Useful tips to protect your skin in winter

/AzerNews/

By Amina Nazarli

A strong contrast of frost and sun may arise unforgettable emotions inside you but don't forget that it is a real test for your skin.

Urban environment and deteriorating ecology have a bad effect on our skin. Especially, in winter, when cold, wind and lack of vitamins create a devastating impact on our body in total. In particular our skin suffers more from it--irritated and dried.

Despite the fact that winter in Azerbaijan is not so cold, as let's say in Russia, however, Baku winds are blowing throughout the year, causing great damage to our skin. We often see people with red noses, looking like Santa Claus or what is worse-a clown.

Being outside in winter, it's better to periodically massage your cold cheeks and nose with squashing and pinching movements. Or try to take a deep breath and hold the air for a short while. You will feel the blood rushing to your face.

Our hands are more fortunate, than our face, as we can protect them from the cold by wearing gloves. But our face remains open all year round. And if the snow is accompanied with Baku bothersome winds, this is a serious challenge for our skin.

Returning home (especially after a frost) we try to wash our hands with hot water. However, it is a misleading habit.

Cosmetologist Aysel Yusubova warns that no matter how cold your face and hands, never wash them with very hot or cold water. Slightly warm water would be better.

"The habit of washing our hands and face with hot water should be left out," she noted. "One more important point: Washing your face is a must but at least one hour before going outside. Otherwise your skin may crack."

Azerbaijani women are more fortunate, as winters in Azerbaijan are very cool and only some years the country is experiencing unusual cold frosty days. There are some days during winter when the cosmetologists don't recommend us to highly moisturize our skin.

"Do not use moisturizers before going outside in winter morning. It is composed of hydraulic elements, freezing in the cold. So, remove excess cream from the face with tissue, " Yusubova said.

We should not forget about different types of skin: dry, normal, fat and mixed, while taking care of it.

To people with oily skin, cosmetologists recommend to use beauty products for normal skin, while for other types of skin, maximum moisturizers are needed.

Many believe that creams with sunscreen should be used only in the summer when the sun is particularly active. However, this is a profound mistake, Yusubova underlined.

Even in winter, sun is not hiding behind the clouds in Azerbaijan. The cosmetologists say that we should use creams with SPF (Sun Protection Factor) throughout the year.

"The Sun emits harmful ultraviolet rays in winter too. Of course, use a cream with a high degree of protection as SPF-40 or SPF-50, is not necessary, however cream with SPF-10 will be the best solution," she said.

Not only our skin but also our lips are susceptible to cold winter. That is why we should always have a lip balm in our purse to keep them soft and supple.

"Winter is the season of chapped lips and licking them will make them more chapped. Instead, we should use a good lip balm, which contains tea tree oil as it helps heal painful cracks," she said.

If your arms or legs look scaly, try a lactic acid lotion. It is known from the history that since ancient times Cleopatra bathed in milk because of the lactic acid. It's an incredibly effective moisturizer which removes unpleasant scales.

Nutrition also plays an important role in your skin health. Try to eat products which contain vitamin A (carrot, dried apricots, dairy produce), no less important E (green vegetables, spinach and vegetable oil) and vitamin D (herring, animal liver, butter, egg yolks).

Bolster your beauty from the inside out by drinking lots of water and loading up on omega-3s. "Omega- 3s boost hydration, so I recommend taking supplements to ensure you get enough," Yusubova said.

And at the end, dear women, look after yourself. As said Helena Rubinstein (the owner of the cosmetics firm) "There are no ugly women, only lazy ones!"