With arctic cold temperatures hitting much of the United States this winter, your skin may be feeling it too.
Cold temperature, wind chill blasts, and air utterly devoid of moisture both indoors and out are just some of the environmental challenges our skin battles during the winter months.
"Moisture, which is such an important part of the [skin's] barrier, is basically sucked out by the cold, dry weather," Dr. Arianne Shadi Kourosh, a board-certified dermatologist and associate professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School and of environmental health at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, told ABC News.
During the winter months, our skin becomes "more vulnerable" than most people realize, according to Kourosh.
"The natural barrier that we have gets worn away by the elements, like by cold, dry weather and pollution," she said. "We have our top layer of skin that is this natural lipid barrier that can be somewhat broken down and corroded, especially in the winter by extreme coldness, extreme dryness then also pollution that corrodes the lipid barrier of the skin."
The key to protecting our skin during winter, according to Kourosh, is a daily routine that incorporates intensive moisturizing to restore the skin barrier along with guarding ourselves from the sun's rays.
Here are her top tips.
Continue to prioritize wearing sunscreen
Even in the dark days of winter, Kourosh said protecting skin from the sun is a must.
"A lot of people don't know that sun protection in the winter is necessary. Because it's cold outside, it doesn't occur to a lot of people that they're still getting sun exposure," she said, adding that sun protection in winter is particularly important for people at high altitudes surrounded by snow, like skiers.
Kourosh emphasizes integrating measures like wearing a daily sunscreen of at least SPF 30 or SPF 50 during activities involving prolonged periods of sun exposure, such as skiing, as well as wearing sun-protective clothing marked by the Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) label.
Opt for a mineral sunscreen
When it comes to choosing a type of sunscreen to use, Kourosh is a proponent of mineral sunscreen's greater reach of protection when compared to chemical sunscreen.
Beyond shielding our skin from the sun's harmful UV rays, mineral sunscreen acts as a shield against visible light, infrared radiation and pollution, according to Kourosh. Infrared radiation, as a form of heat, can activate conditions like rosacea and melasma in our skin.
"Mineral-based sunscreens can actually help protect your skin, at least in some degree, against airborne air pollutants," Kourosh said, noting that pollutants can cause inflammation, as well as premature aging.
Check the product label when choosing a sunscreen. Mineral based sunscreens list zinc oxide or titanium dioxide while chemical products list ingredients like avobenzone or oxybenzone.
Practice a daily defensive winter skin care routine
Kourosh recommends a multilayered approach to protecting your skin during winter.
"There's really like two types of protection in the winter," she said. "There's sun protection, and then there's protecting the skin barrier.
For a daily winter skin care routine, Kourosh recommends the following steps, implemented both morning and night:
