Winter ready

Help patients get their skin ready for winter with ZO Skin Health

Winter can wreak havoc on skin — making it dry, itchy, and irritated. Cold, blustery conditions outside can leave skin feeling raw, while indoor heating zaps moisture from the air , and therefore, the skin. We take hotter showers in the winter, but hot water dries out the skin by stripping it of its natural oils. This can lead to cracks in the outer layer of skin, loss of hydration, and ultimately, inflammation. When skin loses its moisture barrier, its ability to protect itself is weakened.

But there are many simple ways to combat the causes of dry winter skin and help keep skin feeling moist and supple all winter long,, including some easy changes to patients’ everyday skincare routine.

SWITCH TO A GENTLE CLEANSER

Foaming or salicylic acid-based cleansers are great at removing dirt and oil, but they contain sulphates that can be drying. If patients suffer from dry skin in the winter, switch them to a cream or gelbased cleanser that can effectively wash the skin while keeping it hydrated without disrupting the barrier.

Recommendation: ZO Gentle Cleanser: a medical-grade cleanser with amino acids and a botanical extract blend to provide hydrating, anti-irritant and antioxidant benefits to support the skin barrier function and prevent post-cleansing dryness.

DON’T SKIP EXFOLIATION

Patients may want to miss out exfoliation with the harsher weather, but maintaining a gentle exfoliation at least two-to-three times a week is really important in maintaining a fresh, glowing complexion. Dead skin cells build up in the winter as the skin is drier, and removing these with a gentle exfoliation improves clarity and helps the penetration of other topicals in their routine.

Our recommendation: ZO Exfoliating Polish

RAMP UP THE HYDRATION

Using a functional hydrator in the winter can help to reduce the severity of skin reactions such as dryness, redness and itching, while accelerating hydration from within.

Recommendation: ZO Hydrating Crème: great for irritated and skin needing hydration as it supports skin barrier restoration and function to the max.

WE STILL NEED SPF

Just because it’s winter, it doesn’t mean your patients should put away their sunscreen. While there is less UVB around in winter, levels of UVA are still significant enough to age skin. Oxidative stress from high-energy visible light (HEV) and infra-red (IR-A) rays can also lead to premature ageing. We advocate the use of medical grade sunscreens that provide maximum protection against UVA + UVB, HEV and IR-A exposure.

Recommendations: ZO Daily Sheer Broad Spectrum SPF50, ZO Sunscreen and Primer SPF30

STABILISE SKIN WITH ANTIOXIDANTS

Winter conditions can damage the skin barrier and render it incapable of locking in moisture, leaving the skin dehydrated and allowing irritants and bacteria to penetrate the skin. Incorporating a daily antioxidant serum into patients’ daily, winter skincare routine is worthwhile.

Recommendation: ZO Daily Power Defense: this hero product contains enzymatic and antioxidant properties (from vitamin E, ceramides and Matryxl-3000) that help protect the skin from free radical damage and improve the skin’s natural repair process and ability to redensify.

CONSIDER PROFESSIONAL SKIN TREATMENTS

Winter is a great time of year for patients to have skin treatments. We always worry about skin resurfacing treatments in the summer months; sun exposure before or after such procedures mean a higher risk of unwanted post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation. Autumn and winter therefore represent an opportunity to get skin “en pointe”. Now is the ideal time to help patients combat that unwanted pigmentation after the summer months, to ramp up those anti-ageing procedures, or to deal with scarring and acne.

For more information visit wigmoremedical.com, email orders@wigmoremedical.com or phone 020 7491 0150