Top Irish skin expert Eavanna Breen, who is solely responsible for the fabulous skin of celebrities from Greg O’Shea to Samantha Mumba, hopes to remind the Irish public of the importance of preparing their skin for the cooler and often harsh autumn and winter conditions.
As we leave the summer sun behind and move into shorter days and wetter, colder weather, our skin is exposed to varying temperatures, humidity, wind and rain, placing undue stress on our skin’s delicate barrier. Considering this drastic change in weather, we must adjust our skincare routine to ensure our skin remains as healthy as possible, regardless of the weather. Eavanna Breen advises that now is the perfect time to rethink your skincare regime. Adjusting your skincare at this time of year will best prepare you for these environmental stresses that can seriously upset the balance of healthy skin.
As the temperature drops, the dry air pulls the moisture from our skin, upsetting the natural balance between oil and water. When these two are balanced, your skin will function well. However, when these levels are skewed, your skin’s barrier is weakened, wreaking havoc on your skin. Getting the correct dose of both moisture and lipids onto your skin and avoiding under or over-treating your skin is essential for maintaining a healthy skin barrier.
Founder of Akina Beauty and Laser Clinic, Eavanna Breen says: “I don’t think people are aware of how the weather changing can affect their skin, and very few Irish people change their skincare routines at all between summer and winter, the way they should. Cold weather affects our skin differently than the hotter summer weather, and many people neglect to prepare their skin, given that it is no longer sunny and warm. We must change the products we use and how we treat our skin to combat the various elements that come with the colder weather.”
“Maintaining the correct level of moisture in our skin to protect it from the drying cold weather will ensure your skin stays glowing throughout the autumn and winter months.”
When our skin is dry, people tend to over treat it with heavy moisturisers, in order to relieve the tight feeling in their skin. The problem with using these dense products is that our skin becomes dependent on the lipids provided by these moisturisers and doesn’t produce enough of its own to repair the damaged lipid barrier that is letting all the moisture in their skin out.
The renowned skincare and beauty guru has drafted her top 5 essential tips on how to prepare your skin for the harsher months ahead:
1. Book a facial and skin analysis
With a professional to determine the exact changes your skin and skincare regime needs.
Seeing an expert skin therapist, such as Eavanna Breen, is the best course of action you can take to ensure you know exactly what to do to maintain healthy skin. Eavanna and her expert team are available for skin consultations at Akina Beauty and Laser Clinic on Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2. They will work with you to find the perfect in-clinic treatments to maintain your optimum skin health, and they will also ensure you are using the perfect products for your individual skin’s needs at home.
Akina has a highly impressive skin reading system, developed in the world’s number one applied science institute in Germany. After the non-invasive skin-read, Eavanna and her team will have detailed knowledge of the most important elements of your skin, from your lipid levels to your moisture levels, allowing the team to best design the ideal skincare regime for you.
“The German personalised-skincare brand Skinmade uses artificial intelligence to develop skincare products specifically for your skin and your skin only. My clinic, Akina Beauty and Laser clinic on Dublin’s Leeson Street is Skinmade’s first Irish registered clinic. This brand helps you avoid over or under-treating your skin by taking the guesswork out. You can call in for a non-invasive ‘skin read’ that takes just five minutes. This reading system, combined with the brand’s industry-leading artificial intelligence, takes the data from your skin, translates it into a set of ingredients, freshly mixes up the formula and creates your personalised skincare products.”
“After this, your personalised products will be developed in Germany and sent straight to your door in as little as five days.”
2. Invest in a personalised moisturiser
To ensure you are getting the exact right dose of lipids and hydration for your skin.
“There are many different factors that determine your skin’s current condition and challenges, especially weather. Moisturisers are great against the dehydrating effects of winter. Keeping your skin hydrated is especially important because the dryness and stiffness of your skin during the cold months will make it susceptible to infections and outbreaks. The Skinmade Personalised Moisturiser ensures your skin is getting the exact right dose of lipids and hydration. It is possible to over-treat your skin just as much as it is to under-treat it, so take the guesswork out by getting a personalised skin test at Akina.”
3. Switching to the season-relevant cleanser.
If you have been using a gel cleanser it might be time to switch to an oil or cream-based cleanser.
Eavanna Breen states: “Our skin’s outer layer has an acid mantle that is made up of complex fluids and lipids (oils) that are secreted from the oil glands. This layer acts as a protector of the underlying layers of the skin while the naturally occurring bacteria help to maintain healthy skin.”
Eavanna explains: “When we cleanse our skin with harsh products or gel cleansers, we can upset that balance and take away some of the protection from the acid mantle. When your skin has an impaired acid mantle, it will be more vulnerable to damage, inflammation, and acne. It is crucial to get the balance right. A good oil cleanser is going to be the best option here for achieving a healthy lipid level. Overly ‘soapy’ or too-harsh cleansers often won’t allow this.”
4. Stay just as committed to daily sun protection.
Just because we are seeing less of the sun doesn’t mean that we don’t need to be protected from UV rays.
“It is essential to wear SPF daily, even when cloudy. The damaging UV rays can still penetrate the clouds and age the skin, so although the sun isn’t visible, it affects the skin. The sun’s UV rays penetrate the skin and reinforce old damage that might have happened years previously, even as a child. The skin remembers that damage and is constantly weakened by regular exposure to UV rays. It is a common misconception that darker skin types shouldn’t be concerned; everyone is at risk, even darker skin types.”
“There are only two occasions when you do not need to wear sunscreen:
1. Early in the day for no more than 15-20 mins to allow for vitamin D production. You don’t need to spend hours in the sun to produce enough vitamin D.
2. When it’s dark outside.”
“The best face sun protection product I have ever come across in my long career is the Protect & Care Sun Oil by applied science led, German skincare brand Skinmade. One little drop of this in the morning and you’re protected for 8 hours. The SPF 50 light oil provides long-lasting UVA and UVB protection. It is all packed full of the world’s strongest antioxidant, so not only is it providing complete protection, but it is also doing wonders for your skin.”
5. Introduce a serum.
The drop in humidity can cause your skin to become dry. Now is a good time to introduce a serum to use along with your moisturiser.
“I would advise looking for a high-performing serum that contains Hyaluronic Acid, Salicylic Acid, and Vitamin C. It delivers hydration, protects important natural oils in the skin, and strengthens the lipid barrier so it can better guard itself against the cold environment.”
Eavanna Breen and her expert team are available for skin consultations at Akina Beauty and Laser Clinic on Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 2.
