Wednesday, December 9, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
7
Winter is coming — save your skin
By Kim hapke, ND
Correspondent
Winter is coming to
Central Oregon and with
it, its detrimental effects on
our skin. Does dry, rough,
chapped, itchy, and/or fragile
skin, sound familiar? Adding
insult to injury, when skin is
less hydrated the appearance
of wrinkles is worsened.
Time to change up your
skincare regimen to protect
your skin from the harsh
effects of winter. The effects
of dry, cold weather are more
noticeable as we age. This is
due in part to declining lev-
els of collagen, a skin protein
that gives integrity and elas-
ticity to the skin. Most win-
ter interventions are aimed
at supporting and increasing
collagen levels while also
increasing and preserving
moisture.
Remember, what you
put in your body influences
your skin. Are you drink-
ing enough water? If you
are not getting the recom-
mended eight glasses a day
it will show in your skin.
Certain drinks like coffee
and alcohol act as diuretics,
leading your body to excrete
more water. You may need to
add extra water to your day
if you are drinking either of
these.
Including more fruits and
vegetables is another great
way to eliminate toxins and
boost water intake. Your diet
should also include good
fats to hydrate skin from
within. Omega 3s in fish
and flax oil support healthy
skin and are frequently miss-
ing in standard American
diets.
Taking long hot showers
can strip skin of its natural
oils. Shortening your show-
ers and using warm, not hot
water is especially impor-
tant in dry winter months.
Antibacterial or deodorant
soaps are also more disrup-
tive to natural oils than mild
unscented soaps.
Moisturize within a min-
ute or two of getting out of
the shower to provide a pro-
tective layer to the skin and
to guard against water loss.
Consider using a humidifier
indoors to help counteract the
drying effect of indoor heat.
Certain topical skin-
care ingredients have been
studied for their effects on
the hydration and elastic-
ity of skin, which ultimately
affects wrinkle appearance.
Look for ingredients that
support skin integrity and
moisture content such as the
following:
Hyaluronic acid works
by holding water in colla-
gen. This moisture-holding
capability helps skin look
plump and smooth. In a study
using topical hyaluronic acid
around one eye of 76 women
for 60 days, improvements
were seen in measurements
of both skin hydration and
skin elasticity.
CoQ10 works by a differ-
ent method than hyaluronic
acid. Rather than directly
affecting moisture content,
CoQ 10 acts as an antioxi-
dant, reducing the damaging
effect of free radical forma-
tion in the skin due to the
sun’s rays and environmental
pollutants. It stabilizes cell
membranes, so that over time
our skin shows less damag-
ing effects.
Vitamin C is found natu-
rally in both the dermal and
epidermal levels of the skin.
Levels of vitamin C found
in the skin reduce with age.
Vitamin C stimulates colla-
gen production and acts as
an antioxidant, reducing the
damaging effects of sun in
the skin. Eating a wide vari-
ety of fruits and vegetables is
one way to get vitamin C to
the skin, topical vitamin C is
iStockphoto.coM/choreograph
Evaluate your skincare regimen to be sure you are providing the best
protection for your skin against the harsh effects of winter.
another. Besides stimulating
collagen production, topical
vitamin C has been associ-
ated with reduced roughness
in skin.
Topical niacinamide (vita-
min B3) has a stabilizing
effect on skin barrier cells,
leading to a reduction in
transepidermal water loss.
Niacinamide can increase
the skin’s production of
ceramides which are natural
emollients and skin protec-
tants. It is a valuable ingre-
dient in skin products at
several stages of life. It is
anti-inflammatory and can
alleviate symptoms of mild
to moderate acne in teens
and younger adults as well
as reduce fine lines, redness,
and hyperpigmentation in
mature skin.