Cold Weather Skincare Tips: How to Prepare for a Winter Wedding
While winter weddings are certainly romantic, winter is not the best time for your skin to be front and center. Chilly temperatures and dry indoor heating can do a number on the smooth, supple complexion you’ve been perfecting in the months leading up to your wedding.
Luckily, dry winter skin is preventable – if you know what you’re doing. That’s why we put together these winter skin care tips! Keep reading to find out how to prep skin for a winter wedding.
Winter Skin Tips for Brides
Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize!
When the temperature drops, so do humidity levels, and the resulting dry air can zap the moisture right out of your skin. Thus, your summer moisturizer isn’t going to cut it during the winter months.
Replace your usual moisturizer with a thicker formula that includes ceramides and hyaluronic acid to help skin hold onto moisture. Further amp up the hydration factor by using a moisturizing mask once or twice per week.
The result? Your skin maintains its beautiful dewy glow – even in the dead of winter.
Stock Up on Blueberries
Eating more antioxidants can preserve your complexion by neutralizing glow-stealing free radicals from pollution, UV radiation, and stress. Antioxidant-rich superfoods like blueberries, cranberries, squash, and pumpkins are all in season, so make sure you add them to your grocery list.
…Or Apply Antioxidants Topically
Antioxidants don’t just benefit your skin when you eat them. Some antioxidants are actually more effective when applied directly to the skin.
Ask your dermatologist for creams that include ingredients like vitamin C, vitamin E, or resveratrol. These can create a barrier on your skin, protecting it from environmental stressors.
Play with Climate Control
Indoor heating can spell disaster for a luminous bridal complexion, so avoid cranking the heat at home. You might be a bit more chilly than you like, but you’ll save on your energy bills!
Invest those savings in a humidifier, which adds water back into the dry air. Aim for 45-55% humidity, which is the optimal level for skin hydration.
Say Goodbye to Hot Showers
Long hot showers feel great (especially when the weather is cold!), but they strip skin of its natural moisturizing oils. Take quick, lukewarm showers instead. When you step out of the shower, apply moisturizer while skin is still damp to lock in hydration.
Perfect Your Pout
When planning your winter skincare strategy, don’t forget about your lips! If your bridal makeup look includes a bold lipstick shade, then a dry, flaky pout is the last thing you want.
It’s easier to prevent chapped lips than to treat them, so wear a lip balm with SPF 30 every day and reapply frequently. We also recommend using a sugar scrub on your lips weekly to gently exfoliate them, keeping them smooth and flake-free.
Protect Your Skin
Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear sunscreen. Wear a daily moisturizer with SPF to protect skin against photoaging and sunburn. SPF protection is especially critical if you’ve been undergoing treatments to fade hyperpigmentation and scarring. Otherwise, you might undo all your hard work!
If you’re planning on being outdoors for long periods of time (like if you’re going skiing), layer exposed skin with a protective ointment to keep it from getting chapped and inflamed.
Discuss with Your Dermatologist
Any bride’s first step in her bridal beauty timeline should be talking to a board-certified dermatologist. Make sure your dermatologist knows that your wedding will take place in winter. This will help them to design a custom beauty plan that will fit your needs. Need some advice or interested in learning more about our advanced treatments? Contact us at: info@saddickprod1.wpengine.com
Overall, the best way to avoid dry winter skin is to stay ahead of it. Start following these winter skin care tips now and your skin will be healthy, hydrated, and luminous on your big day.
Want to learn more about ways to maintain a glowing look, even in winter? Sadick Dermatology has some of the best dermatologists in NYC. Call us at 212-772-7242 and one of our highly-experienced staff will be pleased to assist you.
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The Best Hair Loss Treatments for Men
In September of 2004, England’s Prince William was bestowed the honor of “Sexiest Man Alive” at the British Celebrity Awards, beating out competition from actor Jude Law and rugby star Johnny Wilkinson. A lot has changed since William received that award. Fourteen years, a brief military career, one highly publicized wedding and three children later, and William is far from the cover boy he once was. In fact, a 2017 Ranker.com survey on “Hottest Royal Men” placed him seventh behind Prince Carl Phillip, Duke of Värmland and his younger brother Prince Harry. Ouch!
All of this begs the answer to two questions:
1 – Where the hell is Värmland?
2 – What do Princes Carl Phillip and Harry have that William doesn’t?
The answers are: West Central Sweden, and hair.
But don’t feel too bad for William. He has a few things. First off, he’s got a lot of money (a reported $40 million). Secondly, he’s got company. According to studies male pattern baldness occurs to some degree to two thirds of men his age. But the most important thing that William and millions of other men like him have is options.
Gone are the days when the only choices outside of going bald gracefully were limited to wearing a hat, getting a toupee, or the dreaded “comb-over.” Thanks to advancements in dermatology, millions of men now have the choice of either trying to rock a bad head like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson or putting a lock onto their locks.
Want to address your thinning hair? Here are some thoughts from the hair rejuvenation experts at Sadick Dermatology.
Start Early!
Over 65% percent of American men will notice some degree of hair loss by the age of 35. That number jumps to 85% of men with thinning hair by age 50. In a lot of cases, once a hair follicle is gone, it’s gone for good. The name of the game here is to hold onto what you have before more hairs fall out, and you lose the ability to regrow more than 60 percent of hair that’s already been lost. Time is not your friend here. See your dermatologist once you start to notice your hair thinning. Together we can put a plan in place.
Supplement It!
The strategy here is to work from the inside out. Vitamin and mineral supplements like Nutrafol target the root of hair health and work from within. Stress, diet and environmental conditions can all affect hair health. According to Nutrafol’s website, “New science proves how a multitude of internal and external triggers create an imbalance in the body’s immune system and metabolic pathways. At the follicle, this produces a cascade of free radicals, oxidative stress and inflammatory markers. These factors generate damaging molecules and more free radicals that lead to disruption of the hair cycle. This prompts the follicle and the immune system to respond by producing more of these chemical molecules, called cytokines, which start to affect our hair.”
We agree with Nutrafol’s assessment, and have found this to be true with many of our patients who lead busy lives here in New York. The right nutrients can go a long way to battling the effects of oxidative stress and rebalancing hair and scalp health.
Inject It!
Have you ever heard of the “vampire facial?” That’s when blood is re-introduced into the face to regain a glowing complexion. The process, which is called “platelet rich plasma” or “PRP.” Our blood has two components, red blood cells and plasma. And it’s the latter of the two that contains platelets, which are rich in growth factors. With PRP treatments, growth factors from your own plasma are injected into your follicles to stimulate re-growth, while increasing the integrity of real hair. If it sounds weird or “unmanly” maybe this will help: countless professional athletes around the world use this procedure to enhance healing of sports injuries. It’s one of our most popular treatments and we highly recommend it.
Beam it Up!
Light beams are another option. Low intensity light called low-level laser therapy (LLLT) works when red light targets the stem cells in your scalp, stimulating them to grow hair and shift follicles into the anagen phase. Is this effective? Nine out of 11 studies assessing hair count and density found statistically significant improvement following LLLT treatments. We use a low energy red light via an exceptional technology called Omnilux.
Plant It!
If the processes above won’t work, the best solution for losing your hair may be using your own hair. For those who have permanent hair loss, a transplant is an effective near-permanent solve. This surgical procedure, that can happen in one day, involves harvesting healthy hair follicles from the back of your head and planting them in the balding regions.
Enhance It!
Topical products like Minoxidil and protein-rich shampoos are a great way to follow-up your treatment to enhance results. Minoxidil can be purchased over the counter in its brand name “Rogaine”. However, the OTC formula is missing two important components that can decrease inflammation and allow for better penetration of the solution. At Sadick Dermatology, we compound our own topical products for maximum efficacy and potency.
Commit to It!
One thing to keep in mind is that hair disorders are often ongoing, lifelong conditions. Regardless of which treatment route you choose (PRP, red-light laser, supplements, or a combination approach), all require consistency. It is important to consider your lifestyle and budget when selecting the appropriate treatment for YOU! We can help…it just starts with a conversation.
Want to learn more about ways to maintain and even rejuvenate your hair health? Sadick Dermatology has some of the best hair loss doctors in NYC. Call us at 212-772-7242 or email us at info@saddickprod1.wpengine.com and one of our highly-experienced staff will be pleased to assist you.
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