The arrival of winter ushers in a new set of challenges for our skin. Lower temperatures, fierce winds, and the dry indoor heat conspire to strip away essential moisture, often leaving complexions feeling tight, flaky, and irritated. With the dizzying amount of serums, moisturizers, and acids available on the market, it’s hard to keep up with what’s right for your specific needs during these harsh cooler months. Understanding how to adapt your routine is the first step toward maintaining a healthy, glowing complexion, regardless of the weather outside.
To help navigate these seasonal changes and provide expert guidance, Essence Girls United spoke with board-certified dermatologist Dr. Mara Weinstein Velez, M.D., at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Dr. Velez shares her professional insights on how to keep your skin deeply moisturized and protected, ensuring it stays healthy and resilient throughout the entire winter season.
Q: Let’s start with the basics. What products do you need during the winter months?
Dr. Velez: I believe that there should be at least two routines—one for the morning and one for the night.
- The Morning Routine:
- Cleansing: I recommend cleansing with a hydrating, creamy cleanser. If you’re super oily, you can stick to a gel, but transition away from anything too drying. Also, always use lukewarm water when washing your face or showering, especially in the winter, because hot water can really suck all that moisture out of your skin.
- Hydration: The next step would be to put on a hydrating serum.
- Moisturizer & SPF: After the serum, I would suggest putting on a lightweight moisturizer, and then follow that up with sunscreen.
- The Night Routine:Nighttime is a little different because sunscreens and foundation can be tricky to remove. I recommend a double cleanse. That can be a micellar water followed by your creamy cleanser—just some sort of double cleanse to really make sure you’re getting all the dirt and grime from the day off your face.
Q: How do you combat dry skin and other skin conditions that are more common during the colder months?
Dr. Velez: Along with dry skin, we see a lot of irritation, which looks like flaking, peeling, and redness. This shows up as not only more dry skin, but also increased skin sensitivities. That’s because the moisture barrier isn’t repairing itself as it should. If you’re lacking products that add moisture back to the skin, it can’t repair itself effectively.
Some people forget the extra steps needed for deep hydration. We actually see a condition called perioral dermatitis more often—which is a yeast buildup around the mouth and eyes, often accompanied by some dandruff. This is a time when patients really need to think about what they’re putting on their skin, but also what they’re ingesting internally. This is when we start recommending things to help support the moisture barrier, like a ceramide-based vitamin or gummy.
Q: How much should your winter skincare routine change if you’re in a different part of the country, say Miami, Florida, versus Buffalo, New York?
Dr. Velez: We need to be mindful of different climates. If you’re in Florida and there’s not a lot of fluctuation in temperature or humidity, then there’s really no need to do a whole skincare revamp. If what you’re doing is working for you, then stick to it.
However, if you’re experiencing cooler evenings and using a heater—meaning you’re having to “scarf and sweater up”—then we might need to add an extra step. That extra step is an extra layer of hydration. In my mind, that looks like a thicker cream and a double hydration technique, where you’re applying a hydrating serum followed by the moisturizer.
Q: These are also the months for copious amounts of holiday travel. What are some best practices to take care of your skin while flying?
Dr. Velez: When traveling, what we’re really trying to combat is dry air and UV exposure. If your window is open, or if you’re next to someone who won’t put the window down, you’re getting UV exposure. Plus, the air in the cabin is very dry. We usually don’t drink as much as we should on the plane because it’s hard to get up and go to the bathroom. My best hack is to bring a thermal spring water spray or rehydrating mist. I think that’s a really nice way to just kind of intermittently keep your skin hydrated.