The harsh weather will take it's toll on your skin
Skiing is a fun sport that leaves you feeling refreshed, but the harsh weather can take its toll on your skin.
With the help of Tina Richards, we have created the ultimate guide on the essentials you'll need whilst taking to the slopes.
Sun cream: The combination of the glaring white snow and a higher altitude makes skiers and snowboarders highly susceptible to sunburn. Experts estimate that an incredible 85% of the sun's rays are reflected back and also the higher the altitude, the more sunshine is present. So it is easy to burn areas around the nose and the ears in particular when up the mountain.
Burns acquired while skiing can be far more intense and painful than the typical summer sunburn and you can get UV damage from the sun which can lead to skin cancer as well as wrinkles. You should wear a sun cream of at least SPF30 to prevent this. Given that most of us only wear half the amount of sun cream needed, remember that the optimum dose is a large pea size for the face.
You should ideally choose a waterproof and sweat-proof cream and regularly reapply to ensure you prevent burns. Don’t forget to cover areas on the face that could be exposed after taking off and hats, goggles and hair bands. Plus the delicate skin around the eyes is prone to UV damage. Use a mineral only based sunscreen around the eye area (chemical sunscreens will sting and burn your eyes) containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. I like Suntegrity All Natural Moisturizing Face Protection SPF30 which is also good as a lip balm and hand cream.
Lip balm: You will also need to find a high SPF lip balm to not only prevent your lips becoming too dry, chapped and crack but sunburnt too. More products are coming onto the market now.
Hand cream: At low temperatures and high wind situations is when your hands become dry – even if you are wearing gloves most of the time. So be sure to look for a non-greasy ultra-hydrating hand cream otherwise your hands could also be at risk of becoming cracked and chapped.
Sunglasses and goggles: Eyes can become sunburnt too! Yes believe it or not, this can actually result in scarring in bad cases and takes more than 48 hours for the eyes to heal. Don’t leave the chalet without goggles or sunglasses which block out the UV rays and help prevent blindness from the snow too.
Relaxing bath: After a long hard day skiing, it’s a good idea to relax the muscles so that they are ready for the next day so take a soak in the bath with an emollient body wash product such as Dove Triple Moisturising Body Wash £2.99, Cetaphil Restoraderm Body Wash £15.99 or Balance Me Super Moisturising Body Wash £12.25.
Moisturiser: After your bath, massage in a therapeutic body oil or cream to further relax the muscles and moisturise the skin before you retire for the evening. You should look for a product that includes muscle warming essential oils like ginger, black pepper or marjoram. I like Cowshed’s Wild Cow Invigorating Body Lotion £18.00, Neals Yard Aromatic Massage Oil £11.65 or Pepperfit Relax Body Lotion £20.40.
Serum: At night use a serum loaded with antioxidants to mop up free radicals induced during the day in the sun. I like those that contain vitamin C or niacinamide as these brighten the skin and help to reduce pigmentation such as SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic serum £129.00, Medika8 C-Tetra Vitamin C Serum £34.00, or Total Vitamin Antioxidant Face Serum by Kate Somerville £61.00.
Diet: Eat foods high in vitamin C including grapefruit, peppers, berries and foods high in zinc such as nuts and seeds to boost your immune system because strong UV exposure at high altitudes is immune-suppressive leading to mouth cold sores and colds.
On the run up to your skiing trip ensure your diet includes plenty of essential fatty acids (nuts, ground seeds, avocadoes, oily fish, olive oil) to fortify the skin’s natural moisturising barrier before you expose your face to the cold.
If you follow all these guidelines, you shouldn’t have any problems whilst away skiing bar any on or off piste accidents!
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