The Winter Skin Survival Guide Part 1
By Theresa Fleetwood from Andresa Skin Health Clinic

It’s that time of year when the temperature starts to drop, the central heating is turned on and the humidity generally is low, which all takes its toll on our skin. Making changes to your skincare regime at this time of year is really important in order to maintain good skin balance and health.

Here are a few of my favourite winter skincare tips:

• Winter Protection

Do not be fooled into thinking you can stop using your daily facial sun protection. It is still important to continue to protect your skin throughout the winter months from the sun’s UVA rays, which are responsible for ageing the skin. Therefore, ensure your sunscreen is broad spectrum with a minimum protection level of SPF 30.

I highly recommend Heliocare Silk Gel SPF30, which provides high-level UVA protection for day-to-day use. This formula is suitable for all skin types, including spot-prone skin.

• Include Vitamin A to your winter skincare regime

Vitamin A is necessary for skin cell repair and maintenance, and maintaining the correct amount protects against fine lines and wrinkles, and helps improve acne and dry skin conditions.

Applying vitamin A topically to the skin in the form of retinol will help with uneven skin tone and pigmentation, whilst promoting collagen and elastin production. I highly recommend using the DermaQuest Retinol Peptide Youth Serum up to four nights a week for optimum results.

• Overcome skin sensitivity

Many people believe that they have sensitive skin, but in reality the majority are simply using the wrong moisturiser, which can impair the natural balance of the skin. During the winter months, this sensitivity can become exacerbated, due to the effects of heating systems both at home and in the car.

To improve and protect skin from sensitivity, and to ‘lock in’ the natural oil of the skin, I recommend combining Seba-E with Herb and Mineral Mist. These two amazing products from Danne Montague-King aim to replicate your skin’s natural sebum, helping to retain the water and nutrients necessary for cell life. When used in combination, this duo combats dryness and dehydration and restores the natural moisture balance of the skin.

• Repair dry dehydrated lips

Every year, many clients ask my advice about which lip balm they should buy. You may be surprised to learn that I never hesitate in sending them off to the high street to purchase a pot of Blistex MedPlus. This product works wonders by repairing and healing sore, dry dehydrated lips.

For those who want to smooth out fine lines whilst adding natural volume and colour to their lips, I recommend DermaQuest’s amazing Stem Cell 3D Lip Enhancer, an anti-ageing, refreshing lip treatment that repairs, firms, plumps and hydrates, giving you amazing results.

For more information on Andresa Skin Health Clinic go to www.andresa.co.uk or call 01635 800183.