Winter Skin Care Over 40: What Experts Recommend Changing

Snow reflects up to 80 percent of UV light, and UV levels climb about 4 to 5 percent for every 1,000 feet of altitude. That is the winter exposure Basil Russo, founder of Bar Beauty Medical in Toronto, warns about when he tells clients to reapply sunscreen every two hours and to cover the tops of the ears and the hairline.

Rough, dull skin after 40 is a barrier problem, not a moisturizer problem.

"After the age of 40, the skin often becomes dry and dull, a condition that cooler weather can quickly exacerbate," said Kylee Kintis, a licensed aesthetician. "As the air loses humidity and moisture, it accelerates transepidermal water loss, causing the water inside your skin to evaporate into the atmosphere. This results not only in dry skin but can also weaken your skin barrier, cause inflammatory skin issues and accelerate aging."

Transepidermal water loss, or TEWL, is the rate at which water escapes the outermost layer of skin (the epidermis) into surrounding air. The colder and drier that air, the faster the escape, and the more the routines and products bought for warmer seasons underperform. Kintis said the swap starts at the sink: foaming cleansers give way to oil-based ones, because winter skin produces less oil than it did in spring and summer. "This is perfect for those needing to remove makeup, sunscreen or any dirt from the day," Kintis said. She also recommends adding a water-based serum to the winter cabinet.

What changes on the bathroom shelf?

Cream beats lotion in cold weather, and the label matters more than the texture. Russo suggests the SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 cream, $155.

"The fats in your skin's barrier are ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids, so it helps to look for all three on the label," Russo said. "This SkinCeuticals one has all three, with twice as much cholesterol as ceramides."

Those three lipids are the structural components of the barrier that cold, dry air degrades. A cream with all three on the label, in a richer base than a lotion, addresses the loss rather than masking it with more layers of moisturizer.

What does this change for a ski trip?

Sunscreen stays on the winter checklist, and snow turns a ski trip into a two-direction exposure: rays arrive from above and reflect from below.

"Ski trips are where winter sun catches people out. Snow reflects up to 80 percent of UV light, so it hits you from below as well, and UV goes up about 4 to 5 percent for every 1,000 feet of altitude. Reapply every two hours and don't miss the tops of your ears or your hairline," Russo said.

How should actives be dosed in winter?

Kintis recommends focusing on a short list of actives, since the goal is penetration without irritation:

• Antioxidants
• Vitamin C
• Retinoids
• Peptides

Exfoliation is the delivery mechanism, because it allows those actives to penetrate effectively. Too much of it, stacked on top of retinol, produces dryness in air that is already drawing water out of the skin.

"Since the winter air is already causing this, you may want to scale back how often you use these ingredients," Kintis said. "Try using an exfoliator just one to two times per week. You can also switch your exfoliator to one that leaves a more hydrated, soft feel to the skin. In winter, a retinol formulated to help prevent dryness and irritation is a great way to get all the good benefits without the negative effects."

Anyone on a prescription retinoid should ask the prescriber before changing anything in the routine. For the over-the-counter version, Russo advises a reaction-based schedule rather than a fixed one. "With an over-the-counter retinol, if your face starts flaking once the heat comes on, stop for a few days until it calms down, then go back every other night," Russo added.

Does indoor heat undo the routine?

Central heating strips the last of the humidity. Kintis recommends a humidifier, timed to the hours when skin repairs itself.

"This can help your skin barrier recover rather than fighting off dehydration," Kintis said. "I love doing this at night when your skin naturally goes into repair mode while you sleep."

Two shelf swaps carry the season: an oil cleanser replaces a foaming one, and a cream replaces a lotion. Everything else — retinoid frequency, exfoliation cadence, sunscreen reapplication — gets paced by peeling, altitude and indoor heat rather than by the calendar.