Don’t Blame the Moisturizer

It’s that time of year again. Even in Los Angeles, the temperatures drop, the air becomes a little dryer than we’re used to, and our skin begins to struggle. Every year like clock work. This year is no different. I’m beginning to hear the struggles.

When my husband and I moved to Los Angeles from NYC, I was confused by all the beach-goers on Christmas day! What was happening?! It didn’t feel right. After 14 years of living in SoCal, I get it. But I still miss the seasons. Especially fall. Fall brings the cooler temps, and autumn leaves. I love sweater weather. What I don’t love is the dry, sensitive skin that seems to plague most during this time of year.

We should definitely show our skin a little extra love as we welcome the fall season. It’s the perfect time to help our skin recover from summer and prepare for the cooler, LA winter months. Seasonal changes with a loss of moisture from the air can provoke problems; flaking, itching, stinging, redness and inflammation. These are signs that your skin cannot properly protect you from environmental challenges, including a change in season. These symptoms mean your skin is crying out for help! It’s not fun, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

1. Hydrate from the inside: Drink plenty of water to help keep your skin hydrated in spite of the cooler air. We all think we drink a lot of water, but do we really? 😉

2. Gentle cleansing: Opt for a gentle cleanser. My absolute favorite this time of year is Dermaviduals Cleansing Milk. There is no way this will strip your skin of it’s natural oils.

3. Moisturize daily: This one should be obvious, but you may have to bump up your moisture game in the next several months.*

4. SPF: Yup! Even in winter, protect your skin from UV rays with daily use of SPF! ~ first two full finger lengths worth for face and neck.

5. Avoid hot showers: Sorry. Hot showers can dehydrate your skin. Opt for luke warm water instead. This one will be tough for me, too. 🙂

6. Invest in a humidifier!: A humidifier can help bring moisture back to the air. This is something I repeat every year. A reminder never hurts. :

7. Nourishing and hydrating treatments: The extra care will go a long way as we make our way into winter. The Qi Beauty Treatment may be my favorite for this! Nourishing, AND quite beautiful. Should we opt for this one your next visit? <3

As winter trudges on it can be SO tempting to blame your moisturizer for your dry skin. To say it just isn’t hydrating enough, I feel like I need something THICKER! This sentiment is slightly ‘off.’

Bear with me here…

Did you know there is a difference between a traditional ‘moisturizer’ and a true barrier supporting product? A lot of products on the market contain emollients that act as occlusive agents on the skin, with the sole purpose of holding water in your skin and preventing it from evaporatin. BTW – this is called ‘Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL).

While there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with using these products (they have proven to be ‘effective’), they don’t actually provide much value to the skin and its long term health. They essentially treat the symptom (dry skin). On the other hand, a barrier repair formulated product contains ingredients that are native to our skin (ceramides, fatty acids, and cholesterol) will essentially treat the ‘disease,’ (compromised skin barrier) that leads to the dry skin. Are you following? 🙂 A temporary seal vs changing the function of your skins barrier.

So which product would I start with? Pretty much anything from Dermaviduals, which is, IMHO, the gold standard for barrier support. The products are formulated to mimic the skin’s structure to preserve the skin’s natural protective barrier. Another really unique feature of this line is the ability to custom blend serums, moisturizers masks, and even cleansers. Unique, and kind of cool. 🙂

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