3 tips for winter dry skin l Skinome

Vintern står runt hörnet och vi går nu mot allt kallare tider, åtminstone om du bor i Norden. Detta innebär vanligtvis att många av oss börjar få torrare och kanske även känsligare hy. Huden är vårt största organ och har en viktig roll i att skydda oss från omvärlden men för att huden ska fungera och ge oss ett bra skydd måste vi behandla den rätt. Hur vi bäst vårdar vår hud varierar beroende på säsong och här delar vi Skinomes grundare, Johanna Gillbros, 3 bästa tips för vintertorr hud. Om du vill ge din hud en chans att vara på topp i vinter, fortsätt läsa!

But first, a little bit of information about the skin...

Människans hud är indelad i tre lager: epidermis (det yttersta lagret), dermis (lagret direkt under epidermis) och hypodermis (det innersta lagret).

The skin's cells work together with trillions of good microorganisms found in the skin, what we call the microbiome, and these friendly microbes have been shown to play an important role in our skin health.

Often we talk about different skin types and skin care products are usually developed precisely according to skin type. Some people have oily skin, others dry or more "normal". But this can change and an important factor is actually the season.

By treating your skin right, you can strengthen your skin's important barrier function that keeps moisture in your skin, reduce water loss (TEWL) and get your microbiome to thrive and get in balance. In combination, this will give you a stronger, smoother and healthier skin. Here are Johanna's 3 simple tips to help you take care of your skin and avoid getting dry in the coming months:

1. Clean the skin – but only at night!

The basic idea behind cleaning the skin is that it has accumulated particles from urban air, dirt, grease and other unhealthy substances, which need to be removed from Skin. And this is, of course, true. However, many people today over-cleanse the skin (messing too much with the skin) and scientific studies show that there is a link between too much cleansing and some of the most widespread skin problems such as dry and sensitive skin or even rosacea.

During the night, the skin forms unique moisture-binding substances that are part of the skin barrier and that contribute to a soft and healthy skin. Surfactants found in many cleaning products tend to negatively affect the skin barrier as they can also dissolve the skin endogenous lipids that form in the skin. It should be remembered that it is every skin care company's dream to find precisely the exact composition of fats and moisturizers that a healthy skin produces itself. Therefore, an important advice to avoid dry and sensitive skin this winter is to only clean in the evening. Don't wash away all the amazing substances that have formed during the night – they contribute to better skin health!

Skinome has two facial cleansers, Mineral Cleanser and Sensitive Cleanser, both of which cleanse gently but effectively and moisturise. They contain very mild surfactants, skin endogenous lipids as well as pre- and postbiotics and are completely preservative-free. If you have waterproof makeup, you can use our oil-based body cleanser Five Point Cleanser before using Mineral or Sensitive Cleanser. But remember, only cleanse in the evening.

2. Moisture, moisture, moisture!

You can help prevent dry skin or help your already dry skin by using the right skin care products. Moisture binders and plasticizers are undoubtedly the main ingredients to look out for this season.

Mjukgörare: Bevarar fukten i huden och förhindrar att den blir torr och flagar. De har även en ocklusiv effekt, vilket innebär att de täcker det översta hudlagret (epidermis) för att stoppa avdunstning och är därför viktiga för att förhindra vattenförlust genom huden (TEWL). I kombination leder detta till en mer effektiv barriärfunktion i torr hud.

The levels of natural emollients in the skin change with the seasons. They are lowest in winter, which may be one reason why many people experience drier skin during this period. But by using skincare that contains these emollients, you can help your skin. A good tip is to first look for emollients that the skin itself produces, as they are natural to the skin. We call these ingredients skin endogenous or skin-mimicking. Examples include ceramides, squalane, lecithin and cholesterol. These are all found in the skin's own beneficial mix of oils and water which, together with moisture-binding substances, are so important for healthy and strong skin.

Look for skin endogenous emollients such as ceramides, squalane, lecithin and cholesterol.

Fuktbindare: För att huden ska behålla fukt kan vi hjälpa till genom att tillsätta ingredienser som binder vatten i huden. Det är där fuktbindande ämnen kommer in. Exempel på dessa ämnen är glycerin, karbamid, hyaluronsyra, aminosyror och olika sorters salter. Glycerin, även känt som glycerol, finns naturligt i huden där det binder vatten i det översta lagret och återfuktar huden. Ett annat ämne som förekommer naturligt i vår hud är hyaluronsyra, som har en fantastisk förmåga att binda vatten. Att applicera hyaluronsyra har dock väldigt liten effekt eftersom denna molekyl är för stor för att kunna penetrera även det översta lagret av din hud. Därför är det bättre att använda en av byggstenarna som utgör denna syra.

The building block we use is N-acetylglucosamine which can penetrate the skin's surface and once in the skin it helps to produce hyaluronic acid that can then bind water and moisturize the skin. Our moisturisers also contain postbiotics that also have an important function to biomimeticly (mimic the natural function) moisturize the skin.

Good moisture binders contribute to a moisturized skin and these include glycerin, N-acetylglucosamine, postbiotics and amino acids.

When developing Skinome's products, we put great emphasis on using skin endogenous or skin-mimicking ingredients such as the emollient and moisturizing substances recommended above.

3. Give your skin some winter rest – go for a minimalist routine!

To achieve healthy skin during this winter season, you may need to review your skincare routine – and make it shorter. A healthy skin doesn't mean several hours in the bathroom every day with lots of different creams, serums and cleansers. On the contrary, using too many skin care products can have the opposite effect. Johanna strongly believes in "less is more" when it comes to skin care. Some ingredients can interfere with the skin, such as perfumes and preservatives, and the more skin care products you use, the more of these less good substances you apply to your skin. Long skin care routines can simply have the opposite effect on your skin, it can irritate instead of caring. In a long routine of about 10 products, it is not uncommon for the skin to come into contact with 500 substances per day, many of which are not there for the skin's sake but to give the product long sustainability and good smell.

So go through your skin care routine and think about what products you really need and what ingredients you want in your skin care products.

The Skinome routine is simple: apply your choice of moisturiser (Rich Emulsion, Rich Intense or Light Emulsion) in the morning. Feel free to cleanse your face, but only in the evening, with one of our cleansers (Mineral Cleanser or Sensitive Cleanser). You can then combine and mix your moisturiser with your choice of active concentrate for extra effect (Probiotic Concentrate, Night Active Retinol or Night Active Control).

A little extra information about how the skin works

In addition to the above tips and if you are really interested in learning more about your skin, there are some terms that are good to know to understand how the skin works and what will affect it during the winter months:

BARRIER FUNCTION

The outermost layer of the skin is covered by a film, a membrane, which retains moisture - the hydrolipidic film. The film consists of sebum, water and moisture-binding substances, which are substances that retain moisture. This combination of substances acts as a barrier to the outside world and a healthy barrier is the key to a healthy skin.

WATER EVAPORATION - TEWL

Evaporation of moisture from the skin is known as transepidermal water loss - TEWL. Moisture evaporates more slowly from a young, healthy skin and faster from an older or dry skin. Applying skin cream prevents evaporation in two ways: moisture-binding substances in the cream help retain moisture, and the oil in the cream ensures that the skin retains moisture through occlusion, i.e. it locks it into the skin.

SKIN MICROBIOME

The skin's microbiome also helps to moisturize the skin in addition to having an anti-inflammatory function. An imbalance in the microbiome has been linked to skin diseases such as acne, psoriasis, eczema and rosacea, but also to dry and sensitive skin. So a microbiome in balance is of great importance for a healthy skin.