How to Weather the Winter Without Worry

Dr. Constance Crisp and other medical professionals like Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Andrew Weil agree that caring for your skin should be routine — regardless of the season. After all, the skin is the largest organ in the body and requires regular care to keep it functioning properly. The skin's ability to soak up moisture declines with age, and according to a New York dermatologist, 80-90% of the visible aging process comes from unprotected exposure to the sun.

If you don't have a daily skin care regimen of cleansing and moisturizing, it's not too late to start one. In fact, today is a great day to begin weatherizing your skin to protect it against the drier air typically associated with colder weather and indoor heating.

Here are a handful of healthy tips to help you "weather the winter without worry."

We've set records for rainfall this year, but we can't count on that continuing, so rule No.1 is moisturize, moisturize, moisturize:

• Use a humidifier to hydrate your skin, but be sure and clean it regularly to avoid allergens like mold and fungus.
• Instead of a long hot bath, consider taking a shorter cooler shower or bath. Apply your moisturizer while your skin is still damp. This will aid the skin in retaining the small amount of moisture absorbed from bathing.
• Dr. Crisp recommends looking for body moisturizers that are paraben-free and organic. Also look for gentle cleansers and moisturizing facial products containing enriching ingredients such as amino acids, peptides and antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and E.
• Arkansas Anti-Aging carries Gentle Gel Cleanser, Self-Foaming Gentle Cleanser and Phyto-Moisture Complex. These facial care products by Options Rx are available only through physicians. (Read about Options Rx/CBI in the summer issue of Ageless in Arkansas.)

And a reminder of routine protocols for maintaining health of skin and body:

• Apply a moisturizing sunscreen daily to face, neck and the back of your hands, and remember to use a lip balm that contains sunscreen. At Arkansas Anti-Aging, you'll find Daily Mineral Guard SPF 25. This paraben-free non-greasy formula contains micronized titanium dioxide, which provides a transparent barrier against UVA/UVB rays and an enriching complex that improves the appearance of fine lines.
• Wash hands often with a moisturizing anti-bacterial soap or use alcohol-free hand sanitizer (to reduce the spread of germs) and follow with a good enriching hand cream to replenish "washed away" moisture.

You can't stop your skin from aging, but you can slow the aging process and improve the look and feel of your skin by protecting it from its winter enemies of sun, harsh winds and drying indoor heat.