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Whether staying indoors, where the air is warm, or enjoying the cold outdoors, dryness abounds during the winter months, maintaining skin hydration is key. Haute Beauty sat with Haute Beauty expert Dr. Shamila Rawal to discuss her tips to keep your skin healthy this winter season. 

1. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!

Moisturizing twice daily (or more, as needed) with a ceramide-rich moisturizer is advised, to help minimize moisture loss by evaporation. Dr. Rawal recommends her PM Lipid + Hydrobalance Repair cream, rich in squalane, cholesterol, and ceramides to help repair and support the skin barrier against hydration loss, as well as provide a collagen boost.  Patients shouldn’t stop at just facial protection; keeping the hands, feet, and body moisturized is also important in the dry seasons. tR(x)i has several products specifically formulated for these areas of the body: Repair + Renew Intensive Hand Cream, Soft + Buff Intense Urea Treatment, and Tone + Firm Retinol Body Lotion.

2. Continue your face-washing routine.

In the winter months, it’s important to maintain your face-washing routine as normal, using a gentle, non-drying face wash to protect the hydration layer. Calming Green Tea Cleanser by tR(x)i is perfect for all skin types, effective at removing makeup and sunscreen, and won’t strip your skin of essential moisture.  Don’t forget to keep exfoliating! Moisturizer can only enter the skin if the dead skin layers on top are removed, so exfoliation is crucial to ensuring the penetration of the moisturizer. Try our Dual Acid Exfoliating Cleanser, with glycolic and salicylic acids, 1-2x weekly to help keep your skin smooth, and bright and serum and moisturizer ready.  Even better, this exfoliating wash is perfect for non-drying acne control. 

3. Use sunscreen daily.

Since many sunscreens have a lighter lotion base to aid with the application, it is best to layer your sunscreen over your deeper moisturizer. For maximum protection of hydration, apply a mineral-based sunscreen on top of a ceramide-rich moisturizer daily, even on cold, cloudy days.  Dr. Rawal’s exclusive skincare line offers several versions of mineral sunscreens with various levels of tint, that are perfect for daily and year-round use.  Additionally, we have a brush-on powder version to keep your protection factor up all day! 

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4. Keep those lips moisturized.

Protecting your lips against chapping and tearing during the dry winter months can be accomplished with a lip moisturizer, preferably one that provides a water-proof seal, as well as protection from UV rays.  Dr. Rawal’s Ultimate Lip Hydration + SPF is a pigment-free, ultra-hydrating formulation that accomplishes all these important tasks. 

5. Overnight treatments are essential.

Dr. Rawal recommends applying her Oil-Free Deep Hydration fractionated hyaluronic acid serum to your wet skin after washing, then one of her skin turnover-enhancing retinol formulations, followed by PM Lipid + Hydrobalance Repair, to create a moisture “sandwich”.  This layering technique is very effective at deeply locking hydration into your skin, and improving your skin barrier and glow throughout the night.  

6. Don’t rule out in-office treatments.

Sometimes, more intensive treatments are needed to keep skin moisturized and supple during harsh weather conditions. Exfoliating with chemical peels, fractional non-ablative laser, or microneedling treatments are recommended for both preparing the skin for drier conditions and assisting the penetration of skincare actives, as well as removing layers of accumulated damage to maintain a healthy skin barrier. Fall and winter are prime seasons for these preparative steps with reduced sun exposure during the healing time.  Spring is best for refreshing the skin after the inevitable dehydration, also with reduced sun exposure during healing. Dr. Rawal offers an extensive suite of treatments that can be found on her website.