Winter is coming! Here are some tips to prepare your skin.

What products and / or treatments work well for people who suffer from eczema in the winter time?

Chronic eczema can be very tricky to treat completely, but to decrease symptoms and itch that can sometimes accompany it, an excellent natural remedy is Veriditas Botanicals essential oil blend called "Eczema Treatment". Applied 2-3 times daily with a thick salve, shea butter or olive oil on top can greatly improve this problem without the typical prescribed steroid creams that thin the skin and eventually stop working anyway.

Jill Schierholz

Aesthetician & skin care specialist.

Skin Savvy Inc. located at the Wayzata Medical Spa.

952-473-1111

What are some of the best ways to combat dry or chapped lips?

First of all...H to the 2-O!!! Hydration from the inside out is the very best way to prevent the problem in these desert dry months. Dry lips are one of the very first indicators that you are dehydrated. Listen to them!

Secondly, always keeping a barrier on those chops to keep the cold wind and elements that we're exposed to in the frigid weather away from that delicate skin. Look for names like lip butter, or protective balm. Even Aquaphor is wonderful. NO Chap-stick or Blistex! These have fiber glass derivatives that harm the lips rather then help.

How often should you be exfoliating your skin to get rid dead cells?

Generally, for normal skin types every other day is good. But when it comes to dry skin types, too much exfoliating strips that ever important layer of skin that can hold all important oils in, out of the skin that we very much need this time of year. To be sure you're exfoliating enough but not too much, use the Clarisonic brush once a day with the Delicate brush head and a gentle, creamy granular scrub with jojoba beads.

What are some of your favorite products for those who have excessive dry skin in the winter?

You may think thick, creamy lotions are the best, but they can only do so much to really get down deep into the skin, or retain enough water. An excellent pre moisturizer serum that pushes moisture deep down to lock in water in the dermis is Hydrating Complex from Skin Medica. Do this before moisturizer and then top with Skin Ceuticals Hydrating B5 mask before bed to douse skin with the ultimate moisture cocktail.

For us oily skinned guys & gals; what do you recommend to keep our skin hydrated while also controlling the oil?

Again, the Hydrating Complex! Light enough not to add oil, but moisturizing enough to prevent dehydration that can occur in the winter to even oily skin, which will then in turn cause your skin to produce more oil to compensate for the loss of moisture.

How often should you go in for a facial to maintain healthy glowing skin?

For a normal skin, about 8 weeks. Problematic, congested, or dry / dehydrated skin should be more consistently 4-6 weeks apart to keep skin more deeply cleansed and exfoliated which in turn prevents acne bacteria to produce, or dry, built up dead skin to block moisture retention.

What are some of the biggest mistakes people make in regards to their skin the winter?

One the hardest things on our skin during the winter is the exposure to the elements when it comes to wind and extreme cold. This stresses the blood vessels in the skin creating redness (and many times breaking the vessels) and stripping moisture. So not having enough moisture in the skin to protect, PLUS a scarf or high necked coat to block the harsh weather can cause a lot of aging and damage. 

Any other tips & advice for keeping our skin healthy in the winter time?

Besides all the above, one word, Sunblock. We think because it isn't summer anymore and not outside as much, we can forget about this step. The sun can actually be as strong as an August summer day (when the sun is at its peak strength) with the reflection of the sun on the snow. We've all been blinded by the sun when driving in the winter. With how hard it is on our eyes to see, think how hard it is on our skin as well! And all the "aging" UVA rays go right through glass. At least a daily SPF of 30 or higher to hold up all day is best.