Dermatologist's Best Winter Skincare Routine for Healthy, Hydrated Skin

Keep your skin healthy, hydrated, and glowing all winter long with board-certified dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe’s step-by-step guide to building a cold weather skincare routine. Dr. Bowe dives into the science of winter skincare, explaining the common challenges experienced when dealing with drier air and its impact on skin hydration. Learn how to tell the difference between dry and dehydrated skin, and how to effectively adapt your skincare routine to fit the colder months.

Dr. Bowe shares her top winter skincare product recommendations and how to choose the right formulation for your skin type (dry, sensitive, acne-prone, or oily skin) to help you create the best skincare routine.

Products mentioned:
A great dry-skin routine starts with a gentle, creamy cleanser to combat skin tightness. Look for skincare ingredients like niacinamide, ceramides, peptides, and hyaluronic acid. Dr. Bowe’s top recommended winter cleansers are budget-friendly yet effective drugstore selections:

La Roche Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Facial Cleanser

VaniCream Gentle Facial Cleanser

To help address dark spots and hyperpigmentation, Dr. Bowe explores the benefits of two key skincare ingredients, tranexamic acid and niacinamide, and reviews her most recommended dark spot correcting serums:
Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum

SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense Serum

For her morning winter skincare routine, Dr. Bowe’s two essential products are a vitamin C serum and a moisturizer.

Looking for the best moisturizer for winter skin and how to protect your skin barrier in the winter? Go for a deeply hydrating and nourishing barrier repairing cream and for more oily, acne prone skin, use a gel cream formula.

DWB Beauty Bowe Glowe Microbiome Nourishing Cream
Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream Hydrating Moisturizer

If your skin is feeling extra dry / dehydrated, or in need of more protection from the cold weather, add an additional layer of hydration to seal in moisture. Dr. Bowe explains how to pick between products that offer occlusive and semi-permeable barrier layers.

Cicaplast Baume B5 For Dry Skin Irritations
CeraVe Healing Ointment

Don’t forget to invest in a cool mist humidifier to combat negative effects of dry, indoor air from heaters during the winter.

Honeywell Cool Moisture Humidifier

Keep watching for Dr. Bowe’s expert dermatological advice on how to prevent dry skin during the winter, and gain product insights to help you tailor a cold weather skincare routine for your skin type.

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Disclaimer: This content and discussion will not replace your relationship with your own physician and is not personal medical advice.

[marilyncauffman]

How do you work in the brightening serum into skin cycling? How would you layer morning and night with the other skin cycling products/actives?

[pausang]

Hi Dr. Bowe, I hope you're doing well. I wanted to reach out regarding a skin concern I’ve been experiencing. Every time I apply tinted sunscreen over my moisturizer, I notice that it leaves a patchy, dry residue, even though I allow the moisturizer to fully absorb beforehand.
I’ve been using Tazarotene three times a week and prefer a lightweight moisturizer during the day to avoid the heaviness of thicker creams. However, I'm finding that the sunscreen application is not blending smoothly.

Could you kindly offer your advice or any recommendations to address this issue?

[Mm]

I want to know more about your hair Doctor 😍 how to take care of hair?

[natalienetanya]

You must have sensitive skin like me. You are speaking my language. I can't tolerate glycolic acid once a week while I'm using tretinoin 0.0.25% 4 times a week. I love moisturizers that sink deeply into the skin. I think I've found my YouTube Derm. Thanks for the recommendations even though they're expensive.

[myhottea]

Great video Dr. Bowe! Thank you! Does Bowe Golwe contain any ingredients derived from soy? Is it safe for sensitive/reactive skin?

[arond-ku]

Does your cleanser, toner, serum, treatment, moisturizer, and sunblock all need to contain ceramides, and niacinamides and hyaluronic acid in order to have a good skin care system? I think the majority of people are not using a cleanser as a stand alone product, and I don't see how it's moisturizing capabilities is relevant to it's function when the next 4 products you apply are all "moisturizers" on top of a dedicated moisturizer. I'm just getting into skin care trying to build my own system, and it's bizarre for me to see reviews where every product is rated by how good of a moister it is, instead of it's intended purpose.

[ainakunigelyte]

Dear Doctor, please please help me, I have been researching this for weeks... Can I layer Copper peptide serum (1%) with Matrixyl 3000 serum (8%) without the potential of them itneracting in some way and reducing their efficacy? ( I started worry about this after I read on Timeless skincare website that the don't recomment layering their MAtrixyl 3000 serum with their MAtrixyl Synthe 6 serum due to potential interaction between peptide signaling activities (headbang). I want to layer copper with MAtrixyl because they work in different ways. I don't want to alternate days because all research is done on ingredients used daily, so maybe they are not effective used every other day? Please please help, this drives me to agony:D

[deborah]

Hi what a wonderful skincare routine 😊 xx

[truedogwoman]

Numbuzin #5 vitamin concentrate serum is a more affordable product for antioxidants and brightening.

[sballantine]

WHERE IS THE LIST OF PRODUCTS COVERED IN THIS VIDEO??? All I see are products from your line. This is the first time I'm listening to one of your videos and it looks like it's probably going to be the last.