Expert Talk: Your One-Stop Autumn-Winter Skincare Guide From Paula’s Choice Founder, Paula Begoun

The Channel 46 got in touch with The Cosmetics Cop, American talk show radio host, author and businesswoman Paula Begoun, to discuss the smart skincare choices women can make during Autumn-Winter, because according to Paula’s Choice Skincare, keeping your skin healthy shouldn’t be a mystery! 

1. Does one need a specific change in skincare routine with the change of seasons?

It is a myth that you have to change your skincare routine based on a change of seasons. The only time you ever need to change or add products to your skincare routine is when your skin type or skin concerns change and that can happen at any time of the year. For many people who are taking great care of their skin with well-formulated gentle products, being diligent about wearing sunscreen, and protecting their skin from pollution have strengthened their skin’s ability to maintain hydration, fight ageing, and have even skin tone all year long. When you do these things it is rare you have to change products because of the season.

2. How can you hydrate & lock moisture based on your skin type?

The same ingredients are hydrating for all skin types such as hyaluronic acid, ceramides, glycerin, omega fatty acids, silicones, non-fragrant lightweight plant oils, and so on. Those ingredients never change because of your skin type rather what needs to be different is the texture of the product.

Think about it this way, salads are a great way to eat healthily but some people like it with other vegetables mixed in or tofu or salmon or use a low-fat salad dressing or just a little balsamic vinegar. What matters is that you are eating healthy salad. The same is true for skincare. What matters is that you apply the best hydrating ingredients and then you choose the texture of the product that feels best for your skin type.

1. Sensitive Skin: Avoid any products that contain anything that may irritate the skin, while this is really important for everyone it is especially true for someone with sensitive skin.
2. Normal Skin: Use hydrating products that have a lightweight lotion texture.
3. Dry Skin: Use creamy rich creamy textured moisturizers.
4. Oily Skin: Only apply products with a liquid or fluid texture, anything with a creamy or lotion texture will just make skin feel oilier.

3. Is it necessary to continue using sunscreen?

If you want to have healthy, young, glowing skin you must wear a sunscreen with SPF 30 or greater every day of your life, preferably from birth on. Research has shown that cumulative sun damage is not only responsible for premature ageing but it is now thought to be the trigger of other skin problems such as acne, rosacea, and sensitivity.

4. How can adding Vitamin C to your regimen help during the winter season?

Vitamin C is a very good skincare ingredient. When skin is balanced and hasn’t suffered cumulative sun and pollution damage it makes copious amounts of vitamin C, in fact, vitamin C is the most abundant natural antioxidant found in the skin. Unfortunately, because most people haven’t protected their skin from the sun and pollution, the skin can’t make enough vitamin C to be healthy. Giving skin back vitamin C helps restores the skin’s ability to ward off environmental assaults.

5. Can exfoliation damage skin? What’s a good weekly routine for exfoliation?

Exfoliation is a critically important step in skincare but only when you use the right type of gentle exfoliant. When you use a gentle leave-on exfoliant, the difference in the appearance and feel of your skin can improve overnight and continue improving. With consistent use, exfoliation will maintain the health and youthfulness of skin. But how you exfoliate is incredibly important because using the wrong exfoliant will end up hurting skin causing serious problems.

The reason everyone needs to exfoliate is because over time, due to unprotected sun exposure, pollution, age, and some skin disorders, skin can no longer exfoliate (shed dead skin cells) as it once did naturally when we were young. When skin can’t exfoliate normally on its own anymore, it causes a problematic build-up of dead layers of skin that can result in clogged pores, breakouts, increased dry or combination skin, make skin look and feel rough and dull, and impede skin’s ability to heal and repair itself. When you help skin shed those layers of built-up dead skin cells every day it makes almost every aspect of skin better.

Many people think using an abrasive scrub or a rough cleansing brush, or a loofah is the way to exfoliate the skin. But, those are truly terrible because they create micro-tears in the skin’s surface, which causes a litany of problems including collagen breakdown, redness, dehydration, and destroys skin’s protective barrier, so the skin becomes more susceptible to environmental damage. Gentle is the key for any skincare step, including exfoliation.

Another problem with using abrasive scrubs for exfoliation is they simply can’t reach where the layers of built-up dead skin reside. Scrubs can only impact the very surface of the skin. If the scrub is gentle, that may be good for cleansing, but it won’t help skin shed dead skin the way young skin does.

The absolute best way to exfoliate is by daily using a leave-on AHA exfoliant (such as glycolic or lactic acid) or a leave-on BHA exfoliant (which is only salicylic acid). When an AHA or BHA leave-on exfoliant is formulated without any irritating ingredients such as witch hazel, alcohol, fragrance,  or essential oils, the results can be amazing. Both AHAs and BHA minimize the appearance of wrinkles, clarify dull, uneven skin tone, improve skin discolouration, smooth rough skin, strengthen the skin’s barrier, reduce breakouts, unclog pores, and even hydrate the skin (yes, they increase hydration)! You can also try indulging in a rejuvenating fruit facial that provides exfoliation for your skin.

6. What’s a good day time and night time routine for skincare during Autumn-Winter?

Seasons are not a skin type. Your skin care routine should only be based on your skin type (oily, dry, combination, or normal skin) and what skin concerns you have (such as acne, wrinkles, skin discolourations, rosacea, or a rough, damaged barrier). There is not a one size fits all skincare routine, rather you have to use products based on your skin type and skin concerns, not the weather.

7. How can you care for your lips to prevent chapping and overdrying during Autumn-Winter? 

Many people struggle with dry lips all year long, not just autumn and winter. Typically dry lips are worse in an arid environment but they can be a problem anywhere. The only way to prevent chapped lips is to apply a rich, extremely emollient lip balm that doesn’t have a waxy feel and doesn’t contain any irritating ingredients like essential oils, fragrance, or mint every single night! During the day you can either use the same emollient lip balm or you can apply an emollient lipstick and be sure to reapply it when it wears off. It’s easy to forget that lips need skincare too day and night all year long. If you follow this routine 365 days a year you will never have chapped lips again.

8. How can you deal with dry and scaly skin in patches during Autumn-Winter?

Following a great skincare routine for your skin type is critically important but the best product type for rough dry skin is a gentle leave-on AHA or BHA exfoliant. All the benefits I mentioned above can literally happen overnight when you are using the right gentle exfoliant every day.  

9.  Can you give 3 expert tips for Autumn-Winter skincare?

Any time of the year you must do the following if you hope to have the skin you want:

1. Every day of your life wear sunscreen with an SPF 30 or greater.
2. Never use products that contain irritants such as denatured alcohol, witch hazel, mint, essential oils, fragrance, or abrasive scrubs; they all damage skin’s surface and increase moisture loss and impede skin’s ability to ward off environmental damage. Don’t use hot water to cleanse your skin which is extremely dry and irritating. 
3. Never use a skin cleanser that leaves skin feeling dry or tight. The worst cleansers for skin are bar soaps or bar cleansers because they are drying and the ingredients that create the bar form are drying and can leave a dull film on the skin.