The morning air has a subtle chill, and soon it will be time to swap out some skincare staples like moisturisers in preparation for autumn. With the temperatures getting cooler as winter approaches, our daily skincare routines must also change.
Often the skincare routine followed during the warmer months fails to lock in that much-needed water and moisture the skin needs during the colder months.
Dr. Alek Nikolic, a renowned specialist in aesthetic medicine and owner of SkinMiles, shares a quick guide on how to care for your skin during autumn and what ingredients to incorporate into your skin regime. During autumn and winter, the skin tends to become moderately dehydrated. Due to certain climate changes that can affect the skin, it may feel dryer than usual.
Chilly air is dryer and contains less humidity and this naturally removes moisture from the skin.
Indoor heating can cause havoc when it comes to your skin. Most heaters and even air conditioners produce dry heat which further sucks moisture from the skin.
We all love long hot showers and baths during the cooler months, but they tend to strip the skin of its natural lipids which increases skin permeability and water loss. The cooler months are also associated with windy or stormy weather which further increases water loss from the skin. When looking at products to treat dry or dehydrated skin, it is important to look at ingredients that replenish, rehydrate and repair the skin barrier.
Dr. Nikolic’s main go-to ingredients to look out for are emollients, humectants, and antioxidants. Emollients can prevent skin water loss and provide a luxurious softening effect to the skin. Emollients can have a thick or a thin consistency, so it’s important not to judge how well a moisturiser will work simply on its consistency,” adds Dr. Nikolic.
Examples of emollients include non-fragrant plant oils, shea butter, cocoa butter, fatty acids, borage oil, linoleic acid, oleic acid, coconut oil, evening primrose oil, sunflower oil, and mango butter.
On the other hand, skin-replacing ingredients help to repair and replace much-needed moisturisation of the skin. Furthermore, they can increase the stratum corneum’s water-holding capacity or the skin’s most outer layer.
Skin-replacing ingredients include hyaluronic acid, ceramides, sodium PCA, glycerine, glycerol, silicones, petrolatum, salicylic acid, and alpha hydroxy acids.
Source: thesouthafrican