The skin on your face can suffer and feel quite uncomfortable in the wintertime and unfortunately as we age the problem seems to get worse. Caring for skin, particularly facial skin is vital during the wintertime. Men and women need protection from extreme temperatures, both the exposure to cold winds and rain, and the heat and dryness of fires and central heating.
How well (or badly) our skin ages depends mostly on genetics and skin type. 10% of skin ageing is intrinsic and we can look at our parents to see how we might appear in later life. Other factors which age skin are extrinsic and under our control such as exposure to sun and wind, smoking, alcohol, poor diet and lack of exercise. People who have looked after themselves usually have healthy skin, and look years younger than they actually are. All skin will eventually show some signs of ageing and will be subject to the forces of gravity. The two main components of the skin, collagen and elastin, decrease with age causing the skin to sag resulting in lines and wrinkles.
• Skin of a leathery texture.
Moisturising and feeding is essential for middle aged/ and older skin to replace natural oils that dry up as part of the ageing process and to help retain suppleness and a healthy glow. Also important is using creams and lotions containing SPF (sun protection factor) to reduce damage from sunlight. To keep the body hydrated and working efficiently try to drink 6-8 glasses of liquids a day to replace lost fluids. Remember water is the difference between the plump skin of a plum and the dry shrivelled skin of a prune – although it is the same fruit!