A simple guide to spring skin care: what to do in the salon and what to do at home

It shines through the window at some treacherous angle, highlighting in the mirror every flake, every grayish shadow, and the fact that I've spent the last few months in strict energy-saving mode somewhere between a heater and a heavy down jacket. I just want to wash off this imprint of the long winter on my face, like yesterday's makeup, informs Ukr.Media.

Cleaning

We all accumulate a fair amount of dead skin over the winter. These dead skin cells make our skin look dull, our creams absorb less easily, and our foundation glides on. But the key word here is softness.

At the beautician's office: I usually ask for ultrasonic cleaning. An alternative is light peelings like almond or milk. You leave the clinic not with a red spot that plans to peel off in front of your colleagues for a week, but a normal person with a smooth face.

At home: I sincerely hope that you have long since thrown away the aggressive scrubs with apricot pits that injured us in the zero years. Enzyme powder does the same thing, but intelligently. Once or twice a week, rub a pinch of this powder in your palms – and your skin will breathe again, without any scratches.

Let the skin drink

The heating and heaters have drained us of all our energy. Hence the small wrinkles from dehydration that seemed to have never existed in October.

In the beautician's office: if you're not afraid of needles, biorevitalization is a classic. Yes, for a couple of days you'll have to walk around in papules like an exotic frog, but then microdoses of hyaluronic acid from the inside will straighten your face as if you've slept for eight hours and haven't read the news. For those who don't like injections, there's a course of massages with good masks. It's also a legal way to just lie in silence for an hour while someone else works on your face.

At home: winter cream, thick and oily can be hidden in a dark corner. Let's move on to light textures – fluids or gels. Look for ceramides and hyaluronic acid in the composition. The skin no longer needs to be protected from the blizzard, it just needs water.

The main rule of spring is Protection!

The March and April sun pretends to be gentle, but right now is the easiest time to get pigmentation that will take years to remove.

What to do: A jar of SPF 30 or higher should move to the front of your shelf today. Just apply it every morning before going outside. It's the most boring, cheapest, and yet the only really working anti-aging routine that humanity has ever invented.

Body care

Now the Instagram feed will start throwing up ideas about losing weight for summer and total transformations. Let's just get rid of our bodies – they honestly warmed us and carried us all this long winter.

At the beautician's office: Sign up for a lymphatic drainage massage — machine-based (LPG or Endosphere) or a good manual one. It's simply a way to get rid of excess fluid and swelling from months of inactivity. It feels like you've lifted a heavy backpack off your shoulders.

At home: A natural-bristled brush for dry massage. I'm not going to lie, it won't dissolve cellulite or stimulate new collagen. But five minutes of dry brushing from heels to heart before your morning shower works better than a strong coffee. It exfoliates, gets your blood circulating faster, and visually tightens your body. And after the shower, just apply your favorite lotion liberally.

What you absolutely CANNOT do in spring:

Medium and deep chemical peels, as well as aggressive laser resurfacing (like the ablative CO2 laser) are officially on hiatus until late fall. The sun is already too active to risk getting covered in dark spots.

If you really want to do something hardware-based, look for an adequate doctor who works with non-ablative lasers (they don't remove the top layer of skin) and all-season acids. And get ready to apply SPF 50+ maniacally as if your life depends on it.

And one more, boring, but mandatory rule (instead of a disclaimer):

I am happy to share my experience and proven routine with you, but let's not forget: this text is friendly advice, not a medical prescription. Our faces survived the winter in different ways, and what works perfectly for me may not suit your skin at all. Therefore, before turning into an “exotic frog” in the beautician’s office or testing new creams at home, talk to your dermatologist or beautician. You only have one skin – love it and don’t experiment without professional supervision.

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