Enhancements
Facial Plastic Surgery &
Laser Specialists
5201 William Penn Hwy.
Easton, PA 18045
Tel: 610.250.1933
Toll-free: 888.228.2424
Basic Winter Skin Care
by Dr. Scott Sackman, Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon
It is well proven that exposure of your skin to the sunlight is generally bad for you. From a Cosmetic surgery viewpoint; it is the number one cause of skin wrinkles of the face. It is also the number one cause of skin cancer of the face. The lighter your skin color, the more vital it is that you wear sufficient SPF protection on your face every day!
In the winter, it is almost as necessary that you protect your exposed skin from the INSIDE air. As a rule, the air inside of most homes and other buildings becomes extremely dry when the heating system is running. Although your body's systems are trying to protect you, your exposed skin IS drying out, and it is "stealing" water from your body's other systems while doing so. Skin can become itchy and flaky, or even cracked. It is very important to apply as much skin moisturizer as your skin will absorb a minimum of once each day during "heating season".
When you sleep your skin has the opportunity to repair and refresh itself from the wear and tear that it suffers during the day. It can do the most thorough repair work only if given the proper "set-up" and tools to do so. HYDRATION of the skin is the key element of skin repair. Your pores dilate during sleep in part from muscle relaxation and in part from the warmth that your body generates, which also allows the skin's blood vessels to dilate. IF you drink sufficient amounts of water during the day, the dilated vessels can then share some of that water with your skin. ONLY IF you drink sufficient amounts of water, skin rehydration can come from inside your own body. Conversely, your skin can just as easily LOSE water through the dilated pores if you don't take steps to prevent that from happening.
A very dry room will draw water out of your dilated pores. A humidifier in your bedroom is essential to prevent this. Moisturizing creams and lotions get absorbed through your skin pores. Creams and lotions can directly hydrate the skin, and can also help to minimize the water losing effect from dilated pores. It is important to note that in very dry rooms, creams and lotions become markedly less effective at adding any additional moisture to the skin; they're just reducing further moisture loss. To have the best skin possible, all of your skin that is likely not to be underneath your blanket when you sleep (face, hands, arms) should be coated with moisturizer every night in order to prevent further drying-out from occurring when you sleep.
For your smoothest and healthiest skin during the winter "heating season", drink plenty of water, humidify your bedroom, apply moisturizer every night, and wear your facial sunblock every day. By doing so, you are doing the best that you can to help your skin take care of itself.
