National Healthy Skin Month is about taking care of your skin! Cosmetic dermatology is all about focusing on your skin’s health while making your skin look as great as possible. Here are our 2021 tips for healthy skin.

Take care of your skin’s natural barrier.

What is your skin’s natural barrier? The moisture barrier, AKA the “lipid barrier”, is located in the stratum corneum and it’s part of your skin’s outermost defense system. It consists of corneocytes (layers of dead skin cells) and lipids (the skin’s natural fats). If you’ve ever had symptoms of itchiness, flakiness, burning, redness, or other types of irritation, this likely means your lipid barrier has been compromised or damaged in some way. 

To keep your skin healthy and glowing, it’s crucial to take care of this natural barrier. This may sound more complicated than it actually is. Often, taking care of your barrier on a regular basis is simply making sure you’re moisturizing every day with a lotion or cream that suits your skin type and doesn’t contain ingredients that irritate your skin. Nourishing your skin with hydrating serums before applying your moisturizer is also a great way to take care of your natural skin barrier.

As the weather gets a little cooler and less humid, your skin will likely become drier. Dryness in your skin often leads to flakiness, redness, and rough patches. This means your skin’s natural barrier needs a little help. So the best treatment for healthy skin in the winter is a good moisturizer! 

Choose one that will minimize dryness without aggravating acne or any skin allergies you may have. Good ingredients to look out for are hyaluronic acid, ceramides, glycerin, lactic acid, and squalane.

One of the best treatments for healthy skin that you can do in the winter is simply add a more hydrating moisturizer to your routine.

More of the good stuff, less of the bad.

This one might be a no-brainer, but it’s still worth talking about! What you put in your body and how you treat your body will affect your skin. This doesn’t mean that eating greasy foods and chocolate will give you breakouts. While it’s true for some people that dairy intake causes acne, it’s not true for all of us. Rather, things like alcohol and smoking have way more of an effect, so dermatologists definitely recommend avoiding smoking and limiting your alcohol intake. 

We all know how harmful smoking cigarettes is for the lungs, heart, blood vessels, and other organs, but did you know smoking can cause skin issues too? Long-term effects include dryness, uneven skin pigmentation, bags in the undereye area, a saggy jawline, and deeper facial wrinkles and furrows. When you’re treating your body well, your skin will thank you.

Protect yourself from UV rays.

We may sound like a broken record but we couldn’t ignore the most important tip for healthy skin!

The Sun emits ultraviolet radiation, which is categorized into UVA and UVB waves. While UVB rays are partially absorbed into the ozone layer and can burn your skin, UVA rays aren’t absorbed into the ozone layer at all and age your skin. 

Regardless of their differences, both types cause skin cancer, so it’s imperative that you pick out a sunscreen that is labeled as “Broad Spectrum,” which protects against UVA and UVB rays. Sun Protection Factor (SPF) is another key component of sunscreen, as it indicates how effectively the formula limits UVB exposure. 

The more SPF, the better. After looking into these two main elements of your sunscreen, you should lean towards sunscreens that are water-resistant or waterproof. While both are better than sunscreens that don’t have either, water-resistant products usually lose their SPF after about forty minutes coming into contact with water, while waterproof ones lose their SPF after ninety minutes. 

Whether you’re spending a day at the beach or running a marathon, sweat and water will wash off your sunscreen, so pick one that will combat that. Reapplying sun protection throughout the day is still necessary, no matter what sunscreen you have. Check our broad-spectrum SPF products on our online shop!

2021 Tips For Healthy Skin: Winter Treatments

Perhaps you need something a little more personalized. If nothing seems to be working, whether it’s the new habits you implemented for months or the dozens of products you tried, don’t be afraid to see a dermatologist. A knowledgeable physician can help you determine any underlying issues and recommend medical-grade products and treatments. Book an appointment with us today!