Winter skin care
Looking after our skin with a proactive routine that promises best results can enhance our well-being, resilience and peace of mind. istock.com
With health and well-being top of mind, Canadians are navigating darker days and new routines shaped by the coronavirus pandemic. Danielle Dreger, skin care expert at La Roche-Posay, welcomes a heightened emphasis on self-care and suggests paying special attention to our skin.
“It’s more important than ever to look after our health, and skin care can make a big difference,” she says. “During the colder season, dry skin tends to become very dry, and a lot of that has to do with the cold weather outside and artificial heat inside.”
Whether we’re exposed to the elements or sit beside a warm heater – seasonal shifts bring additional stress for our skin at a time when many Canadians already feel an impact from the frequent hand-washing routines recommended as a COVID-19 precaution.
“Keeping those gentle, rich, emollient-based skin-care products in your routine all year round – and making sure you use them every day – is going to help space out flare-ups and get the best results.
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“The duration and frequency of hand-washing have increased exponentially in the last seven months, and this can take a toll on our skin,” says Dreger. “It can lead to dry, rough or uncomfortably red and cracking skin, even in people who may not generally be prone to eczema flare-ups.”
This can give people a sense of what it feels like to live with eczema and experience similar symptoms across different parts of the body, she explains. No wonder eczema is ranked as the top dermatological pathology affecting quality of life.
“People with eczema often tell me that their skin feels two sizes too small. And if you’ve ever worn shoes that are too tight, you know the relief you get when you take them off at the end of the day,” notes Dreger. “Of course, you can’t take off your skin, but that instant soothing comfort is the kind of relief we are hoping to achieve with our products that are specifically formulated for dry and eczema-prone skin.”
Underpinning the development of such products are advances in our understanding of the building blocks that enable our skin to protect us so effectively, including “ceramides, which are lipids that act like mortar between the bricks of our skin cells, providing a physical barrier of protection,” she says. “And there is a community of microorganisms forming an extra outer layer: the microbiome.”
Recent scientific findings underscore the importance of the microbiome in skin health, and Dreger compares the “microbiome revolution” to other discoveries – for example in DNA sequencing – that have allowed us to learn more about ourselves. “The microbiome shows us a snapshot of our skin health and pathological predispositions,” she says. “As a pioneer in microbiome research, La Roche-Posay has focused its efforts on developing products that suit the skin while respecting the balance of the microbiome.”
New research has uncovered the role of “the biofilm, an accumulation of bacteria that is not beneficial to the microbiome,” says Dreger. “In eczema-prone skin, we see a higher presence of staphylococcus bacteria, which can be a sign of an imminent flare-up.”
Among the factors that can cause an eczema flare-up are an imbalance of the skin microbiome, a lack of lipids – particularly ceramides – and an immature immune system.
While eczema affects the entire age spectrum from infants to seniors, there is a higher prevalence in children, due to their immature immune system, says Dreger. “Eczema in children tends to show up in the folds of the skin; for example, in the elbows, behind the ears and knees, and in the folds of the neck. In adults and seniors, it is more common on the face and hands.”
Providing relief for itchy skin is paramount, especially for children, who often have trouble sleeping during an eczema flare-up, and Dreger reports that La Roche-Posay products receive enthusiastic feedback from both dermatologists and patients due to their proven efficacy.
“We have translated our understanding of how the skin works into products with ingredients like shea butter and glycerin, which really target skin health by not only nourishing the physical barrier of the skin but also protecting the microbiome,” she says.
There is consensus that outcomes are better when people adhere to a regular routine, even during times when they are not experiencing a flare-up, says Dreger. “Keeping those gentle, rich, emollient-based skin-care products in your routine all year round – and making sure you use them every day – is going to help space out flare-ups and get the best results.”
An effective skin-care routine “starts with a gentle cleanser that is free of fragrances and soap, meaning it has a physiologic pH,” she explains. “This sets you on the right path. If you use a cleanser that disrupts the microbiome or strips the skin of essential lipids, then your moisturizer after the bath or shower has to work twice as hard to restore that balance.”
Another helpful tip from dermatologists is to make sure the temperature of the bath or shower is a little cooler – about lukewarm, says Dreger. “After that, put on a moisturizer right away – within three minutes – to lock in the moisture.”
When we look after our skin with a proactive routine that promises best results, this can enhance our well-being, resilience and peace of mind in preparation for what lies ahead.
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