Electra Look

10 steps to radiant cold-weather skin, according to top dermatologists

MAKE THE SWITCH

As we say sayonara to the season of sweat, it’s time to put aside oil-fighting cleansers, toners, moisturizers and treatments (like masks and peels) in favor of hydration-boosting products. “The biggest battle in winter versus summer is skin getting dried out and losing its luster, so you want to think about switching products,” advises New York dermatologist David Bank, MD. “Just like you don’t wear the same clothing in August and February, you don’t want to use same products.” For example, instead of a gel cleanser or toner, boost skin’s moisture with a hydrating gel moisturizer.

Choice Product: SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel. “It contains hyaluronic acid and healing vitamin B5. It’s wonderful,” says Bank. Use it in place of moisturizer or as a primer for face cream.

KEEP MOVING

It’s no secret: “We look great in the summer because we’re taking in more fluids, and getting more exercise outside. It’s that radiant glow,” says New York City dermatologist Patricia Wexler, MD. “During the fall and winter continue taking in lots of water and exercising. It doesn’t have to be outside as long as you do enough to bring a flush to the skin by getting your blood circulating and your pulse rate up.”

Choice Product: Perfékt Beauty Skin Perfection Gel. “To maintain that hint of color post-workout, try a waterproof tinted moisturizer like this one,” says Wexler. “It’s amazing because it doesn’t stain brown spots darker and exaggerate darkness like self-tanners do and there’s no worry of over-staining palms. It creates beautiful, tan skin without the damage of the sun or a tanning bed. You have to use soap and water to take it off.”

BOOST BATH TIME

Tempting as it may be, don’t turn up the heat in the tub or shower. “Hot water is dehydrating,” Bank says, adding that warm water is skin safe, especially with an additive like colloidal oatmeal to help resuscitate weather-worn skin. Get more moisture-boosting benefits by coating skin with an essential oil immediately after soaking and towel-blotting.

Choice Products: Aveeno Soothing Bath Treatment. “It’s hydrating, soothing and not drying at all,” says Bank. Immediately afterward, apply an essential oil: “An elixir like Josie Maran Organic Argan Oil will trap the extra water into skin.”

SEE THE LIGHT

“Skin is three-dimensional,” says Wexler, “and you can’t just treat one dimension.” Light therapy gets below the surface, and it isn’t just a mood booster. “At-home devices and dermatologist office treatments like the GentleWaves LED machine stimulate collagen, dilate blood vessels, and smooth skin so it looks younger and healthier,” she explains. “My patients love it so much because there’s no downtime and, as one seventysomething patient said, it makes her look like ‘a young woman in love.’”

SEE THE LIGHT

Choice Product: Tända Regenerate Anti-Aging Light Therapy Treatment. “It’s great because you don’t have to go to a doctor’s office,” says Wexler. “It covers less area and with less intensity, but you can do it every day at home and get results.”

POWER WASH

Think of the outer layer of your skin like a piece of glass that needs regular polishing in order to glisten—the more dead skin cells that sit on top of your skin, the less luminous you look. “You need exfoliation year-round to keep your glow factor,” says New Jersey-based dermatologist Jeanine B. Downie, MD. Her advice: Reveal brighter, younger skin cells by using a glycolic acid cleanser rather than a gritty, more irritating scrub. “It will improve texture and tone while minimizing fine lines and active breakouts,” says Downie. Not to mention, your daily moisturizer will better penetrate and hydrate skin after the glycolic acid clears away the top layer of dead skin cells.

Choice Products: MD Formulations Facial Cleanser or Avon Anew Rejuvenate Glycolic Facial Treatment. “There is a paucity of over-the-counter cleansers with glycolic acid, but these are good options,” says Downie.

DON’T SKIMP ON SPF

It may sound like a resounding summer warning, but sunscreen is a year-round necessity. Ultraviolet rays will replace your natural glow with discoloration, dryness, and eventually, wrinkles. “Even if you’re sitting under fluorescent lights, that damages skin,” Wexler warns. “They emit UVA rays, which are aging.” Her prescription (and every dermatologist’s in this story): Wear sunscreen every day, no matter what your age, ethnicity, or the weather. “You can get sunburn even when it’s raining,” adds Wexler.

Choice Product: Patricia Wexler M.D. Dermatology Universal Anti-Aging Moisturizer SPF 30. “You need daily sun protection of at least 30. And if you’re in direct sunlight you should reapply often because sunscreens aren’t stable after two hours in the sun,” says Wexler. “Besides protecting skin, this product also contains argireline and peptides to help smooth wrinkles.”

LIGHTEN UP

If sun worship or hormones are showing up on your face in the form of not-so-radiant discoloration, there’s a brilliant way to get even, according to Wexler. “For brown spots or muddy pigmentation you want to even out and brighten, talk to your dermatologist about getting a prescription brightening product,” she says.

Choice Product: Tri-Luma cream. “It contains Retin-A and hydroquinone, so crow’s feet diminish and skin gets brighter because of this combination,” Wexler says. “Tri-Luma is on back-order right now, which is very rare for a prescription product.”

FIGHT FLAKES

Dry skin, especially those flaky patches that tend to go hand-in-hand with a drop in temperature, dulls your complexion. “Whatever you do, don’t peel it,” advises Downie. “Use a heavier moisturizer instead.” Apply it morning and night to the face and neck area and spot-treat as needed to quench dry spots, soothe irritation and restore radiance.

Choice Product: Olay Regenerist Deep Hydration Regenerating Cream. “It gives positive clinical results and there’s good testing behind the product,” says Downie. “It’s tried-and-true—and inexpensive.”

GET SLICK

It sounds like something that would make your inner teenager cringe, but applying oil to skin helps impart the glow that everyone wants—the kind that’s anything but greasy. “‘Glowing’ is the word we women most use when describing how we want our skin to look because it’s healthy, clear, dewy and youthful looking,” says Beverly Hills skin expert Sonya Dakar. “The quickest way to fake glowing skin is to use a good facial oil. It will automatically give you a healthy shine, not a greasy effect.”

Bonus: It has long-term benefits too: “Oils help nourish the skin from the inside out and actually help balance and control skin’s natural oil production,” says Dakar. Look for flaxseed or grape seed oils, which are rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids.

Choice Product: Sonya Dakar Organic Omega Booster. “It doesn’t clog pores and balances oil production” says Dakar. “I call it my ‘liquid gold’ since the product has a natural golden hue.”

PROMOTE INNER BEAUTY

It’s not all smoke and mirrors—or amazing genetics. Lifestyle plays a vital role in maintaining an angelic complexion. “A healthy diet is key,” says Dakar. Her advice: “Eat clean and green” ( broccoli is particularly packed with skin-boosting ingredients like vitamins A, C, and natural estrogens) and supplement with a cleansing probiotic and essential fatty acids—daily.

Choice Product: Acidophilus. “For glowing, healthy skin, make sure to take an Acidophilus supplement. It purifies the blood, as well as the digestive system, for clearer skin,” says Dakar. “Take an omega-3 as well for hydration and extra glow.”