Ideal skincare for the cold season
The cold season poses a particular challenge for our skin and our immune system because cold, wind and snow dry out, irritate, and extract oil and moisture.
That is why it is especially important now to give your skin an extra dose of care. In addition to general skincare tips for winter, I would also like to present special anti-aging treatments that are particularly suitable for this sunless time.
Why you should care for your skin differently in winter
Winter presents different challenges for our skin than summer. Whereas in the summer months it is important to provide adequate sun protection, in winter the sun tends to be more restrained.
Instead, the cold wind whips around your ears outside and the dry heating air offers no relief inside. The face, in particular, is often at the mercy of wind and weather. At such low temperatures, sebum production decreases which leads to lower moisture and oil content in the skin.
It is therefore important to provide the skin with an extra portion of natural oils, moisture, and regenerative active ingredients to prepare it for the cold season.
Body care in winter
Few things are as tempting in winter as a hot shower! Especially when we have had to fight our way into the apartment through a snowstorm and are frozen to the bone, the shower and bathtub are calling out our name.
However, as relaxing and warming as hot showers and baths may be, they unfortunately also tend to dry out the skin. Therefore, when it comes to body care, make use of moisturising products such as my argan oil shower milk and pamper your skin with my pomegranate body lotion after showering.
And do not forget about your hands! They are usually the only part of the body uncovered and exposed to the cold winter air and therefore need extra moisture. Here I recommend my hand cream which strengthens the skin barrier of the hands.
Facial care in winter
Particularly suitable for winter are products that in addition to oil also provide intensive moisture, for example, products with hyaluronic acid. Anyone with particularly sensitive, even irritated skin should not be stingy with caring ingredients and may also resort to moisturising products such as my Derma Balance Ointment.
However, it is also important in winter to match care to the particular skin type. If you have rather oily skin, you should not resort to overly oily products in the cold season but instead stick to moisturisers like my hyaluron concentrate to supplement your daily care and apply my hyaluron mask once a week as extra care.
In addition, make sure you have sufficient lip care! Lips do not produce sebum and therefore need your special support. A lip balm should definitely have a permanent place in your handbag.
Face masks for winter
In winter, you should definitely treat your skin to an extra care session. Face masks are perfect for this purpose. Here, I recommend my new face masks, which are now available at “Hautzentrum Wien” and my online store both as sets (anti-aging for demanding skin, clarifying for impure skin and hyaluron for tired skin) and individual products (anti-aging, clarifying, hyaluron).
Biocellulose masks, obtained by natural fermentation of coconut water, are impregnated with particularly intensive and valuable active ingredients. Unwrap, apply, regenerate and nourish. Nothing pampers facial skin as completely and effectively as a sheet mask. It is the quick active ingredient booster for in-between as a supplement to daily care. Since the valuable care substances cannot evaporate under the cloth, the skin absorbs them particularly quickly and intensively.
Emergency care for particularly irritated winter skin
Quite often patients tell me the following: “I’ve already tried so many things and my skin doesn’t tolerate anything anymore – either it gets red, flakes, itches or in the worst case I even get pimples.”
Here I recommend my Derma Balance Ointment. Originally developed for neurodermitic skin, it is highly popular with my patients due to special lipid-replenishing complexes, proven anti-inflammatory frankincense and natural skin-soothing oils. It not only nurtures but reliably soothes problematic skin.
If you are especially prone to redness and tense skin in winter, let me specifically recommend this care product to you.
Anti-aging in winter
Many patients who have already established an anti-aging skincare routine during the summer months ask me if they should keep it the same during the winter. In this case, I say yes, absolutely!
I myself have completely changed my skincare routine after menopause to best counteract the increasing dryness and the first wrinkles. Dryness is amplified in the winter months, so feel free to continue your anti-aging skincare in the winter and even take it a step further by e.g. adding an additional skincare product to your routine!
My winter anti-aging skincare routine: I prefer to apply Stem Cell Hyaluron Serum after cleansing, followed by my anti-aging cream. Once or twice a week, I treat myself to my rich anti-aging Mask. For the sensitive eye area, I also use my intensive eye cream at night. It helps me to visibly reduce the puffiness on my lower eyelids in the morning and benefits me with “anti-wrinkle care”.
Anti-aging cosmetic treatments in winter
As extra care for the winter I recommend a particular cosmetic treat to my patients. Peelings reach their peak attraction during the sunless winter months.
As a pre-treatment, the sun-induced thickened cornea (top layer of skin) can be removed by diamond abrasion. Then (depending on the skin type) fruit acids are applied in increasing concentrations. These biological acids act like a young cell cure against tired, sallow skin – they smooth out delicate wrinkles and additionally remove superficial age or pigment spots.
This is followed by special masks or the introduction of intensive active ingredients for improved circulation, lymph activation and cell regeneration as well as for skin soothing. Peelings have also proven particularly effective for impure, large-pored skin, in order to achieve a more beautiful, purer skin appearance. A treatment at Hautzentrum Wien costs EUR 100 and, apart from minimal reddening, you can straight go on with your usual life.
Anti-aging laser treatments in winter
Lasers have become an indispensable part of aesthetic dermatology. When cosmetic treatments do not bring sufficient success, laser treatments with their different areas of application are what is needed.
Enlarged vessels (couperose) in the face, unsightly age or pigment spots, large pores and acne scars as well as wrinkles in problem zones such as the eye region, mouth area or cheeks are just a few areas of application. The removal of annoying spider veins or unwanted hair also reach their peak during the sunless winter months. Here is a small selection of images to illustrate the results of modern laser therapies.
Skincare in winter – also from the inside!
If you make sure to take extra care of your skin during the winter months, you are already doing a lot right. However, many people forget that the skin also wants to be cared for from the inside and that a lack of moisture on the inside can also make itself felt on the outside.
Therefore, do not forget to drink plenty of fluids! Drink plenty of water or warm up from the inside with unsweetened teas! Water-containing foods such as cucumbers, soups and fruit also moisturise your skin from the inside and protect it from drying out.
A note of caution – alcohol also draws moisture from the skin, so you should only cover your liquid needs to a small extent with mulled wine and punch.
Healthy room climate, healthy skin!
The dry air from heating, in particular, poses a great challenge to our skin in winter. With a few simple tricks, however, you can minimise this factor and reduce the stress on your skin.
So make sure to ventilate regularly. Opening the window completely three times a day for ten minutes at a time has worked particularly well for me.
Humidifiers can also prove a great relief! Moist air is released into the room as a hot mist. Alternatively, you can also place a pan with water or a wet towel on the radiator.
Indoor plants also serve as natural humidifiers, as they improve the indoor climate and increase the oxygen content in the air!
Well-cared-for skin – even in winter!
My patients are often discouraged when they notice that their normal moisturising care reaches its limits in winter. However, this does not have to be the case at all! Just treat your skin to an extra portion of moisture, ensure a healthy indoor climate and sufficient hydration, and your skin will glow as usual even in winter!
Yours, Dr. Sabine Schwarz
