We all wanted to look good for Christmas, but we should continue our good skincare habits into the new year and beyond, too. Healthy skin is an investment, not a miracle, so if you’ve been paying more (or little) attention to your skin this season, you should always strive for better! Here’s the best skin health tips we think everyone should be abiding by.
Remove your makeup before bed
New year, new you, no more makeup in bed! Sleeping in makeup leaves high levels of oils and artificial chemicals on your skin. These seep into your pores and block them and stop them from secreting their natural oils. This leads to swollen pores, white-headed spots, and blackheads that need a bit more than a makeup wipe to shift.
Keep using moisturiser
Especially through January, February, and March, keep on top of your moisturising. If you read any of our winter skincare blogs, you’ll know the importance of moisturising during the colder and drier weather. Famously, January is still freezing, and the proceeding months aren’t much better! Bracing your skin against the wind chill stops it from drying out and maintaining moisture levels helps with overall skin tone and texture. Drinking water doesn’t tend to reach the skin as it is first diverted to your organs, and if you over-drink then the body simply flushes this out. Moisturise your skin properly to ensure your skin is soft and smooth!
Keep exfoliating
Because the winter weather continues into these months, exfoliation is still crucial. Past February-time though, you should ease up on this exfoliation. During colder weather, your skin cells dry out and dim your natural glow. Exfoliating these away once or twice a week will help to keep your skin clear and glowing. However, once we enter Spring, you should ease off this exfoliation as your skin won’t need it as much. In fact, you could even end up irritating it should you be sloughing away good skin!
Adopt vitamin C and retinol products into your routine
Vitamin C and retinol both contain properties that encourage positive skin cell turnover. This boosts your skin’s natural abilities to shed dying skin cells and replace them with new ones. These products should only be used once or twice a week, depending on how potent their vit-C and retinol levels are, and lessened as the year progresses into Spring and Summer.
Sun protection!
Sun protection is one of the skin health considerations you need to keep up all year round. Spring, Summer, Winter, Autumn, you come into contact with the sun at varying strengths during the whole year. Constant exposure, especially for longer periods of time, triggers production of irregular pigmentation and sun spots that prematurely age the skin. We don’t always think about this during Autumn and Winter, but this is where the sneaky build-up of hyperpigmentation begins. Don’t let the sun chip away at your skin, keep it protected at all costs.
Maintain your skin health for glowing skin
Your skin’s health needs constant maintenance throughout the year, but this maintenance doesn’t have to be strenuous or difficult. Taking steps as simple as cleansing, moisturising, and applying sun protection form the basis of any simple yet effective year-long skin routine. The products and potencies will change throughout the year, for example richer moisturiser in Winter and lighter cleansers in Summer, but we can talk you through those! Listen to your skin and it will reward you with years of bounce, clarity, and skin health.
Book your initial consultation at our skin clinic in Inverness today. Enquire online or call Emma J Aesthetics on 01463 830149 to arrange your first appointment and learn all about your skin’s needs.