Autumn Skin Sensitivity

Why does cooler weather spell Kaos for our Skin?

You know the yearly drill. Summer is over! Gradually the nights are getting longer and we all feel the need to crank up the heating to combat that cold, bitter feeling that is creeping into your living space. But unfortunately, this creates consequential changes to our skin. Autumn skin sensitivity is fairly common as we are changing the environment in our house to match what was outside in Summer only a few short weeks ago, so we feel all warm and cosy. There's a big difference between summer warmth and the warmth we feel inside our houses from central heating during Autumn & Winter.

Why does our skin get affected?

Unfortunately, using the central heating or heated air-conditioning can dry out our living spaces, therefore dropping the ambient humidity of our homes to critically low levels. Much lower than the current ambient humidity outside of our homes. This in turn, draws moisture out of our skin, resulting in Transepidermal Water Loss or TEWL for short. TEWL is the single biggest factor in many skin care problems and has a massively damaging effect on our natural skin barrier. This excessive dryness on the skin disrupts the natural skin microbiome, creating an unfriendly habitat for the good bacteria on our skin to do its job of protecting us from bacteria, viruses and other nasties.

Internal dehydration vs External dehydration

We also tend to drink less water as it gets colder, and our reliance on hot beverages (often tea or coffee) tends to go up in an effort to keep warmer in the cooler months. This leads to dehydration of the skin and further TEWL effects. And for the final whammy! We tend to take hotter showers or baths to counteract the cool air in our bathrooms and to warm up. Hotter water leads to, YOU GUESSED IT, more TEWL and more skin dehydration.

So what can we do to correct this imbalance?

After many years consulting with clients on their daily skincare routine, I was often shocked at how little thought most people put into their daily cleansing routine. People often complained of dry/irritated skin, but they never considered that what they were using to wash their body with, could be a massive contributor to the problem. Basic soaps are alkaline. They provide very good cleansing of the skin at the expense of stripping it of moisture, and the healthy skin microbiome (the good and bad bacteria).

What about shower gels and body washes?

Shower gels and body washes on the other hand, tend to be less alkaline and are usually balanced to the same pH as skin. However most brands use questionable ingredients like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), which are known to be harsh on skin and are now classified as “Known skin irritants”.

Results of a 5 year study from Germany revealed that more than 40% of people have skin sensitivity reactions to SLS, and this is further exacerbated in the colder winter months. ¹

It's ok, I use a moisturiser after bathing

Dehydrated skin needs externally applied moisture. Many supermarket brand moisturisers for dry skin contain Liquid Paraffin or Mineral Oils. These ingredients are manufactured from crude oil refining and are found in everything from lip balms, hand creams and body moisturisers. They are bad for our skin !! REALLY BAD !!!

They create a film over the surface of our skin which inhibits the skin's natural respiration and prevents the normal skin cell turnover rate.

Yes, they stop TEWL by sealing the moisture inside the skin. But, they stop the normal healthy functioning of the skin and in the process damage it by killing off the good bacteria (which needs air to survive). Extended use of these products leads to immediate rebound dryness and irritation once they are stopped. Feeding a viscous skin-dryness cycle that can continue all Winter.

They're also BAD for the environment

Not to mention, they are contributing to the destruction of our planet by supporting the oil exploration industry at a time when we should be reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. There is no need for these ingredients to be in skin care as there are many plant based alternatives that do a better job at supporting the skin and allow our skin micro-Biome to flourish.

So what can we do to balance our skin again?

Here's my top tips to get more moisture back into skin this Autumn:

• We can start by reducing our reliance on central heating. Where possible, try to use warmer clothes inside your home and turn down the thermostat a few degrees. This has a profound effect on ambient humidity. It's also good for the wallet as your energy bills will decrease. An important factor during a "cost of living" crisi. You'll also be helping to save the planet by using less energy.
• Take shorter showers and baths. Also try not to use very hot water. This will reduce the stress on your skin and help reduce the effects of TEWL.
• Increase your water intake and reduce your caffeine intake. Try to switching to warm herbal teas to help warm you up, but don't forget the water bottle. If you're like me, count the number of times you fill up your bottle per day. Aim for at least 2 litres of plain water per day. This step helps ensure that you are feeding your skin from the inside with moisture and at the same time, flushing out any toxins that can cause skin issues because of increased dryness.
• Look after your skin when bathing. Select bathing products with gentle cleansing ingredients and avoid SLS/SLES at all costs. Many good quality shower gels and bodywashes now have ingredients that don't dry out skin and are Eco friendly. Look for COSMOS certified or ECO-CERT ingredients. There are also a growing number of more "natural" soap manufacturers that use more hydrating oils in their soap formulas. These gentler soap bars still tend to be alkaline, but often have more unsaponified oils left in the bar, which hydrate and moisturise the skin more than a standard soap bar would.
• Apply a good quality moisturiser after every shower/bath. Choose one that will suit the type of skin feel that you require. Avoid products containing Paraffin/Mineral Oil and perfumes. A good alternative ingredient to look out for is shea butter. Shea butter is produced from the nut of the Karite Tree. The tree is not damaged in the process of harvest of the nuts and the butter is produced from crushing of the nut kernel to form a rich fatty butter. It naturally seals moisture into the skin, but does not interrupt the natural skin bacteria function.

My Top Recommended Autumn Skincare Products

Top of the list is my all-time favourite body moisturiser. Aproderm Colloidal Oat Cream. A great body moisturiser for dry or irritated skin. It has added Colloidal Oatmeal (from the whole oat grain) which has an anti-inflammatory effect on the skin and boosts the hydration of the skin. It's also free of perfumes, paraffin, artificial colours and fragrances. However, currently only available in UK & EU.

A good facial cleanser that I highly recommend is Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Cleanser. The gentle nourishing formula is free of artificial fragrance and packed with gentle cleansing ingredients and boosted with skin softeners.

An excellent cleanser that won't strip the skin varrier comes from Paula's Choice. Their Calm - Ultra Gentle Cleanser is great for preserving the natural skin microbiome. It's a soft, cushiony cleanser that removes makeup & impurities whilst preserving the skin’s barrier. The soothing formula leaves a silky-smooth finish and has a redness-reducing benefit.

Next up would be Paula's Choice Calm - Rescue & Repair Weightless Moisturiser. A lightweight moisturiser for sensitive, oily-to-combo skin, which visibly calms redness & smooths while targeting wrinkles and other signs of ageing. Another great addition to prevent destruction of skin microbiome.

Finally a fantastic serum, which should be in everyone's bathroom cabinet (not just because it's great for maintainging skin health) is Paula's Choice - Omega+ Complex Serum. This Light, lotion-style serum strengthens the skin barrier and allows it to behave younger. It contains some fantastic ingredients like chia and flaxseed oils, naturally known antioxidants and great for skin barrier health.

Summary

Armed with a little bit of knowledge about how our skin can chnage with the seasons, we can all prepare and protect our skin and avoid that uncomfortable skin feeling during the colder months.

Citations

¹ J. Geier, W. Uter, C. Pirker, P.J. Frosch (9th April 2003). Patch testing with the irritant sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is useful in interpreting weak reactions to contact allergens as allergic or irritant Contact Dermatitis, 48(2), 99-107. https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0536.2003.480209.x