DAILY SKINCARE ROUTINE

Morning

• Keep it cool. Skip scalding showers or baths for warm or tepid temps. Hot water can really dry and irritate your skin.

• Use simple ingredients.

That means a fragrance-free moisturising soap for sensitive skin (fragrances are bad news for skin). Also, you don’t need to soap everywhere every day, just stinky areas such as underarms.

• Towel off. Leave your body a little damp – leftover water locks in moisture. Then apply a cream or lotion everywhere but between your toes, which is prone to fungal infections.

Mirror check

• Cover your face with SPF 30 or higher to protect against sunburn. Reapply as needed.

• Pucker up. Protect your kisser, too. Use a petroleum jelly or shea butter-base lip balm with SPF 15 or higher.

• Give hands extra love. Use moisturising cream and gloves to protect those overexposed hands from wind and weather.

Daytime

• Apply again. And again. Frequent hand washing is so drying. Stash lotion or hand cream in your desk, purse or car and use it all day.

• Stay hydrated. Just like the rest of your organs, your skin needs water to function well. So make sure you carry a reusable water bottle and remember to fill it up frequently.

• Resist the itch. Scratching dry skin encourages infection. Instead, apply lotion made with aloe vera or shea butter.

• Manage your blood glucose.

High glucose levels make you lose fluids faster, which leads to dry skin and other issues such as blisters and rashes.

Evening

• Crank up a humidifier to add moisture to the air at home.

Before bed

• Moisturise feet. Dry, cracked heels are prone to infection – slather on cream.

• Check your entire body for cuts, sores and dry spots. Treat minor scrapes at home, but show deeper wounds to a health care provider. If dry skin persists beyond two weeks, call a dermatologist to make an appointment. ■