Cold-Weather Skin Care

	Tools of the Trade
	Photo: Dr. Hauschka

Keeping your skin healthy and looking its best is a year-round challenge.

Everything from our busy lifestyles to shifts in humidity and temperature can affect the appearance of the body's biggest (and most exposed) organ.

Winter can wreak havoc on facial skin in particular. Cold, wind and overheated buildings suck the moisture from the air, drying the delicate tissue.

Even the aftermath of holiday indulgences and stress can take their toll, resulting in redness and irritation.

However, skin-care specialists say that a few modifications in your daily regimen will keep your face in the game, regardless of the season.

Serve and Protect

Gentle and rich are the order of the day for winter cleansing, toning and moisturizing.

"Skin that is normal or a combination during the summer will require extra protection in winter," says Fabienne Guichon-Lindholm, the director of education for Decleor and Carita skin-care products. She advises choosing a milky or emulsion cleanser, typically more gentle than a foaming type.

Christine Chin, owner of the Christine Chin Spa in Manhattan, steers her clients away from alcohol-based toners at this time of year.

Chin recommends switching to a hydrating toner and exfoliating regularly to remove accumulation of surface dryness.

"If you're going out of hot buildings into cold, you need to exfoliate twice a week," Chin says. "You get sensitive and blotchy from the change of temperature, and exfoliation helps. An ultra-gentle green-tea-based product takes off dead skin cells so your moisturizer penetrates more easily."

Spritzing with rose water before moisturizing will help keep your face dewy, says Mary-Elizabeth Gifford, creative director for Jurlique.

"Moisturizer seals in available moisture; it doesn't create moisture on its own," Gifford says. "We recommend using moisturizer during the day as a barrier to pollutants that are part of life in an industrial society. Also, use rose-water spray to freshen up throughout the day. Mists are becoming the new desk essential."

Guichon-Lindholm advises choosing a rich seasonal moisturizer: "People who live in a cold climate need to apply a heavier product, like putting on a heavier coat in cold weather. Use a moisturizer that leaves a little film on the face to protect the skin."

She says the film will disappear throughout the day, evaporating through environmental dryness.

Even those with oily skin should take special care.

"Winter wreaks havoc on oily skin, causing enlarged pores and breakouts," says Jill Price Marshall, public relations manager for Dr. Hauschka Skin Care, who is also a licensed Dr. Hauschka aesthetician.