5 Anti-Aging Skincare Tips For Winter

Winter tends to be one of the harshest times for our skin. The temperatures drop, the moisture disappears from the air, and we spend hours inside with the heater blasting. Dry, red, irritated, and sagging skin can feel impossible to dodge. If you're 40 or older, the skin is generally considered mature, and these issues can have an ever bigger impact on the health of your skin. 

Although "anti-aging" has become such a popular trend in skincare, we believe in the power and beauty of people at every age. With that said, there are things we can do to keep our skin healthier and happier, and by extension, more youthful into our 50s, 60s, and beyond. 

We compiled 5 tips from top facialists to keep your skin looking and feeling fresh and vibrant through the winter. 

1. Avoid over-exfoliating, especially in the Winter

Over-exfoliating is one of the biggest mistakes a lot of people make when it comes to skincare in general. However, making this mistake during the winter when temps are low and moisture is limited can exaggerate some of the negatives of over-exfoliating. A general rule of thumb is that exfoliation one to two times per week helps assist in cell turnover a cell regeneration without causing any damage to the skin. 

That's right. One to two times per week. However, in the winter, you might even consider reducing your exfoliation to only once per week. This is because the lack of moisture in the air and the colder weather can dry out and irritate your skin much quicker than you realize. 

It's fairly easy to tell if you're overdoing the exfoliation, and some signs to watch out for especially during the winter are:

• Irritation
• Redness
• Inflammation
• Burning or peeling
• Increased sensitivity to other products 
• Breakouts 

2. Moisturize, moisturize and...moisturize!

If you're not already applying moisturizer to your face everyday, then this is something you should definitely start doing! During the winter, colder temperatures can suck the moisture dry from your skin, leading to excess wrinkles, fine lines, and blemishes. 

We recommend you find a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid helps to lock in moisture. Your body naturally produces hyaluronic acid, but its ability to do this gradually reduces over time, making it harder for your skin to hold moisture. 

Choosing a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid, and other moisture-boosting ingredients like vitamin C and E will help make sure that during the winter, your skin gets all the moisture it needs. 

Did you know that moisturizing isn't just good for acne and blemishes, but also for sagging skin and other symptoms of sagging like jowls? Yup, without enough hyaluronic acid or moisture in the skin, the skin becomes dry and thin, making it more vulnerable to gravity, and thus, sagging. 

In short, pick up a moisturizer, and apply it everyday especially if you plan to step outside during the Winter! 

3. Pick up a face oil

You've probably realized by tip #3 now that maintaining moisture in the skin is the key to a successful anti-aging routine in the winter. Well, to make 100% certain that your skin is getting and more importantly keeping the moisture it needs, we highly recommend you pick up a skin oil. 

Adding just a few drops to your moisturizer before you apply can do wonders for plumping and nourishing your skin. Face oils are especially important for those of you who already have naturally dry skin. Even those of you with more oily glands may want to consider a face oil depending on where you live and how cold it gets during the winter.

With a good face oil, you ensure that you're sealing the moisture in your skin, which helps it to be nourished and decreases the potential onset for wrinkles, fine lines, and blemishes. 

4. Seek out Microcurrent facials or a Microcurrent device  

Microcurrent therapy is a great way to keep your skin youthful, glowing, and nourished especially during the winter. If you've read any of our blogs, then you know we're massive fans of Microcurrent, and so are thousands of aestheticians and dermatologists. 

Microcurrent increases the amount of ATP in your skin, increasing cell turnover and promoting collagen and elastin production. It does this by using low-level electrical currents to target facial muscles. Increasing collagen helps your skin to maintain its firmness and smoothness, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. Increasing elastin increases your skin's flexibility, helping it to remain plump. 

The cold winter temperatures can decrease collagen and elastin production, as well as lower cell turnover and decrease blood circulation. Microcurrent therapy, especially if done 1 to 2 times per week can help your skin stay firm, tight, and toned, especially during the winter when dry and thin skin can often begin to sag unexpectedly. 

The best part of Microcurrent therapy is that it's easily accessible and can be applied to the entire face. Most local facials spas offer Microcurrent facials, but if you're looking for more frequent treatments at a slightly lower cost, then you may consider learning more about at-home microcurrent devices. 

5. Go all-in on Collagen!

Collagen is a major component of healthy, happy, and youthful skin. However, as we age, the body produces less collagen, which can lead to a lack of firmness and strength in the skin. This sometimes manifests in the form of wrinkles, fine lines, and other signs of aging skin. 

During the winter and colder temperatures of the year, the skin tends to dry out quickly, which can cause thin, irritated skin that becomes more susceptible to signs of aging. This is why it's especially important to start using collagen products if you already aren't. 

Picking a moisturizer or cream that has collagen in it will help your skin maintain its firmness and smoothness as well as its structural integrity. Keeping the skin structurally strong will help combat the effects of colder temperatures on skin, helping you maintain a youthful, vibrant, and more plump complexion while you wait for the temps to heat up.