By Cassie Brewer

When the weather is hot or cold, it doesn’t just affect your wardrobe choices - it also has an impact on your skin. All you really need are a few tweaks to your skincare routine to get you in sync with the unpredictable weather.

Do you suffer from dry skin in winter and annoying breakouts in summer? There are easy ways to prevent seasonal skin problems that could strike. Here’s a quick guide to stepping out with a confident skin in any weather.

Spring

When spring rolls around, there’s a boost in your step and - what’s that, a blemish? Eek! Don’t let bad skin get you down! Start revealing brighter skin by applying your cleanser in upward circular motions every day. This gives your pores a deeper cleaning, getting rid of dirt and bacteria that can lead to pimples.

Mitigate any dryness left over from the winter by exfoliating your skin regularly so that you get rid of dead skin cells. Keep your products gentle, though. Soothing ingredients such as lactic acid and retinol will slough away old skin when you exfoliate. This way, other skin products you use will be more efficient. In addition, these ingredients also work well as brighteners if you want to get rid of dark spots from acne scars and the like.

Summer

Profuse sweating might reoccur when you return to your outdoor exercise routine, or enjoy the glorious sunshine during the summer months. Choose skincare products that are oil-free to prevent any pimples from striking. If you suffer from shiny skin, make sure you choose a cleanser that contains sulfur. This also targets more intense skin conditions that cause redness, such as rosacea.

A common symptom of the warm weather and the heat from the sun’s rays, is a flushed face. It isn’t quite rosacea, but it’s irritating, distracting, and unpleasant. If you experience flushed skin, try an easy home remedy you can follow to tackle the problem. Simply soak a cloth in icy water and then place it on your neck for a few minutes. It will help to make the blood circulating to the face much cooler, decreasing redness in the process.

Autumn

As winter is getting ready to rear it’s freezing, icy head, the air starts to become drier in autumn.The result? Skin lacks the hydration it needs to look youthful and healthy. Start using moisturizer on sensitive skin areas, such as lips and hands, to prevent cracks. Elbows, knees, and other places that you may individually experience dryness, should be well-lotioned too - partiuclarly after showering, to keep the moisture in!

Now's the time to make the switch from light serums or gels to thicker, creamier lotions so that you can give your skin extra nourishment. You should also stop using products that have fragrance as they can dry out your skin even more.

Winter

When the air is icy, you’ll be retreating indoors. While a good benefit of winter skin is the increased amount of time spent indoors (bye bye, UV rays!) it is important to remember you can get sunburned, and increase the chances of developing skin cancer, even in the winter. So when you do brave the cold, use sunscreen on what little skin is exposed.

The biggest issue we all face during these months is the worst, most insidious, difficult dryness we could possibly image. This is when knuckles crack, lips bleed, and some of us get patches of skin that feel almost like sandpaper. Don’t accept this as an inevitable - plump up your skin and allow it to repair itself with by doing to things: Moisturing, and exfoliating. Smoother skin can be achieved by using lotions that contain salicylic acid, exfoliates dead skin cells while decreasing the appearance of bumps on the skin that can form when the skin is too dry. Another good ingredient to add to your skincare routine is lactic acid. It moisturizes skin while exfoliating it.

With the above tips, you don’t have to let a bit of a change in the weather result in less fabulous skin. Go on and glow all year round!

Images courtesy of Shuttstock.com