Elizabeth’s Top 5 Spring Beauty Tips

Spring is here, and it’s time for your beauty routines to change as your skin adapts to warmer, more humid weather. Here are my top spring beauty tips for women to keep their skin looking young and vibrant during the changing season.

1. Exfoliate Dead Winter Skin

Winter skin tends to be dry and flaky, which can prevent your beauty products from being able to fully penetrate the deeper layers of skin where cell renewal occurs. Set time aside for a solid, head-to-toe exfoliation session to remove dead skin cells and give your skin a fresh start heading into the seasonal change.

My Exfoliant Face and Body Pads contain a powerful combination of alpha and beta hydroxy acids and when used consistently can produce similar results to an in-office chemical peel.

2. Use a Lighter Moisturizer

As the humidity in the air increases and your skin begins to hang on to that moisture, you’ll no longer need a heavy moisturizer to protect your skin from winter’s harsh, dry air. Swap your winter creams for lighter versions with a hyaluronic-acid based formula to rejuvenate your skin and help it retain moisture.

I recommend my Hyla-Peptide Serum with 30% hyaluronic acid. This specially-designed lightweight serum moisturizer increases the water binding capacity of your skin’s natural hyaluronic acid by 50%.

3. Dial Down the Heat on Your Showers

Hot showers and baths feel great during winter, but you’re working against yourself if the temperature of the water is too warm. Hot showers will strip your skin of its natural moisture and cause damage to the keratin cells located on the epidermis, or the outermost layer of skin. For individuals with eczema, rosacea, and other skin conditions, the hot water can cause itchiness or breakouts.

Dial down the heat on your shower as the weather warms up outdoors. Lukewarm or even warm showers are fine. Cold water, however, is a vasoconstrictor that serves to constrict the tiny blood vessels in the outer layers of your skin called capillaries. A burst of cold water at the end of your shower can quickly shrink capillaries, reducing redness.

4. Increase Your SPF

While your makeup and skincare products may contain SPF, it is probably not high enough to protect you from harmful UVA and UVB rays.  Spring brings more sunshine, something you’ll want to enjoy while fully protected from the damage it does to your skin cells. Use products with a higher sun protection factor in the spring and summer — 30 to 50 SPF is a good range.

I recommend my Solar Eclipse Matte or Solar Eclipse Riche sunscreen with tinted micronized titanium and zinc oxides to provide sun protection without the tick feel and white look of traditional zinc based sunscreen.

5. Drink More Water

With warmer weather, you’ll sweat more and the sun and heat will cause moisture to evaporate from your skin. Hydrate your skin from within by increasing your water intake, which carries nutrients and oxygen to your skin’s cells (and all the other cells in your body).

How much water is enough? You’ve likely heard “8 glasses per day,” but exactly how much is a “glass”? Also, is 8 glasses a day the right amount for every person regardless of age and body type?

Not necessarily. Eight glasses is a good goal, but Harvard Health suggests a different approach. Healthy individuals should drink 2 to 3 cups per hour awake, or more if sweating heavily. Consider a “cup” to be a measurable 8 ounces. So if you have a water bottle that holds 24 ounces, this could be consumed in two to three hours.

Look and Feel Better with Elizabeth Roche, MD

Helping people to look and feel younger and more vibrant is my passion. I’ve dedicated my career to offering a wide variety of services and products to patients who want smoother, firmer, and brighter looking skin no matter the season.

You can order any of my products and have them shipped directly to you by calling our office Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST at (201) 505-1020.