Of all the things you associate with winter, dry skin may top the negative side of the list. It sometimes seems like there’s not enough moisturizer in the world to get you through to next summer. As the effects of cold, dry air take a toll on your face, there are also questions about which cosmetic treatments may do more harm than good. Microdermabrasion procedures can often help to renew the skin on your face, but in winter, the process can irritate dry, dehydrated skin. Instead of refreshed, your skin could look run down. The team at Afzal Clinics recommends Hydrafacial®, a three-stage hydrodermabrasion process that cleans, exfoliates, and hydrates in a single treatment. The effects of winter on your face To call a Minnesota winter harsh is a bit of an understatement. Cold air can’t hold as much water vapor as warm air, so don’t be fooled when you hear about 60% humidity on a weather forecast. Warm that outside air up to room temperature and its water content plummets. A thin layer of oily sebum and dead skin cells makes up a barrier against toxins and pathogens in the environment. While this barrier usually keeps itself intact, the drying effects of low humidity interfere with its normal functions. Exposure to winter elements also takes a toll on the barrier. Enjoying a hot bath or shower to warm up can also damage this protective layer. Your individual skin conditions further affect the mix. All of this adds up to flakiness, rough patches, redness, itching, and cracked skin, symptoms that have you reaching for the jumbo-sized bottle of moisture at the pharmacy. Even then you might be fighting a losing battle as your pores clog with dried skin oils and accumulations of flaky skin. The Hydrafacial difference Instead of an abrasive facial treatment or one that burns skin layers like a chemical peel, Hydrafacial works through each of its stages with hydration. Instead of the sandblasting of dermabrasion processes, the Hydrafacial tool instead blasts your skin with moisture while clearing away exfoliated cells with a gentle vacuuming action. The vortex that generates at the tip of the Hydrafacial wand clears out clogged pores, displacing this natural waste with carefully chosen nourishing infusions. Your Hydrafacial treatment can be customized to your skin type and condition. Though Hydrafacial is noninvasive, it still penetrates deeply enough to stimulate collagen production in the middle skin layers while clearing pores, permitting the formation of a healthy new skin barrier. Depending on the particulars of your treatment, you may even notice that other skin issues like sun spots and fine lines start to vanish. The Hydrafacial process is so gentle, you can enjoy monthly treatments throughout the winter to keep dry skin at bay. It’s also an excellent service to add to your other cosmetic procedures. At Afzal Clinics, we’re Hydrafacial specialists. We can answer your questions and suggest the best combinations to match your skin’s wintertime needs. Make an appointment at the nearest of our offices in Woodbury, Edina, and Fridley, Minnesota, by phone or online, to learn more about the Hydrafacial advantages. Book now.
