By Mila Rahmat
Interested in trying a laser treatment or chemical peel? The winter is the perfect time to take the plunge. Read on to find out why.
The winter is a great time to make some skin-improvements, and it’s not just because many of us are dealing with skin issues like dry lips, tight skin, and flaky patches right about now.
Cold temperatures and less sun exposure make the season a prime time to book a treatment.
There are several at-home and in-office treatments in particular that dermatologists suggest getting done before spring. Below, Dr. Lori Stetler, a Dallas, Texas-based dermatologist, details which ones.
Chemical Peels
“The winter months are a great time to get a chemical peel because our exposure to the sun is very limited. It’s important to minimize sun exposure following a chemical peel to allow the skin to recover,” Dr. Stetler explained.
Dr. Stetler says glycolic (GLO) peels, or “party peels”, are great to start with. “A glycolic peel is a light chemical peel that is safe for all skin types,” she said. They do the work while also keeping the skin refreshed, and in turn, you’ll get a nice, healthy glow. GLO peels also don’t require any downtime, so you’re good to go about your day as usual if you decide to try one.
“Salicylic acid peels are slightly stronger and great for treating oily or acne-prone skin,” she said. “After these peels, the skin may also appear slightly pink and feel a little tighter. Mild peeling may become noticeable in the few days following the peel,” she explained.
If you can’t make it to your dermatologist’s office, you can try an at-home peel. Make sure to look for one with hydrating and soothing properties so that your skin isn’t dry and tight once you’ve completed the treatment and always follow up with SPF and a moisturizer. One option is the Acwell Aqua Peel Soft gel, which is gentle yet effective.
Laser Treatments
Let’s start with why lasers are an essential treatment to get during colder months.
“While the wintertime may be the worst for your daily commute, it’s the best time to address skin concerns such as fine lines and sun damage,”Dr. Stetler said. We tend to wear more layers of clothing to survive the frigid temperatures upon us, and don’t spend much time outside. “This makes it an ideal time for laser skin treatments that may require more indoor recovery time,” she explained.
A great combination to try is a HydraFacial immediately followed by a Clear + Brilliant laser treatment. “This dynamic duo is ideal for almost every skin type. The superficial laser treatment improves texture, pore size, brown pigmentation and increases the natural production of collagen,” she said. “There’s little to no downtime, and they both leave the skin absolutely glowing,” she added. If you’d like more instant results, then this is the combination to try. Other skin concerns may require a more intense treatment. “Fraxel laser treatments address skin imperfections such as fine lines and wrinkles, scarring, pigmentation irregularities, sun-induced redness, and to some degree skin laxity,” she explained. Fraxel has been talked about a lot in the beauty community as of late, and while it’s more intense, it really does provide results with fewer treatment sessions.
“The laser penetrates deep into the skin to remove old, damaged skin cells, which stimulates the body’s own natural healing process and replaces the cells with fresh, healthy, new skin,” she said. You don’t have to limit Fraxel treatments to just your face either. The treatment works on other areas including the neck, chest, and hands.
And that’s not all. “The winter season is also a great time to schedule laser treatments for brown spots on the body since we are mostly covered up and areas such as the legs can be slower to heal,” she said.
Dr. Stetler also notes that the winter months are an excellent time for laser hair removal. Since we’ll have to limit ourselves to sun exposure afterward, our winter clothes will get the job done.
Bottom Line
To be clear, these treatments can be done any time of the year, however, if you choose to get them in the summer for example, you’ll have to limit your outdoor activity while recovering. So why not schedule your appointment when you’re already going to be spending time bundled up and indoors?
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