Save Our Skin: Winter Recovery
Topic: CellDerma

Harsh winter weather can take a toll on your skin, leaving it feeling dry, tight, and lacklustre. Whether it’s the warmth of central heating, the chill of the winter winds, or the drying effects of hot showers and indoor heating, your skin is exposed to a range of conditions that can strip away moisture and vitality. Fortunately, there are winter skincare saviours that can help restore hydration, protect your skin’s barrier, and keep it glowing all season long. Let’s dive into the top skincare solutions you should be reaching for to combat these cold-weather challenges.

Hydration
Just because you may be taking part in Dry January doesn’t mean your skin has to follow suit! The abrupt temperature shifts that come with winter can leave your skin’s protective barrier compromised, with hydration being the first to suffer. Here are key ingredients that can help restore moisture and keep your skin feeling nourished and radiant to include in your skincare routine:
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic Acid is a true winter skincare hero, renowned for its incredible ability to hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water, ensuring your skin stays deeply hydrated throughout the day. This powerhouse ingredient not only delivers all-day hydration for a plump, healthy complexion but also enhances the penetration of other active ingredients, maximising the benefits of your skincare routine. Additionally, it helps to fortify the skin’s natural barrier, reducing water loss.
Plant-Derived Squalane
Squalane is a deeply hydrating ingredient that mimics your skin’s natural oils, leaving your complexion softer, smoother, and more supple. Acting as a breathable barrier, it helps to reduce water loss and maintain optimal moisture levels, even in harsh winter conditions. As an emollient, squalane works to enhance skin smoothness while delivering long-lasting hydration. Beyond its moisturising properties, it also boasts anti-inflammatory benefits, making it ideal for those with sensitive or blemish-prone skin. Whether you’re combating dryness or soothing winter flare-ups, squalane is a versatile addition to your skincare routine, promoting overall skin health and resilience.

Retinoids
Some may advise against using retinoids in winter – we say otherwise! While retinoids are often avoided in colder months due to concerns about dryness and irritation, winter can be an excellent time to incorporate them into your routine, especially with the right formula. The harsh conditions of winter can compromise your skin barrier, leading to sensitivity and irritation. Traditional retinoids can exacerbate these issues by speeding up cell turnover, causing flakiness and irritation. But with CellDerma’s Retin-ACE, that is not the case!
Retin-ACE is formulated with hydroxypinacolone retinoate, a fourth-generation retinoid, a gentler retinoid that provides powerful results without the irritant side effects. Its non-comedogenic oil base ensures your skin stays hydrated and nourished, even in winter. One study showed that 99% of Retin-ACE users experienced no side effects, even when applied to sensitive areas like the under-eye region.
Infused with naturally derived squalane, Retin-ACE helps fortify the skin’s protective barrier, replenishing hydration and preventing moisture loss. This makes it the perfect winter skincare companion, allowing you to enjoy the benefits of retinoids without irritation.
As if that wasn’t enough, Retin-ACE also includes another winter skincare hero: Vitamin C, delivering antioxidant protection and brightening benefits to keep your skin glowing all season long.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a winter skincare essential, celebrated for its powerful anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce redness and calm sensitivity caused by harsh seasonal conditions. By soothing winter-induced irritation, it leaves your skin calm, radiant, and refreshed.
One of Vitamin C’s standout benefits is its ability to prevent trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), helping the skin retain moisture for longer and stay thoroughly hydrated. It also brightens the complexion, boosting radiance and combating dullness while addressing visible signs of environmental stress, such as dryness and discolouration.
As a potent antioxidant, Vitamin C offers protection against future damage from free radicals and environmental aggressors like UV rays, pollutants, and cold weather. It promotes collagen production, which is essential for maintaining supple, firm, and elastic skin, making your complexion more resilient and youthful.
In addition to its protective and nourishing benefits, Vitamin C works to even out skin tone, reduce pigmentation, and address discolouration for a more uniform and luminous complexion. By including Vitamin C in your winter skincare routine, you can enjoy brighter, firmer, and healthier skin.

Rescue Your Lips
Our lips are particularly vulnerable to the harsh effects of winter due to their unique structure. Unlike the rest of our skin, lips have a much thinner layer of keratinocytes, making them prone to dehydration and damage from cold weather. The dry, wintery air can strip moisture from your lips, leaving them flaky, chapped, and painfully dehydrated.
In fact, it’s estimated that water loss occurs three times faster from the lips than from the rest of your skin! To combat this moisture loss, incorporating an emollient into your lip care routine is essential. Emollients form a protective film over the skin, locking in moisture and shielding lips from drying environmental irritants like cold temperatures and wind.
Enter CellDerma Perfect Lips – This luxurious balm is infused with deeply nourishing ingredients and peptides that hydrate and protect, leaving your lips soft, smooth, and supple.

Last But Not Least – Don’t forget your SPF!
Don’t let the low temperatures and brisk winds fool you! During the winter, ultraviolet (UV) rays don’t take a break. Even on overcast, chilly days, harmful UV rays penetrate the clouds and continue to impact your skin. These rays accelerate the breakdown of skin cells, leading to photoaging, a main cause of premature wrinkles, fine lines, and uneven pigmentation.
To keep your skin protected, make SPF a non-negotiable part of your daily routine. Opt for a broad-spectrum sunscreen that shields against both UVA and UVB rays and reapply as needed throughout the day. By maintaining this essential step, you’ll safeguard your skin from premature aging and cumulative sun damage, ensuring a healthier, more radiant complexion all year round.