Tackle winter skin in ten steps with this advice from Dr Sunanda Chugh, a top-rated physician in New York City specializing in Aesthetic Medicine and founder of Anand Medical Spa. With the frigid cold outside and the dry heat inside, winter can be especially taxing on skin causing it to become flaky, itchy and dry. Fortunately, there are some things you can do right now to keep you glowing and dewy through the season.
1. Limit Long, Hot Showers in the Winter As much as we like to take long hot showers in the winter, unfortunately prolonged exposure to hot water strips away essential oils and causes dryness. Either use lukewarm water or take 5-10 minute express showers during the winter. Also, use moisture rich soaps or body washes such as Dove’s DermaSeries Dry Skin Relief Body Wash or the all-natural Buckler’s Moisture Rich Soap.
2. Treat Your Skin with Kindness After getting out of shower, do not aggressively rub your skin with towel, but rather gently pat yourself dry. Also, avoid wearing fabrics that itch like wool or wear a layer of cotton underneath.
3. Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize Apply moisturizer immediately after showering- the chances of your moisturizer being effective are much better on slightly damp skin. For your face, I recommend Skinmedica’s Dermal Repair Cream that also has antioxidants to protect your existing collagen. In addition, use a moisturizing cream for the sensitive skin around your eyes. She recommends SkinMedica’s TNS Eye Repair, an anti-aging product that helps with dark circles, fine lines and is also very moisturizing. For your body, there are wonderful over the counter options such as Eucerin Advanced Skin Repair Lotion or you can use more natural products such as coconut oil.
4. Hook up the humidifier! Increase moisture levels in your home to counter the effects of the heat you are using in the winter.
5. Gloves, Socks, Aquaphor! Have problem areas on hands and feet. Apply some Aquaphor Healing Ointment to your hands and feet and cover with gloves and socks before you go to bed. You’ll wake up to hydrated skin. For your cuticles, apply cuticle oil or even plain olive oil will do!
6. Moisturize More Carry travel size moisturizer in your purse or coat pocket and apply liberally. To keep you protected against nasty winter flu germs, try the moisturizing with R&R Lotion Hand Sanitizer Alcohol-Free Re-Moisturizing Cream, a lotion that kills germs and moisturizes at the same time. Keep our lips hydrated with Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm that adds a hint of color along with 8-hours of hydration.
7. Avoid Alcohol-based Products Avoid toners or skin products with alcohol in it. Opt for non-alcoholic micellar water which triples as makeup remover, toner and skin refresher.
8. Exfoliate Yes, exfoliation is important to get rid of excessive dry, flaky skin layers that accumulate over the winter as long as you don’t have skin conditions such as rosacea, eczema or psoriasis. It is also important to exfoliate, so the moisturizers and expensive skin products you use, actually get absorbed. Do not aggressively exfoliate either to avoid redness or irritation.
9. Hydrate for Your Health It is not just enough to apply topical moisturizers on the outer layer of the skin (the epidermis) if you are dehydrated from the inside. Repair and maintain your skin from the inside out by drinking enough water and fluids.
10. Get a Little Professional Help Winter is also the best time to treat yourself to a medical grade chemical peel because the sun is not a bright as it is in summer, making the healing process for the peel that much more effective. A chemical peel is a skin rejuvenation or skin resurfacing procedure that makes the texture of your skin smoother and gives you even skintone by removing the top layers of dead skin. Chemical peels produce controlled injury to the skin that promotes the growth of new skin with an improved appearance.
Chemical peels can:
- Make rough skin softer and smoother.
- Improve sun damage/spots (photoaging) and hyperpigmentation such as melasma
- Minimize and tighten large pores
- Smooth uneven skin tone
- Decrease acne and blemish breakouts.
- Reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
- Diminish the appearance of superficial scars, such as acne scars
- Increase collagen and elastin
There are a variety of chemical peels out in the market, and Dr Chugh recommends Skinmedica’s Vitalize and Rejuvenize, which she carries in her Manhattan office. The different chemical solutions produce different degrees of injury to the skin, which causes the peeling process. There are two layers of the skin; the outer layer is called the epidermis. Mild to moderate peels such as Skinmedica peels work at the epidermal layer and are safe with minimal risk of any complications, but are also very effective at treating the conditions listed above. Deeper peels (eg. TCA and Phenol peels) produce injury within the dermis and can reverse moderate-to-severe photoaging and wrinkles, but require longer recovery periods and carry a higher risk of complications. During your consultation we can determine which peel is best for your skin and your needs.
Dr. Sunanda Chugh is the Founder and Medical Director of Anand Medical Spa and has been practicing in NYC since 2004. She is a graduate of Cornell University and has completed her training at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital/Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Chugh has worked and trained with top Plastic Surgeons and Dermatologists in NYC. Her special interest on the effect of the aging process on the face and body inspired her to specialize in Aesthetic Medicine.
