6 Winter Skin Tips from Long Island Estheticians
Local skin pros share their best hydrating and skin-protecting tips to get through the rest of the season.
iStock/lielos
It’s been a long, cold winter on Long Island. And right about now, your skin is probably feeling a bit parched. It may look flaky. It can even be cracked and irritated. Chilly temperatures and indoor heating make for dry conditions that rob your skin of moisture. Dry skin means the skin’s barrier or outmost layer is compromised. Tiny cracks in the barrier allow water to escape, and irritants and allergens can enter the skin.
To help soothe and hydrate your dull, dehydrated skin and protect it for the rest of the winter, Pretty Local asked Long Island estheticians to share their best winter skin secrets.
Add a Pre-Cleansing Oil to Your Routine
A cleansing oil dissolves makeup and dirt without stripping the skin of its natural oils. It helps keep the skin barrier intact, allowing the skin to retain its moisture levels better. Follow the pre-cleanse oil with a creamy cleanser, not a foaming one, which can be drying, to thoroughly cleanse without disrupting the skin’s natural lipid balance, says Jamie Kaufman Watkis, owner of Harbor Skin Care & Massage in Cold Spring Harbor.
Apply Hyaluronic Acid to Damp Skin
“When talking about hydrating the skin, you have to get molecules into the dermis [skin’s middle layer] that pull water into that part of the skin,” says Christine Gerena, PA-C, owner of Beauty Bomb Aesthetics in Smithtown. “Hyaluronic acid is paramount for hydration,” she says. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, which means it attracts water. Gerena says the trick to using it effectively is to put it on a damp face—right after the shower or spritz the skin with a spray bottle before applying. Applying it to a dry face will pull water out of the skin to that surface layer, ultimately leading to more dryness. Applying it to damp skin allows you to drive that moisture into the skin. Now, seal it in with a moisturizing cream. Gerena likes Noon Aesthetics Halo-Ronic Serum (sold in professional offices).
Scrub Your Hands
Slathering hand cream on top of dead skin won’t help your dry hand skin, says Ally Simoes, an esthetician at Viana Hotel and Spa in Westbury. “Make sure to exfoliate your hands so your moisturizer absorbs,” she says. She likes a sea salt scrub for hand skin.
Start Slugging
Slugging (a.k.a. basting) is a skincare technique that involves applying a thick ointment to the skin as the last step before bed. Here’s why, according to Rachel Lozina, master esthetician and founder of Blue Water Spa in Oyster Bay and Southampton (and Pretty Local Pro Advisory Board Member): “Applying hydrating serums thinnest to thickest is always the way to go with dry skin,” she says. “Slugging is useful because the larger molecular size of an ointment like Aquaphor seals in all the serums and prohibits evaporation into the atmosphere.”
Add a Humidifier to Your Bedroom
They’re not just for sick kids! A humidifier can help your skin. “Humidifiers can be helpful in the winter by adding moisture to the air, preventing skin from becoming dry,” says Hillary Bekelis, NP, and owner of Hello Gorgeous in Babylon.
Don’t Skip the Sunscreen
Even when it’s cold outside, skin still gets ultraviolet A rays (UVA), a longer wavelength that stays constant throughout the year regardless of the temperature. “Sun exposure, especially UVA rays, can weaken the skin barrier, making it more prone to moisture loss and irritation,” says Emeliss Curo, owner of Mystical Esthetics in Farmingdale. “The effect is compounded by the cold weather and indoor heating, which already strips moisture from the skin,” she says. Curo likes BioSolar Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30, a lightweight, mineral-based sunscreen with non-nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, along with aloe, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E to soothe, hydrate, and strengthen the skin’s barrier.
