The 21 winter skincare essentials that dermatologists use when dry weather wrecks their skin | Life and style
The word “moist” is one of the most reviled in the English language. Some researchers even found that up to 20% of people squirm at the sound of it. The New Yorker once voted it its readers’ “least favorite word.” People magazine once called it the “most cringe-worthy word” and even rounded up a passel of Sexiest Men Alive to try – and fail – to rehabilitate it.
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According to our dermatologist experts, however, moist is one of the most important words, especially in winter. Dry, heated indoor air and the whipping winds outdoors tend to slurp all the moisture out of your skin. The result: chapped lips, ashy or itchy skin, rough hands and cracked feet.
During this time, “keep your skincare gentle and limited; winter skin is more delicate”, says Dr Oyetewa B Asempa, an assistant professor of dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine’s department of dermatology in Houston, Texas.
What do dermatologists use for their own skincare, then? We asked our experts for personal recommendations on what they use head to toe: for the face, body, hands and feet. Here’s their guide to how to avoid being sucked dry in winter.
At a glance
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Meet our experts on dry skin
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Oyetewa B Asempa, MD, FAAD, an assistant professor of dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
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Jeanine B Downie, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Montclair, New Jersey.
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Lauren Payne, MD, MS, FAAD, a board-certified medical, surgical and cosmetic dermatologist based in New Orleans.
What derms use for their face
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“I always do cleanser, serum, moisturizer and then sunscreen is always last,” says Lauren Payne, the dermatologist in New Orleans.
For a cleanser: “I love a glycolic, acid-based cleanser every day, but in the winter I can’t use it as frequently,” she says. Even in New Orleans’s mild winter, she continues: “So I may do that three times a week, and I’ll add in a hydrating cleanser on the other days.”
Ingredients she looks for in a cleanser: hyaluronic acid (HA), a humectant that can absorb many times its weight in water; and glycerin, a humectant that attracts water from the air.
An HA pro tip: “I always tell patients to make sure their skin is damp before they put anything with HA on because it binds to water,” Payne says. “If you put it on dry skin, it actually kind of takes some of the moisture out of your skin. That’s my personal experience. I used to use one, and I was like, why is it making my skin more dry?”
What’s in their skincare routine? Her go-to cleanser brands are La Roche-Posay Toleriane (which contains glycerin) and CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser (which has HA as well as ceramides, fats naturally found in your skin).
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La Roche-Posay Toleriane Moisturizing Milky Facial Cleanser
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CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser
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For those (remember: gentle!) exfoliation days, Payne goes with Glytone Mild Gel Cleanser, better for more oil-prone skin. Payne says the Glytone Mild Cream Cleanser is better for drier skin: “It should be pretty tolerable for even patients with sensitive skin.”
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For oily skin: Glytone Mild Gel Cleanser
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For dry and sensitive skin: Glytone Mild Cream Cleanser
$32 at Amazon$36 at Glytone
For a moisturizer: How do you make winter makeup look good? It’s all in the moisturizer.
“It really doesn’t matter, makeup product-wise,” Payne says. You do not need to switch out your makeup in winter. “It’s whether your skin is moisturized enough. If, when you’re putting on makeup, your underlying skin is cracked or dry or flaky, nothing is going to stick or settle and look good on your skin.”
Lack of humidity leads to overall dryness, but indoor heat, chilly winds and even heat in the car “adds to the problem,” says Dr Jeanine B Downie, the dermatologist in New Jersey.
What’s in their skincare routine? Neutrogena Hydro Boost, a lightweight gel with HA. And La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer, a light cream with ceramides and glycerin that easily sinks into skin.
Asempa picks “thick and luxurious” RoC Hydration+ Moisturizer, which has HA and amino acids that the brand claims can support collagen growth (that’s the stuff that keeps your skin plump and bouncy).
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Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel
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La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer
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RoC Hydration+ Moisturizer
$24.97 at Amazon$32.99 at Roc Skincare
For a serum: Some people save serums for night-time use, but there’s no law that they can’t see the daylight. They can contain antioxidants to battle environmental stressors, as well as moisturizing ingredients that will really seal the deal of your soft, smooth skin.
What’s in their skincare routine? For “dermatologist-style hydration at a wallet-friendly price”, Asempa likes CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum with glycerin and dimethicone, which protects skin from water loss.
She also recommends La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum. “It’s a classic HA with vitamin B5 to repair the skin barrier,” she says. B5, aka panthenol, is an anti-inflammatory ingredient in skincare that has been shown to significantly boost skin barrier repair and hydration after 48 hours.
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CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum
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La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum
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For an extra glow: It’s certainly not essential, but you can also try a vitamin C serum for “brightening” after moisturizing. “Thanks to antioxidant properties, it gives you a glow,” Payne says.
Not all vitamin C serums are the same. “There are so many over-the-counter products, but most of them are about 90% filler and actually 10% vitamin C,” Payne cautions. How do you know a product has an effective amount? “The big thing is, if it tingles when you put it on, it’s probably actually active vitamin C.”
For people with sensitive skin, she recommends La Roche-Posay Vitamin C12 Serum.
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La Roche-Posay Vitamin C12 Serum
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What derms use for sunscreen
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“Regardless of where in the country you are, I say sunscreen every day. Inside, outside,” Payne insists. “You should not skip sunscreen during the winter months,” adds Downie. “The SPF needs to be 30 or greater and it should be reapplied every three hours – more frequently if you are closer to the equator.”
It’s not just about the sun. Blue light from our computers and other electronic devices can increase skin aging and hyperpigmentation, Payne says.
She uses and recommends tinted sunscreens, because the added pigments, such as iron oxide, are especially effective at shielding the skin from blue light.
Finding a mineral sunscreen that doesn’t give skin an ashy hue is also a life goal for some. “I’m African American, so it’s tough for us to find a sunscreen that doesn’t leave that white cast,” Payne says. Some clear sunscreens also block blue light, especially those with niacinamide.
What’s in their skincare routine? She uses EltaMD sunscreens. The brand’s formulations “do seem to rub into a lot of different skin tones very well”, she says. “They have a clear, a deep-tinted and a combo version. For some reason, it’s the combo that works the best.”
Downie picks ZO Daily Sheer for its high SPF.
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EltaMD UV Clear Tinted Broad-Spectrum SPF 46
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ZO Daily Sheer Broad-Spectrum SPF 50
$49 at Amazon$70 at ZO Skin
What derms use for dry lips
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Don’t forget sunscreen for your dry, wind-burned, chapped, cracked (potentially all of the above) lips.
Lip balms with SPF and petrolatum, AKA petroleum jelly, are ideal. The latter helps seal in moisture. “It really is one of the most effective occlusives around,” Asempa says. “People think it’s like putting gas on your face. That’s not what’s happening.” Triple-distilled petrolatum, the kind used by big brands like Aquaphor and Vaseline, is non-toxic and non-carcinogenic.
What’s in their skincare routine? Aquaphor lip balm in particular “applies nicely,” Payne says. She says you can apply lipstick first, then Aquaphor on top: “It doesn’t look cake-y.”
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Aquaphor Lip Protectant + SPF 30
$4.99 at Amazon$11.49 for two at CVS pharmacy
What derms use for the shower
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You might be showering wrong in the winter. “It’s important to not over-exfoliate,” Payne says, in order to avoid too much moisture leaving your skin. “So for people who like to use loofahs and all that type of stuff, I wouldn’t recommend doing so frequently.”
You don’t have to stop altogether, she says, but “they shouldn’t be an everyday type of thing”.
“We love those extremely hot showers because they feel amazing,” Payne says, “but they are just soaking all the moisture out of your skin.” Her rule of thumb: warm water, not scalding hot, and 10 minutes at most in there; after 15 minutes or so, you start losing moisture.
She suggests using a body wash containing moisturizing agents such as ceramides or HA.
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Ceramedx Extra Gentle Body Cleanser
$11.99 at Ceramedx$12.45 at Amazon
And then, once you come out of the water, she says: “You want to pat dry. You don’t want to fully dry off.” Leave skin a little damp before you apply any body moisturizer “so it can actually penetrate into your skin.
“Summertime is great for lotions, those lighter water-based moisturizers,” she says. “In wintertime, it’s time for creams.” Look for ingredients such as glycerin, squalene and ceramides.
Got really dry skin? She recommends layering products. “Put the cream on first and then seal it in with an Aquaphor or Vaseline, something that contains petroleum jelly, to really lock in the moisture.”
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CeraVe Moisturizing Cream with Ceramides
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Vaseline Intensive Care Deep Moisture Body Cream
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What’s in their skincare routine? “Roche-Posay’s Lipikar cream is really good, head to toe,” she says. “It’s not greasy and it doesn’t rub off on clothing like some creams do.”
Asempa is also a Lipikar fan: “It’s my ultimate winter moisturizer. My personal favorite.”
For those on a budget, she recommends Good Molecules Rich Cream, which contains ceramides. “It’s so thick and luxurious,” she says.
Photograph: Courtesy of Ulta
La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Body Moisturizer for Dry Skin
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Good Molecules Rich Cream with Ceramides
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What derms use for dry hands
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Go beyond just cuticle oil. “The big thing is making sure not just the nails, but the hands in general are moisturized,” Payne says.
What’s in their skincare routine? Heavier creams rather than light lotions. “I really like Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream. It’s thick but it’s manageable and it really holds the moisture in,” she says. It’s fragrance-free and contains glycerin.
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Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream
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What derms use for dry feet
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Even though your feet are snuggled up in woolly socks much of the winter, the cold, dry air can leave them looking ragged and feeling worse. Extreme dryness can even cause painful heel fissures.
Look for creams containing urea, according to Payne. She says: “Urea is what we call a keratolytic. It’s an exfoliator for thicker skin areas such as the hands and feet.”
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Cetaphil Exfoliating Rough & Bumpy Cream
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Eucerin Advanced Repair Cream
$15.78 at Amazon $15.79 at Target
