A change of season brings with it a change of habits.
In winter we swap days at the beach with cozy nights indoors, open-toe stilettos for black leather boots, and a sunset glass of rosé for after-dark cocktails that warm from the inside out.
So why not swap our everyday skincare routine for an ideal winter skincare regime?
It’s that time of the year to re-evaluate how we care for our skin, with the change in temperature and humidity that comes with winter often wreaking havoc on our complexions.
marie claire Beauty Director Sally Hunwick spoke to Dr Ceylan Yilmaz, Cosmetic Doctor and Cosmetic Chemist and Director at Skinologie, one of Melbourne’s leading skin rejuvenation clinics, to find out the science behind what our skin needs in the colder months.
Watch the full interview in the video above.
Different Season, Different Needs
“During winter, the air becomes significantly dry and has low humidity, sucking out all the moisture from out skin and affecting the balance of the ‘natural moisturising factor’ component of our skin,” Dr Yilmaz tells marie claire Australia.
“When the skin’s barrier is not functioning correctly, it becomes dehydrated. Dehydrated skin means irritated skin, and irritated skin means angry skin in the form of redness, dryness and itchiness.
“Fine lines and wrinkles can also appear worse in dry and dehydrated skin.”
For this reason, Dr Yilmaz says we need to increase our focus on keeping up the moisture levels in our skin during the cold, dry months.
“Well hydrated skin is happy, normal, functioning skin,” she says.
“Another thing people don’t really know is that we also need to pay attention to how we exfoliate our dry, winter skin—and how frequently we do it. If this isn’t done properly then hydrating products and moisturisers will not be able to penetrate properly.”
A Winter Skincare Essential
For Dr Yilmaz, there’s one ingredient we should be sure to add into our winter skincare routines: hyaluronic acid.
“One of the most studied ingredients in skincare literature, [hyaluronic acid] is a sugar molecule ‘humectant’, which means it draws and holds onto moisture,” she says.
“We naturally have hyaluronic acid in our skin to do exactly that, as well as other functions including regulating collagen formulation. It holds 1000 times it’s weight in water, but unfortunately the levels of HA in our skin decrease as we age.”
She suggests using research-backed, scientifically proven topical serums containing hyaluronic acid—like SkinCeuticals’ HA Intensifier—to increase and regulate moisture levels in the skin.
“It’s one of my favourite products to use and recommend in the clinic, because we really do see it help patient’s hydration levels in the winter,” she says.
Scientific studies have shown the hydrating and multi-correction serum amplifies the skin’s hyaluronic acid levels by 30 per cent* . It also has powerful anti-ageing benefits, with one study^ finding it decreased skin sagginess by 9 per cent, and improved skin texture by 18 per cent after just 12 weeks of use.
A Boost For Your Daily Skincare Routine
Dr Yilmaz recommends slight tweaks to your normal, everyday skincare routine to ensure we are giving our skin the support it needs.
“Focus on products that will minimise further irritation or dryness in winter—and that may mean adjusting or changing products from your summer routine.
“An ideal morning routine would be to cleanse—with something a little more gentle than normal to avoid that tightness after use—exfoliate and moisturise.
“I recommend adding a hydrating serum such as SkinCeuticals HA Intensifier, before the moisturising step. Think of this as your ‘dryness treatment,” she says.
And at night, focus on giving your skin the nutrients it needs in the form of topical vitamins.
“My non-negotiables are Vitamins A and C, as they are multi-functional but promote your skin to function at its best,” she says.
“That means a stronger barrier that’s less prone to losing moisture. However, retinoids can be a little but drying and irritating if not used correctly, so choose products with more gentle delivery systems to avoid this during winter.”
And, she says, don’t neglect your SPF sunscreen just because the sun isn’t shining.
“It should be worn all year round. We need to protect our skin, especially in Australia.”
For more details on winter skincare essentials, watch the video above.
Sponsored by SkinCeuticals.
* Protocol: A 4-week study on 12 females, ages 45-65. 4mm Punch biopsies collected at baseline and after 4 weeks of daily application of HA Intensifier to the forearm. Hyaluronic acid content was quantified by commercially available ELISA kit. Hyaluronic acid localization was visualized using biotinylated hyaluronic acid binding protein and streptaviden-conjugated horse radish peroxidase.
^ Protocol: A 12-week, single-centre study was conducted on 59 females, ages 42-60, with mild to moderate facial sagging and loss of firmness, rough skin texture, nasolabial fold wrinkles, marionette wrinkles, and presence of fine lines/wrinkles in the crow’s feet area. H.A. Intensifier was used twice daily in conjunction with Gentle Cleanser and a sunscreen. Efficacy and tolerability evaluations were conducted at baseline and at weeks 4, 8, and 12.
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