THE most critical anti-aging device for winter skin
Here’s the problem – A common ingredient in some of the most popular skin-care products is hyaluronic acid (HA). HA is a humectant, and just one molecule of HA holds almost 1000 times its weight in water. While HA is on your face, it will suck water from the air to do its job, BUT it will also suck water from your skin if it isn’t getting it from the air.
Glycerin, another commonly used ingredient in skin-care and moisturizers is also a humectant, it pulls moisture from where it can. Again, if the air is dry, it will rob moisture from deep within the skin tissues and bring it to the surface. Humectants work great IF there’s some humidity in the air.
So if the air is dry, in the short-term, the skin ‘feels’ soft and will look ‘dewy’ , but in the long term – your skin is being robbed, literally.
I can feel the moisture being sucked out of my skin the minute I turn my home furnace on. This is when I clean off my bedside table and place my humidifier beside my bed. During the winter I sleep with the white noise of a cheap $25 humidifier I purchased at Aldi. The humble humidifier is THE device you should be using daily and I advise you not to spend too much. Many expensive ones have failed me and the cheap ones have done a great job.
Skin contains over 60% water and water is what it wants! Spend away on every new serum out there, but nothing else is going to fix dehydrated skin if it isn’t getting its most essential nutrient -water.
Skin needs moisture to regenerate. In medicine, we don’t let wounds dry out and then expect proper healing and good skin health. Moisture is key to all effective skin rejuvenation.
Even if you have a humidifier that is part of your HVAC system, it isn’t enough. I pour a good half gallon (2 liters) of water into my bedside humidifier every night. Unless you live beside the ocean, in a humid area, or in a tropical forest, a humidifier on your nightstand is an anti-aging skin-care essential.
We’ve all watched the carrots and cilantro get watered in a fine mist spray in the produce section. Even vegetables have a longer shelf-life with extra humidity.
Your bedroom windows will probably end up with condensation on them. I use a 3M window shrink-wrap on mine to avoid this, a popular trick we do during a Minnesota winter.
Perhaps your partner doesn’t like white noise or having a humidifier in the room. There’s always ear plugs or the sofa… I don’t know about your partner, but giving your skin the one thing it wants – it will love you back.
