When deprived of sunshine, skin can often become dull. Help your skin to recover its radiance as the weather turns chilly. By Dr Catherine de Goursac
During the summer months, skin can become damaged by the sun’s UV rays, even when well protected. The surface of the epidermis dries out and the deep skin cells become fragile. Here are some solutions to combat this damage.
Nutrition
To improve your complexion, fill your diet with colourful fruit and vegetables. Bursting with antioxidants, they fight cell oxidation from the inside and will help your skin cells to repair themselves. Onion squash, carrots, tomatoes, blackcurrants, blueberries and grapes are your skin’s best friends, while cereals and vegetables provide skin-loving B vitamins.
To help skin renewal, you should also eat good quality proteins that can be found in poultry and small fish.
Cosmetics
To smooth your complexion, there is nothing better than a good exfoliating treatment once or twice a week. Choose a creamy product with microbeads if your skin is normal to oily, and an enzyme-based product if it is sensitive. Exfoliation gets rid of the dead skin cells that dull the complexion. After rinsing off the exfoliator, apply a hydrating mask and leave for fifteen to twenty minutes. Massage gently to help the product penetrate fully before removing the surplus with a tissue.
If you want to make your tan last longer, use one of the new self-tanning products on the market, which will gradually brighten your complexion in a natural-looking way.
Aesthetic medicine
To revitalise the skin, consider a meso-needling treatment. This innovative procedure uses a medical roller fitted with hundreds of millimetre-long micro-needles. The practitioner applies regenerating active ingredients to the skin before using the roller, which helps them to penetrate the skin’s surface. Wrinkles are smoothed, the skin is plumped and more radiant. For optimum results, book three sessions, spaced two weeks apart.
If the idea of hundreds of needles puts you off, opt for a light TCA peel followed by an LED session. Trichloroacetic acid peels are well-known for their exfoliating and regenerating properties. Perfect for brightening a dull complexion and erasing light pigmentation marks, they burn the surface of the epidermis and get rid of dead skin cells, which stimulates cell renewal. Light TCA peels require no downtime. Depending on the results achieved and the desired effect, the peel can be repeated once or even twice, leaving a month in between treatments. LEDs promote skin healing and regeneration after a peel. Ideally, you should have both treatments combined in one session.
If you are seeking an even gentler solution, I recommend radiofrequency sessions using a vacuum, which heats the deep dermal tissue without damaging the epidermis. The vacuum enables the radiofrequency waves to penetrate even deeper while stimulating the surface tissues.
Dr Catherine de Goursac: A pioneer in aesthetic medicine, Dr De Goursac is a member of the board of directors of the French Association of Morpho-Aesthetic Medicine (AFME) and the Federation of Aesthetic and Anti-Aging Doctors (FSMEA). Author of various scientific publications for the general public, including “Tu as bonne mine ce matin” (You look good this morning), “La médecine anti-âge” (Anti-aging medicine) and “L’esthétique au masculin” (Aesthetics for men).
