Taking care of our skin is important at any age—especially because it takes such good care of us! Keeping the good stuff in and the bad stuff out, skin is our natural airtight, watertight barrier that helps regulate our bodily systems. For aging adults, this natural barrier loses its resilience over time, becoming thinner, drier, and more fragile overall. Thus, wintertime can be a tricky time for our skin: dryness, dehydration, and vitamin production can all prove to be things we should pay extra attention to. Below we’ve rounded up the top seven things you can do to help your senior skin this winter!
Winter skin care tips for seniors
1. Moisturize regularly. Face, hands, body; all of it! Lathering up frequently will help prevent moisture loss that can contribute to other skin conditions such as cracking, rashes, and eczema. Look for moisturizers that contain Ceramides, Hyaluronic Acid, and Petrolatum in particular! These super ingredients help boost and seal moisture into the skin.
2. Be sun smart! Bonus points for your moisturizing routine if you use a facial moisturizer with SPF. Even in winter when the sky is gloomy and overcast, the UV rays can still be harmful! Using SPF will help prevent future skin cancer-causing damage.
3. Self-care practices such as meditation, journaling and practicing gratitude. Believe it or not, stress can affect your skin too! Anxiety-alleviating practices can help regulate your mood, and thus, not show up as unwanted skin conditions that are then exacerbated by the cold weather months. For example, deep-breathing exercises that can be a part of meditation are a good way to detox your body both physically and mentally.
4. Avoid very hot showers. While extremely hot water can dry out your skin quickly by stripping the skin of its natural moisture, lukewarm showers or baths that are no longer than 15 minutes are still important to cleanse and rejuvenate your skin. Follow every shower or bath session immediately with moisturizer to lock in moisture to your skin.
5. Stay hydrated from the inside out! Dehydrated skin can cause it to look dry and sallow, and that dryness can lead to other skin conditions! So drink plenty of H20 to stay hydrated from within.
6. Invest in a humidifier. Hot, dry air doesn’t do our skin much good even if it keeps us warm and cozy. Using a humidifier, especially while seeping, can help prevent your skin from drying out.
7. It’s all in the details. How you perform your skincare routine can be just as important as how often you do it. In winter months, reduce exfoliation to once a week to get rid of dead, dry skin. Pat rather than rub your skin dry, and slather on the moisturizer immediately following while your skin even still a little damp to help hold in the moisture.
Remember to ensure you’re keeping up with your mood-boosting Vitamin D intake by moving your body outdoors; a little fresh air does the mind, body, and spirit good. Just remember the SPF, don’t do more than you can handle, and give yourself grace. It’s all in the name of good skin health.
