Between snow and rain: how to properly care for your skin in the off-season

The transition from autumn to winter is always a difficult time. And in order to preserve the beauty of facial skin exposed to wind, dampness outside and dryness at home, and prepare it for frost, you need to choose your care very wisely. Unfortunately, this is where many women and girls make mistakes. Let's list some of these errors.

The first is to choose a day cream with a dense texture for everyday care. It is believed that it can protect the epidermis from peeling and dryness. But this does not work in all cases. Using oily, heavy, oil- and wax-laden creams on combination or oily skin risks clogged pores and pimples, and this approach is best for dry skin. But still, first of all, it is necessary to evaluate not the texture of the cream, but its composition. Ceramides, hyaluronic acid, panthenol, squalane may also be present in a light cream, but it will also perfectly protect the skin from the vagaries of the weather.

Mistake number two is to send sunscreen to the “far corner” with the onset of autumn. Alas, such neglect of ultraviolet protection can result in pigmentation and photoaging. The fact that there is less sun and it does not heat as much as in summer does not mean that the solar activity index is close to zero. Ultraviolet light can penetrate even clouds and damage skin cells that are not protected by anything. Therefore, Sanskrin should still be used in the autumn months and not forgotten about it even in winter.

The third mistake is to exfoliate the skin too actively, resorting to chemical peels, scrubs, and procedures with a cosmetologist. It is clear that after acids or scrub/microdermabrasion, the face looks fresher and softer, but the more often you “polish” the skin, the more its protective barrier is damaged, the natural microbiome is disrupted and new cells are more actively produced, “sticking” to each other. The result is a dull face covered with peeling and redness. Therefore, it is advisable to deeply cleanse the skin once or twice a week and not overdo it.

Mistake number four is also related to facial peels. Since many people are afraid to use acids in the summer, they have to “catch up” on autumn days. And sometimes peelings with a very high percentage of acids are used. What does this lead to? To irritation, thinning of the skin, lowering its immunity and, as a result, to dehydration and inflammation. If you want to start acid care again, introduce it gradually and look for products where the percentage of acids is low.

The fifth mistake is to wash your face with rather aggressive products and try to clean your face until it “squeaks.” In the fall (and at any other time of the year) this is dangerous, since “hard” gels or toilet soaps destroy the notorious lipid barrier of the skin, causing it to lose moisture more quickly. Tightness, flaking and fine wrinkles due to dehydration are the consequences of improper washing. Therefore, it is better to take more delicate products for daily facial cleansing.

And the sixth mistake is to focus on nourishing the skin during the off-season, forgetting about moisturizing it. Yes, nourishing creams help form a protective skin barrier, but this barrier exists to prevent the skin from losing moisture too quickly. And moisturizing creams with urea, hyaluronic acid, glycerin, aloe and algae help replenish this moisture. Therefore, both nutrition and hydration should be present in facial care every day.