It’s a fact: when the temperatures drop, your skin is bound to be affected… and the results can be disastrous. So if your goal is to avoid dull, dry and overly-sensitive skin, read on:
1 Where it starts
Frigid weather, sweltering offices, harsh soaps and long showers are the most common triggers for dry skin. They weaken the proteins that make up your skin cells and erode the lipids, or fats, that glue them all together. Water sneaks out of the cracks in your skin’s barrier and that’s when the drying process begins.
2 The side affects
When dehydration kicks in, your natural exfoliating enzymes stop functioning properly. Dead cells cling to you, rather than shedding off imperceptibly, as they do when skin is healthy. The pile-up absorbs light instead of reflecting it (um, hello dull skin!).
3 Why you itch
The tiny gaps in the barrier that let moisture out of your epidermis also grant entry to stinging irritants – like the fragrance in your hand cream – which fire up nerve fibres in the skin and signal immune cells to release histamine, making you itch like mad. A compromised barrier also lets in pollutants and free radicals, which can accelerate signs of ageing. Now we don’t want that!
Not sure if you have a dry skin or whether it’s just ‘dehydrated’? Here’s how to tell the difference. And what should you be using on your skin at this time of year? These 5 ingredients will do the trick!
