The Skin Nerd: Is your skin sensitive, red, or eczema-prone? Here's how to care for it

The winter season brings extreme, rapidly changing temperatures, as we move from indoors to outdoors to back inside again.
This time of year is all about hunkering down and getting cozy – and we crave the same kind of comfort for our complexions too! Skin that feels as soothed and content as a duvet day watching re-runs of Derry Girls couldn’t sound better as we battle the barrier sensitising combination of bracing winds and central heating. Winter is the prime time of year for skin to feel irritated, stripped, and in need of a big skincare cuddle – and luckily, there are lots of ingredients that can help!
The winter season brings extreme, rapidly changing temperatures, as we move from indoors to outdoors to back inside again. Wind can affect our skin’s barrier too. Combine this with possible disruption to sleep, increased alcohol intake and stress post festive season and it’s a recipe that will need some serious skin-soothing to sort out.
If you find your skin becoming redder the deeper that we get into winter, it could be a sign of an impaired skin barrier. A key function of the skin barrier is to help retain hydration whilst keeping any irritants out, but your barrier can become damaged from its interaction with harsh weather conditions at this time of the year.
Wintery weather isn’t the only reason for an impaired barrier though. If you’ve always had sensitive skin, then you were born with a little less tolerable skin, which can make it tricky sometimes when finding the correct routine. You can also get skin sensitisaton If you overuse certain skincare ingredients, which makes it more prone to inflammation due to a weakened skin barrier. An impaired skin barrier will function sub optimally, meaning that your skin will lose more moisture than it would normally, and subsequently, this dehydration can make your skin appear red and inflamed.
If you usually experience redness, you might notice more flare ups during cold spells. Likewise, if you suffer from rosacea, you may find that the quick changes from hot to cold as well as the exposure to dry indoor air as we warm up with our central heating all work to chip away at your skin barrier and leave you more red-faced.
Look to include vitamin C in your regime. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant which can calm redness and help to protect the skin from environmental stressors. Vitamin C helps to repair damaged capillaries and supports collagen synthesis. This is beneficial as collagen keeps our capillaries strong and when our capillaries are strong, we will see fewer damaged capillaries and less redness.
Topically, I recommend Skingredients Skin Protein Anti-Ageing Retinoid Serum, which is rich in vitamins A, C, and E – as well as containing a pro-collagen peptide, and a host of antioxidants, too.

You could also introduce Solgar Ester-C Plus 1000mg Vitamin C into your routine to address redness from the inside too.
Your skin can also overproduce oil as a response to a rapid change in temperature. When your skin becomes dehydrated, it naturally produces oil to attempt to counteract this. This overproduction of oil can then lead to congestion as the oil clogs the pores, leading to pesky breakouts.
Salicylic acid is ideal for addressing blemishes in the winter. This oil-soluble exfoliating acid has the ability to penetrate into the pores and dissolve any blockages that might lead to spots.

One of my top picks is Environ Sebu-Wash Gel Cleanser which contains salicylic acid alongside an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) and a beta-hydroxy acid (BHA). This refreshing face wash helps to unclog pores and remove surface oils without stripping the skin of essential moisture.
Steamy hot baths sound especially dreamy in the wintertime, but they can cause flare ups if you have eczema. Lower the risk of any irritation or itching by sticking to warm, rather than too hot baths and replenish the skin with a nourishing moisturiser when you get out. A humidifier can also help to keep your skin supple and hydrated.

This rich barrier balm contains the skin-native lipid (fat), ceramide NP to restore and soothe your winter worn complexion. It also contains avena sativa (oat) kernel extract - a clinically proven anti-irritant with antihistamine properties – perfect for applying to post-cleansed and serum’d skin which is prone to itchiness.
Apply this redness reducing serum after cleansing twice a day to protect and soothe a sore, sensitive complexion.
Infused with Avene’s iconic thermal spring water and Red-fruit extract and safflower oil to replenish the skin barrier, this mask works to boost radiance, suppleness and promote optimal hydration. Apply after your serums and leave on overnight for best results!