Orlando Dermatology Center: Winter Acne Treatments

Getting acne treatments done at our state-of-the-art clinics in Orlando, Florida has many benefits, especially during the changing temperature of Florida’s winter months. Your skin may be feeling a bit bi-polar during the volatile swings of Florida’s winters. Cold weather can cause dry skin and more outbreaks. Since your skin stands between you and the outside world, adjusting your skincare routine to accommodate seasonal conditions goes a long way toward maintaining youthful, vibrant skin that glows from the inside out all year round.

Here’s how Dr. Vitaly Blatnoy from Orlando Dermatology Center recommends you prepare:

Moisturize!

During the summer, the humid Florida air reduces the need for heavy moisturizers, but when winter ushers in drier air, you might need to step in to ensure that your skin is getting the moisture it needs.

If you have naturally oily skin, it’s best to stick with light, water-based moisturizers that don’t clog your pores. If, however, you have normal or dry skin, winter is the time to ramp up your moisturizing efforts. During the day, you may still only need water-based moisturizers, but if you’re feeling any tightness in your skin, we suggest you turn to oil-based products that help attract and lock in moisture overnight. Look for products that contain:

• Hyaluronic acid
• Dimethicone
• Glycerin
• Mineral oil
• Petrolatum

By applying the lotion before you go to bed, you allow your skin to reap the full moisturizing benefits while you sleep.

The Winter Sun

While winter brings with it shorter days and a lower sun, it’s no time to let your sun protection efforts lapse — the winter sun can still damage your skin. Since we live in the Sunshine State and enjoy an average of 231 sunny days, residents of Orlando need to be especially vigilant about limiting their skin’s exposure to the sun, even in the winter.

To make your life easier, there are many products that do double duty in the form of moisturizers that contain SPF. At the Orlando Dermatology Center, we recommend an SPF (sun protection factor) rating of at least 15 or higher for the best protection against harmful ultraviolet A and B rays, more commonly referred to as UVA and UVB rays. To give you an idea of what’s behind the numbers, lotions with SPF 15 block 93% of harmful UVB rays while SPF 30 blocks 97%.

Healthy Lifestle

A healthy lifestyle and a good skin care regimen, coupled with a few preventative or corrective measures using the latest technologies, will help make your skin radiant.

Acne is one of the most common skin conditions our patients, and this comes as no surprise. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, acne is the most common skin condition in the U.S. that isn’t life-threatening. Characterized by small, red, raised bumps along the skin or solid, often painful lumps underneath the surface of the skin, acne is the chronic and long-term development of zits or pimples on the face, chest, back, shoulders, and/or neck. Our dermatologists typically classify acne into four different types:

• Papules: These blemishes are small, red, raised bumps that are a result of inflamed pores or infected hair follicles.
• Pustules: These are characterized by small red bumps that have little white tips to them filled with pus.
• Nodules: These acne spots are often large, red, painful lumps underneath the skin’s surface.
• Cysts: Cysts are the most severe form of acne characterized by painful, large lumps underneath the skin containing pus.