Get Your Skin Super-soft and Smooth
© Muscle & Fitness/Hers/Weider Publications. All rights reserved.
By Jody Buffalo
You have worked hard to get your body in shape with early mornings at the gym and eating just the right foods, but have you taken the same care of your skin? Like the body proper, skin — the largest organ in the body — needs daily attention and a little TLC to keep it running in peak condition, particularly during the winter months. (Low humidity and dry indoor heat can rob skin of much-needed moisture, resulting in dry, flaky and irritated skin.) To help you, we've put together this essential guide for softer, smoother skin. Just follow these simple steps, and we guarantee you'll see results within days.
Develop a Daily Regimen
To achieve results, for both body and face, you need to develop good-skin habits every day. Two skin-care rules that should never be broken: don't go to bed with your makeup on and always cleanse skin after working out. Daily grime, oil, sweat and residual makeup can clog pores and result in dull skin.
For face: Before bed, wash your complexion with a non-drying cleanser. And, "always follow cleansing with a toner," says aesthetician Hwa Lee, founder of the Silk Day Spa in New York City. "It deep cleans the pores and helps to restore the skin's balance." Once a week, use an exfoliator to help your skin shed dead cells and keep your complexion looking fresh. (Dead skin cells reflect light unevenly, causing a dull, lackluster complexion. Smooth skin, on the other hand, reflects light evenly, making it appear radiant.) "Be careful not to over-exfoliate your skin," warns Lee. "If you continually remove the protective layer, your skin could become irritated, particularly during the winter months."
For body: Some of the same rules for face apply to body, too. Since you're working out every day, you need to use a gentle cleanser while in the shower (try not to shower more than once a day during the winter months). Also, avoid taking frequent long, hot baths; bathing too much can strip skin of moisture. (A recent study conducted at the Skin Sciences Institute in Cincinnati shows that even a 10-minute bath dramatically reduces the skin's ability to retain moisture, an effect that can last for up to five hours.) Another rule to follow: exfoliate at least once weekly with a scrub. Exfoliating regularly will help the skin to better absorb much-needed moisturizers.
Protect Against the Cold
Cold temperatures, harsh winds and dry indoor central heat wreak havoc on the skin's barrier — the surface cells of the epidermis (the outer layer of skin) that keeps much needed moisture in and infection-causing bacteria out. The result is moisture loss and dry, aggravated skin. Even if you live in a state like Florida, where temperatures don't get frigid, there's still less humidity come winter. This lack of humidity dries everything out — even if you start with oily skin.
"You can condition skin to withstand the effects of icy winds, low humidity and freezing temperatures," explains Mark Kaufmann, MD, a New York City-based dermatologist. "Applying an occlusive moisturizer, one that acts as a physical block against the elements and that contains the ingredients petrolatum or dimethicone, makes it difficult for precious moisture to leave the skin. And adding a humectant ingredient, such as glycerin, helps to draw needed moisture to the skin."
For the body, New York City dermatologist Howard Sobel, MD, director of the Skin and Spa Cosmetic Surgery Center, suggests using products with lactic or glycolic acid to help further smooth out rough, dry skin. "Apply the products while your skin is still damp," suggests Sobel. "The ingredients will help to hold the moisture in and get rid of the dry, flaking skin that cold weather can cause."
Don't Forget Your SPF
Just because it's winter doesn't mean you should skimp on sun protection. In fact, sun glare off ice and snow can be just as damaging (and sometimes even more so) than the harsh rays of summer. If you're active outdoors, look for sweat-proof protection of at least an SPF 30 — and remember to slather your lips with a hydrating SPF balm. Lips lack melanin, the protective pigment found in skin that triggers a tan, which is why it's important to keep them protected outdoors.
Get Your Vitamins
Foods rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids help form the skin's lipid layer that holds in moisture, according to Nicholas Perricone, MD, a Connecticut-based dermatologist and author of The Acne Prescription (Harper Resource, 2003). His advice: "Drink plenty of water and make sure your diet contains essential fatty acids such as those found in salmon, nuts, and flaxseed to really rev up the radiance.
"Also don't forget a green leafy salad every day, along with quality protein such as fish or poultry," he says.
And also remember that what you put on your skin is just as important as what you put into your body.
© Muscle & Fitness/Hers/Weider Publications. All rights reserved.
