Short Story:
Your skin care requirements will vary as the seasons do, especially in climates like Troy, Michigan. Maintaining your radiant appearance year-round requires only minor adjustments to your skincare regimen, such as using a heavier moisturizer in the winter, a hydration mask in the spring, and a stronger sunscreen in the summer.
The cooler months bring lower temps, lower humidity, and drier air. Adapting our skincare routine to the shifting seasons is essential. Heat and humidity in the summer can cause breakouts and dehydration, while chilly and dry air in the winter can leave the skin feeling tight, flaky, and lacking moisture. So, just as we must acclimate to colder temperatures, shorter days, and less sunlight, our skin must do the same! Below I’ll explain how the weather affects your skin and how you can keep it healthy and happy no matter the weather forecast.
Summer Skincare Routine
Changes to your skincare regimen are essential during the summer months due to the increased exposure to the sun and the high temperatures.
At I AM Medical Spas and Laser Center, we’ve kept our advice as straightforward as possible, with only a few minor adjustments to your current skincare regimen that will yield noticeable benefits in increased protection and hydration.
- Taking care of your skin and general well-being during the warm months is essential. While we may not be able to influence external factors like the amount of sunlight or sweat we experience when we go outside, we can make small changes to our routines to help us cope with the greater demands imposed by our shifting surroundings.
- Reduce your time spent in the sun. In order to protect your skin and general health throughout the summer and beyond, limiting your sun exposure is essential. This is sound guidance year-round, but with the long summer days comes a greater risk of skin damage from prolonged exposure to the sun. Always protect yourself from the heat by wearing sunglasses, a wide-brim hat, and layers of clothing. Plan indoor activities on certain days of the week.
- Don’t forget to drink water. Staying hydrated all year round is important, but it’s essential when the weather is hot. You should drink at least eight glasses of water daily to maintain healthy skin.
- Always use sunscreen. Sunscreen should be applied daily, preferably several times throughout the day, for the best protection of your skin and body. UV rays from the sun can cause a wide range of skin problems, from premature aging and wrinkles to sunspots and even skin cancer.
Skincare Routine for the Summer:
- Gentle, lightweight cleansers are preferable to oil- or cream-based cleanses because they don’t strip away the skin’s natural oils. This is especially important during the summer when sweat, heat, and oil can cause acne by clogging the skin’s pores.
- Serum-containing vitamin C is an antioxidant that can treat a wide range of skin conditions, from fine lines and wrinkles to discoloration and acne scarring.
- You should transition to a lighter moisturizer, one with a thinner consistency. People with oily skin might be enticed to forego moisturizing in the mistaken belief that they won’t appear oilier than they already are. However, using a lotion can help restore the skin’s protective barrier, which in turn reduces the likelihood of dryness, itching, and environmental damage. A dual moisturizer with SPF is a good option if you are concerned about blocking your pores with multiple products.
Spring Skincare Routine
Nothing is more essential for your skin than adapting your skincare routine to the changing seasons, especially as winter ends and spring arrives. You may need a good moisturizer to combat the dry air of winter, but once the sun finally makes an appearance, an SPF 30 sunscreen will be an essential addition to your skincare regimen.
Why? Given that prolonged exposure to sunlight increases the risk of skin cancer, it is important to protect one’s skin whenever possible. New allergies emerge in the spring, and your skin can’t handle the extreme temperature swings and humidity drops that come with the season. Adjusting your skincare routine just a little bit for the new warmer season is all it takes to keep your skin looking radiant and healthy.
- Throughout most of the spring, the weather fluctuates between hot and cold.
- Higher levels of humidity
- Seasonal allergens become problematic in the spring.
- You spend more time exposed to sunlight.
- Breakouts are common in the spring because of the rise in sweat and oil production caused by temperature changes and excessive humidity.
- Allergens can also bring on inflammation and a noticeable yellowing of the skin. If you don’t take precautions against spring allergens, you may notice a change in your skin’s tone and texture.
Skincare Routine for the Spring:
For the same reason you should wear sunscreen in the summer, you should also wear it in the winter to protect your skin from sun damage (although not as much as you’ll need in summer!).
Improving your skin in the spring doesn’t have to be a major undertaking. It typically entails only slight modifications that let your skin adjust to the changing seasons.
There are at least five considerations to keep in mind for a smooth transition from your winter to a spring skincare routine.
One, start using a hydrating mask once a week.
Taking care of your skin is important as the weather changes and your allergies flare up in the spring. We advise using a Hydrating Facial Mask, which will leave your face feeling fresh and supple after each application and provide your skin with the additional moisture it needs to make it through the season.
Second, incorporate a cleansing exfoliant.
Having an exfoliator available to remove dead skin cells is the next best thing you can do for your skin as we enter a new season. As your skin adapts to new environmental factors, it will shed more cells than usual in an effort to keep up with the constant flow of new ones. A decent exfoliator will give your skin a deep clean, allowing your other skincare products to penetrate more effectively.
Third, replace the bulky moisture you use in the winter with something lighter.
When winter is finally over, you may want to transition to a lighter moisturizer in the spring. Keeping yourself hydrated during the winter was essential, especially with the weather. It’s true that you spend less time outdoors during the winter months, but that changes come spring. Sweating from all that activity may exacerbate acne if your current lotion is too thick.
Forth, increase the Protection in your skincare routine.
When the sun finally makes an appearance in the spring, it’s time to start using sunscreen. More than you were using in the winter is necessary but less than you would use in the summer. Although the sun isn’t as intense in the spring as in the summer, “90% of the sun’s rays can penetrate through clouds,” so we advise using an SPF of 30 or higher.
Fifth, tone down your makeup.
After spending the winter indoors, you may feel more comfortable going without as much makeup now that you spend more time outside. Extra sweat from daily routines will cause clogging and breakouts, regardless of how many great makeup products are healthy for your skin and have great ingredients. Instead of using a thick foundation, try a tinted moisturizer to allow your face to breathe while still providing coverage.
Skincare Routine for the Fall:
The skin thrives on consistency. The sudden onset of cooler weather disrupts the skin’s regular routine in many ways. It has difficulty adjusting to the new climate because of the skin’s inconsistent pattern. Extreme weather conditions can aggravate dry, sensitive, or greasy skin. Many factors contribute to these shifts.
First, your skin’s moisture levels naturally decrease as temps fall. Our skin loses moisture in the fall and winter because the air is so dry.
Second, when it’s cold outside, we use our heaters and fireplaces more inside. The result is an arid atmosphere because the air has had its humidity removed. Wind, rain, snow, and bitter weather are just some environmental factors that can wreak havoc on our skin and cause it to dry out.
Last but not least, we prefer to wear more layers, which causes additional skin friction. In addition to contributing to the skin’s dehydration, this can harm the skin’s lipid barrier and worsen matters. Dryness, sensitivity, irritation, redness, tightness, itching, flaking, and inflammation can all result from these factors.
Skincare Routine for the Winter:
It’s not necessary to change everything; just a few tweaks here and there can make a huge impact.
- Changing to more hydrating ingredients is necessary to help your complexion. Options for keeping skin moisturized and supple include hyaluronic acid, ceramides, vitamin c, peptides, and niacinamide.
- Rather than using a foam cleanser, switch to one based on cream or lotion, incorporate antioxidant and hydrating serums, layer serums for maximum effect, and save the moisturizer for the summer. Some folks should also try to use milder exfoliants more often during the colder months.
- Maintaining a healthy appearance requires exfoliation, but if your skin is dry, using an abrasive exfoliant multiple times a week can make things worse. Gentler physical or chemical exfoliants should be used less frequently (1 time per week instead of 2-3 times a week or daily).
- Apply sunscreen regularly. The sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can still cause damage to the skin and its protective barrier, even though they are less intense during the winter. Those living in cold regions may be exposed to more ultraviolet light than usual because the snow reflects sunlight into their faces.
- Finally, internal hydration is one of the most vital measures. Water and meals high in healthy fats and oils should be staples in your diet. Because of this, your skin’s moisture layer will be protected. A well-functioning skin barrier can be maintained with foods like avocados, fish, cheese, yogurt, nuts and seeds, and coconut oil. Humidifiers are also helpful for adding moisture to your house or work air.
Great treatments all year round to combat the changing season.
Microneedling
Microneedling is a fantastic treatment that utilizes very small “micro” needles that penetrate to the depth of our choosing. Microneedling is a great, minimally invasive combination that stimulates collagen and addresses sun damage and other common signs of aging. Utilizing Microneedling in a client’s treatment plan helps us reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, scars, stretch marks, and smaller areas of loose skin.
Korean Glass Skin Facial
Skin so flawless it looks like glass is said to have “glass skin,” and this term is used to describe skin that fits this description perfectly. It’s just a simple, classy way to describe a specific kind of complexion to die for. Glass skin, like its forerunner’s “honey” and “dewy,” refers to a highly hydrated skin type that appears nearly transparent and has a very youthful, lit-from-within glow.
Hydrafacial
Hydrafacial is an excellent treatment all year round. This treatment will leave your skin radiant because it feeds with rich moisturizers and plumps the top layer with antioxidants and peptides.
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