What are the major differences between care of the skin in summer and care of the skin in winter?

In general, most people will experience less dryness in the summer months than in the colder winter months. For this reason if you have dry skin, it may feel better during the summer.

If you have oily or acne prone skin, the heat of summer can make the skin even more oily and acne prone, especially if the humidity is high. For this reason, if your skin is oily or acne prone and you use a mild cleanser in winter, you may need to use a stronger cleanser during the summer. These stronger cleansers include such products as Beta-hydroxy Acne Cleanser and B Prox 10 Wash, both by DCL.

After cleansing the face, people with oily skin should finish with a toner. The use of a toner will further cleanse the skin and remove any remaining makeup. Toners suitable for patients with oily skin include Moisture Balance Toning Lotion by Exuviance, Rejuvenative Toner by Skin Medica, which is slightly stronger, and Acne Treatment Toner, which is the strongest.

Fine particle exfoliating scrubs should only occasionally be used, once or twice a week at most, and should be used gently. Alternatively, one can use a cleanser with an alpha-hydroxy acid and a moisturizer. These cleansers will improve the skin's tone and texture by producing a mild chemical exfoliation. A good medium strength cleanser for normal to oily skin that contains alpha-hydroxy acids is Simply Clean by SkinCeuticals. Generally, women with dry skin will not benefit from using a cleanser with an alpha-hydroxy acid, as it will tend to further dry their skin.

If you normally use a moisturizer every day, you may find that your skin will benefit from a lighter formulation in the summer. A moisturizer should be selected based upon your skin type. Our favorite moisturizers are Evening Restorative Complex by Exuviance or Rejuvenative Moisturizer by Skin Medica (for normal skin), Ultra Light Hydrator by DCL or Ultra Sheer Moisturizer by Skin Medica (for acne prone and oily skin), Facial Moisturizing Cream by DCL or Skin Medica Dermal Repair Cream (for dry skin), and Light Textured Moisturizer by DCL (for normal to oily skin).

If you are not anticipating significant sun exposure, you might wish to lighten your daytime skin care by using a moisturizer with sunscreen instead of separate moisturizer and sunscreen products. Fundamental Multiprotective Day Fluid with SPF 15 by Exuviance and DCL Daily Moisture with SPF15 would both work well on normal or oily skin. For dry skin, we like the UVA/UVB Moisturizing Cream Sunscreen SPF 25 by DCL. Women who do not need to use a moisturizer regularly should also consider using a foundation with an SPF and a daily sunscreen.

With a multitude of skin care products to choose from, it can get confusing as to which skin care products are best for a given person. Jonee and Barb will be happy to help any of our patients who have questions regarding which skin care products are best for them. Feel free to speak with either of them at any time for help with your unique skin care needs.