Is Your Skin Ready for Winter?

Although it has been a tough year, as we start the new year, we turn our attention to healthier habits, better nutrition, and the changes we all want to make for the new year ahead.  We move “out with the old & in with the new,” right?,  our internal emotional state and how we handle all the stress and anxiety in our lives is a HUGE component of any effective wellness and anti-aging program. Stress will age you faster than anything and is the root of almost every illness…

Speaking of aging, changing up your daily skincare routine is a top priority to offset the beating your skin can take when temperatures drop.

Frigid temperatures force the skin’s blood vessels to constantly expand and contract in order to manage the trade-off between driving warm blood to the organs and keeping the skin supplied. Your body eventually reduces blood flow to your skin when temperatures drop below 45⁰F.  When this happens, skin vessels dilate and stretch wider to be more efficient, and blood flow increases. This is why your face often looks red in cold conditions. Some blood vessels stretch beyond their capacity and break – this is known as broken capillaries and happens when suddenly going from the cold to overheated rooms and vice versa. In addition to external temperature fluctuations, the air’s lack of humidity leads to Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL), causing dehydration and dryness. Winter weather can suck the moisture out of your skin, leaving it dull, dry, and flaky, and don’t even get me started on cracked, chapped lips!

Skin damage from UV light exposure doesn’t stop in the winter, and even on cloudy days, UV exposure is the same. Also, researchers have known for some time that blue light from the sun can harm skin and eyes, but–are you sitting down? Blue light also emanates from digital devices, including your smartphone and computer, where the damage is up close and personal. Read on to find out what you can do to stop blue light damage to your skin. Long-term blue light exposure to concentrated blue light energy sources can cause skin damage, including color changes, inflammation, and weakening of the skin’s surface. Simply put, blue light promotes stressors in the skin that cause photo-aging – that is, exposure to light.  So our solution is our Total Eclipse BB Cream; this weightless, matte finish beauty balm is formulated with potent antioxidants and micronized zinc and titanium oxide that will effectively protect healthy skin from the ravages of harsh environments.   And if you are a ski enthusiast, you not going to want to miss this video.

OK – now that you get the gist of how extreme temperatures during the winter months can damage the skin, let’s take a look at another HUGE factor that accelerates the aging process more than just about anything– STRESS!

By not managing stress, we will sabotage all of our other beauty efforts.

A few of the significant effects of stress and anxiety on the body are:

1. Adrenal Fatigue
2. Acid pH contributing to pain, inflammation, illness, and skin elasticity
3. Hormone Imbalance
4. Endocrine Imbalance
5. Autoimmune Issues including Arthritis and Fibromyalgia
6. Structural Alignment Issues
7. Changes in brain chemistry affecting mental and physical health
8. Digestion & Elimination Insufficiency
9. Sleep Cycle Disturbances
10. Substance Abuse and Coping Addictions

Stress can be classified into the following categories:

1. Physical stress involves injury, illness, disease, surgery, etc.
2. Circumstantial Stress (can be good or bad stress) involves major life changes, sudden trauma, chronic complicated situations, etc.
3. Internal stress involves our false thought patterns, unresolved issues of the heart, distorted sense of identity, shame, fear, false core beliefs, co-dependence, performance orientation, self-loathing, cycles of addictive behaviors, inability to effectively self-nurture, people-pleasing, unforgiveness & bitterness, unresolved regret, chronic dread, open emotional wounds, etc.

Category 3 Stress ultimately has the most destructive force on our health and how we look.

It is imperative first to identify and evaluate the role that stress may contribute to your skin and/or health concerns to be able to do anything about it.

During these times of extreme stress, our survival instinct is at work. When anxiety is prolonged—that is, when our flight/flight reaction goes on alert and remains there—our physiological systems elevate for more extended periods of time and ultimately become fatigued and damaged.  The result?  Stress chemicals are released into the bloodstream have a devastating impact – these stress chemicals include:  1) adrenaline, 2) norepinephrine, and 3) cortisol.

The Effects Stress Has on Your Face Include:

• Bags Under Your Eyes
• Acne
• Wrinkles
• Hair Loss
• Rashes – Inflammation – Redness

When we experience continuous stress, the chemicals emitted can lead our bodies to undergo internal changes, which can potentially promote the visible ones that we associate with aging.

My skincare strategy for surviving winter and the changes that this New Year brings is simple. From the Inside out – this will be a game-changer for you…

Switch to “Winter Friendly Products”

Lighter lotions and cleansers might have been adequate for the warmer months. Still, during the winter, your skin needs more protection and higher levels of antioxidants and hydration to combat winter temperature extremes.

Hydrate!

Drinking eight glasses of water a day is a must for overall good health and your skin.  I also suggest installing a humidifier into your bedroom or home office for even more of a hydrating boost. Humidifiers add much-needed moisture to dry winter air and help prevent skin dehydration.

Avoid harsh ingredients

It is essential to ensure what you put on your skin isn’t exacerbating dryness or causing redness and irritation during the winter months. Products containing retinoids, glycolic acid, alpha-hydroxy acid, and salicylic acid can be very irritating during the winter. Avoid astringents, aggressive skin scrubs, and petroleum-based skin creams or balms.   Ingredients to look for including essential fatty acids (EFA’s), comfrey, colloidal silver, evening primrose oil,  extra virgin olive oil, seaweed ( laminaria digitata),  Oat Beta Glucan, St. John’s Wort,  Avocado Oil, and aloe vera, to name just a few).

Use LED Light Therapy Daily

“MySkinBuddy™” is a real power tool for Winter Skin Reinforcement!

Why I Love It!

• Deeply cleanses and gently exfoliates the skin
• Enhances product penetration
• Reduces redness and inflammation (red LED)
• Stimulates collagen, lifts and tightens skin (red LED)
• Kills bacteria that lead to acne (blue LED)
• Helps lighten hyperpigmentation (green LED)
• Balances oily skin (blue LED)

Build Emotional Energy and Relieve Anxiety Naturally

Meditate!

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