard work you have been doing to maintain cellular activity isn’t suddenly undone — your skin has just become a bit more sensitive and unstable.

So what is actually happening to our skin during this seasonal change?

In colder months our skin barrier actually slows down. This presents as the skin feeling a little rougher and drier, and maybe not as glowy as we are used to.

This leads to water leaving the skin more easily, resulting in dehydration, which can then disrupt natural oil levels. The skin may become further dehydrated, or it tries to compensate and overproduces oil, leading to oiliness and potentially breakouts.

All of this is the barrier struggling to keep up. If this is how your skin starts to behave in winter, it may be worth dialling back the frequency or potency of actives used — too many actives just add more stress to an already compromised barrier.

This is why we may put something we’ve been using consistently for a long time on our skin in winter and it suddenly feels irritating or uncomfortable.

Signs your skin is struggling

To get an idea if your skin is struggling to keep up, look out for:

• Tight feeling skin after cleansing
• Makeup looks different on the skin — patchy or moves around
• Flaking around the nose, cheeks, or mouth
• More inflammation in the skin
• Breakouts alongside dry-feeling skin

So what can we do to help support the skin?

1. Focus on barrier repair

Incorporate ingredients like ceramides, lipids, and fatty acids to help support skin resilience.

Popular barrier-support systems:
search: ICU Barrier System / Barrier Builder / Hydrate & Protect Systems)

2. HYDRATION!!!

During winter, the skin is thirsty! This is where we really want to support the skin with hydration to help reduce water loss on a daily basis.

Ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin will help by pulling water into the skin. This needs to be followed with a moisturiser to seal it in.

3. Gentle active support

Keep active ingredients in your routine, but simplify overall.

When using retinoids, dropping back a few nights a week will help maintain cell turnover without pushing the skin too hard. Maintain vitamin C to help protect the skin and improve brightness. When using exfoliating acids, avoid overusing or layering too many at any one time.

4. Don’t skip SPF

No matter the time of year this is essential — where there is daylight there is UV light. A physical SPF will also help protect against windy cold climates.

Example SPF:

• O Cosmedics Mineral Pro SPF 50
  
  

Winter Skin Routine Guide

To help support you through winter and also meet and maintain your skin goals, I’ve put together a simple winter skin routine guide.

Morning

• Gentle cleanser
• Antioxidant serum (Vitamin C is a great option here)
• Hyaluronic acid
• Moisturiser
• SPF

Evening

• Gentle cleanser
• Treatment serum (retinoid in reduced frequency)
• Hyaluronic acid or ceramide-based serum
• Moisturiser — slightly richer night option if needed

In-clinic support

To help your skin cope even further, in-clinic treatments are also a great option, especially if you are struggling with ongoing redness or irritation, dialling back your routine isn’t helping, breakouts are persistent or worsening, or you have pigmentation or sun damage concerns.

Winter is the perfect time of year to address pigmentation concerns through professional treatment.

Final thoughts

Remember winter is only temporary. These skin changes you may experience aren’t forever — it’s a time to treat yourself and your skin with kindness, and a great opportunity to learn more about your skin and what it wants and needs to be happy.