Skin Care Help, it's winter and my skin's parched

Heated rooms. The freezing outdoors. Biting winds. During winter our skin has to face the elements and tries to defend itself from the cold, whilst also dealing with hot, centrally heated rooms. It gets stressed, becomes fragile, hyper-sensitive, stingy and sometimes feel burned. In other words it hurts. All the time.What's more, even if these symptoms aren't apparent on the surface, its deeper layers are still suffering beyond belief. A double whammy: - Wind harms and wears away our skin's natural protective barrier. - When bracing the cold, small blood vessels in the epidermis contract, leaving our skin lacking in oxygen. Bearing the brunt of the elements and feeling suffocated, our skin cries out for nourishing treatments. In order to defend itself, it produces more and more free radicals, which in turn leave our skin burning and tight, not to mention wrinkle-prone! In short, we need to deal with this cascading list of inflammatory conditions the moment the mercury drops.

Dehydrated, malnourished winter skin needs a beauty routine that wraps it in gentle, comforting treatments.

Tip

Stop wrinkle-producing dermal oxidation by applying creams packed with antioxidants such as vitamins C and E. For extra pampering, opt for treatments that contain moisturising active ingredients such as hyaluronic acid. Applied regularly, your skin will be left comfortably moisturised and no longer sting.

Tip

Treat yourself to a nourishing oil. Nutrient and ceramide-rich face oils are perfect for toning up the dermis and nourishing the epidermis. Ultra-light in texture, they don't leave behind a greasy film and can be applied every other morning. And every night, you can use them like a face mask by applying a thicker layer.

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Whatever you do, cleanse! It'll get rid of all the grime that prevents skin from being oxygenated and causes it to suffocate.

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Turn down the heating It may keep our tootsies warm, but our skin hates heating! Whether at work, home or in the car, turn down the thermostat a notch or two. Just lowering it a bit will protect your skin from becoming dehydrated."