Most of the country is well into fall by now (southern California seems to be stuck in an endless summer!). Fall can be a tricky time of year for your skin because it is transitioning between the warm, humid summer air and crisp, dry winter air. The best thing you can do for your skin is keep a consistent skin care routine to allow your skin to seamlessly transition between summer and winter.
- Wear sunscreen! It doesn’t matter that you are not outside in the sun or that it is cloudy; you always need to wear sunscreen. When you are not in direct sunlight (whether it is cloudy or you are indoors by a window), the UVB rays are blocked, so you may not see a sunburn, however the UVA rays still penetrate your skin. UVA rays are very long and penetrate deep into the dermis layer of the skin, where new skin cells and collagen are formed. When DNA in the skin cell is damaged by UVA radiation, you have the potential for many types of skin cancer and advanced photo aging (hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, etc.).
- Brighten up! During the summer, you may have gotten caught up in the craze of wanting that vacation tan, maybe you forgot to reapply sunscreen at the beach, or perhaps the sun’s rays just crept through somehow. Now is the time to brighten your skin back up and say goodbye to hyperpigmentation. Use a resurfacing product including glycolic acid for skin that feels firmer, looks smoother, and has a natural radiant glow. Follow with a peptide hydrator to firm, even tone, hydrate, and fight against aging. This lightweight formula harnesses the power of three advanced peptides shown to increase collagen production, brighten skin, and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Clinical studies show that using these products in combination result in a 27% increase in firmness, 44% improvement in moisture levels, and 23% reduction of fine lines. You’ll have firm, hydrated, younger-looking skin by the holidays!
- Hydrate! Colder temperatures mean much less humidity in the air. You go from a heated office, to the cold outdoors, and back into a heated car. Heaters suck all of the humidity out of the already-dry air, leaving you with parched skin by the end of the day. Incorporate a facial oil into your regimen to help balance your sebum levels. This will help prevent your skin from getting too dull and dry, and help it to not overproduce extra oil in response to the dryness, that gets trapped and leads to acne.
- Apply the sunshine! During the fall, your vitamin D levels tend to fall as you are spending less time outdoors. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to to seasonal mood disorders as well as many serious conditions such as dementia, cardiovascular disease, cancer, eczema, and psoriasis. It’s estimated that one billion people worldwide are vitamin D deficient; a number that goes up during the colder months. Vitamin D is only made in one place – the skin – and is critical for inside-out beauty, health, and wellbeing. Studies show that applying vitamin D topically will allow your skin to not only absorb the vitamin D, but also to produce more D.
What are your biggest fall skin challenges? Let us know in the comments below!