Top Winter Skin Care Concerns (And How to Deal With Each!)

Between record low temperatures and a dry, arid climate—both indoors and out—many of us are battling some of winter's all-to-common skin care concerns. From dry patches and a dull skin tone to a ruddy, red-looking complexion, we’re going to share the top winter skin concerns and tell you how you can help deal with each one!

A post shared by Skincare.com (@skincare) on Jan 12, 2018 at 3:49pm PST

1. Dry Skin

One of the top skin concerns during the winter months is dry skin. Whether you’re experiencing it on your face, your hands—or everywhere—dry skin can look and feel uncomfortable. One of the main reasons dryness can occur during the winter months is because of the lack of humidity in the air—both inside, thanks to artificial heat, and out, thanks to the climate. There are two ways you can help to address dryness caused by a lack of moisture in the air. One is a no brainer: moisturize, often, but especially right after you cleanse.

After washing your face and body, pat dry, and while your skin is just slightly damp, layer on your hydrating serums and moisturizers from head to toe. One hydrator we’re loving right now is Vichy’s Mineral 89. This beautifully-packaged beauty booster is formulated with hyaluronic acid and Vichy’s exclusive mineral-rich thermal water and helps to give your skin a boost of lightweight, long-lasting hydration.

Another dermatologist-approved tip is to invest in a small humidifier for the areas where you spend the most time. Think: your desk, your bedroom, next to that cozy living room couch. Humidifiers can help to combat dryness caused by artificial heat by adding that much-needed moisture back in the air which can help your skin retain hydration much better.

2. Dull-Looking Skin

While we’re on the topic of dryness, it’s the perfect time to discuss the second winter skin concern so many of us have to deal with and that’s a dull-looking skin tone. When our skin in dry in the wintertime it can cause a buildup of dead skin cells on the surface of our complexion. Dry, dead skin cells don’t reflect light the way new, hydrated skin cells do. What’s more, they can even keep your great moisturizers from reaching the skin’s surface and essentially keep them from doing their job.

The best way to tackle them is with exfoliation. You can opt for physical exfoliation which employs a body scrub like these new ones from L’Oreal Paris formulated with sugar and kiwi seeds to help polish away dull skin. Or you can try my personal favorite method chemical exfoliation. Chemical exfoliation eats away those dead skin cells that are camping out on your skin, leaving you with a more glowing complexion that’s ready for and more able to soak up moisture. One of my favorite ingredients for chemical exfoliation is glycolic acid. This alpha hydroxy acid, or AHA, is the most common fruit acid and comes from sugar cane. AHAs like glycolic acid help to remove built up dead skin cells and smooth out that top layer of skin which can then leave you with a more radiant complexion.

A Skincare.com favorite for this are the L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Bright Reveal Brightening Peel Pads. They are come in convenient, pre-soaked textured pads—30 in total per pack—and are formulated with 10 percent glycolic acid to help gently exfoliate your skin’s surface. I love them because they can be used each night after cleansing and before moisturizing your skin.

3. Chapped Lips

Another skin care concern that inevitably pops up each winter? Dry, chapped lips. The dry climate paired with cold temps and blustering winds is a recipe for chapped lips. And while licking them may offer some temporary relief it’s just going to make things worse. Instead use a lip balm that’s been formulated to soothe and and hydrate dry lips like Biotherm Beurre De Levres, a re-plumping and soothing lip balm. 

4. Red Cheeks

Finally, the last winter skin care concern we hear complaints of often is a ruddy, red complexion—one that goes way beyond that healthy-looking flush you can get when you quickly run from your car to the store. Those below zero temps and chilling winds can do a number on your cheeks. While protecting your face from the wind with a chunky warm scarf is a great way to prevent ruddiness in the first place, if you’re already dealing with it, reach for a cooling, comforting mask that’s been formulated with calm to skin like SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Masque. This intensive botanical face mask helps to soothe temporarily reactive skin and is formulated with highly concentrated extracts of cucumber, thyme, and olive, a calming dipeptide, and hyaluronic acid.

It’s great because it cools on contact which immediately helps to comfort skin that’s been a little wind burned. But I love it most because it can be used in three different ways. As a leave on moisturizer, a rinse off face mask, or an overnight treatment.