Tackle acne this winter with these expert-approved skincare hacks
Common skincare mistakes is over-cleansing and not moisturising enough.
Attend to winter acne by knowing your skin type.
__________________________________________________________________
For many, acne doesn't stick to any particular season.
Winter's cold and chilly air can have a major effect on skin. Whether you have oily, normal, dry or combination skin, breakouts can cause discomfort and can leave you feeling sensitive and insecure.
Eucerin dermatologist Dr Mamello Ntsele gives some insight into what causes acne breakouts in winter and how to control it.
How are we more prone to acne flare-ups in winter?
Acne can behave quite differently in winter because the skin is more prone to drying out. When the skin loses moisture, this can prompt the body to create more oil or sebum to compensate, which can cause clogged pores and, thus, breakouts.
@truelovemagazine
Pamela Mtanga shares her top winter skincare tip when it comes to dry feet. #pamelamtanga #winterskincaretips
♬ original sound - TRUELOVE
But it's not just the dry winter air that causes breakouts, physical health plays a role too.
Dr Mamello says, 'Dietary shifts in winter, when people tend to eat more comfort foods, can also contribute to breakouts as high-glycaemic foods are linked to more severe acne.'
Common winter skincare mistakes
Summer skincare routines won't cut it during the harsher, colder months. According to Dr Mamello, common skincare mistakes include over-cleansing, which strips the skin of its natural oils, using gel or foaming cleansers during dry seasons and not moisturising enough.
In winter, it's especially important to switch to richer creams with barrier-protecting and hydrating ingredients like ceramides, glycerine and hyaluronic acid. Another frequent oversight is skipping sunscreen, driven by the false belief that UV protection isn't necessary in colder months.
Know your skin type
Oily skin can break out more during the winter months because of dryer air. Combination skin types may also struggle, especially in the T-zone area - which is the forehead, nose and chin.
@truelovemagazine
#NomzamoMbatha is the ambassador for Neutragena. She shares 2 common skincare mistakes that people make. #skintok #beautytok
♬ original sound - TRUELOVE
Dr Mamello says, 'It's crucial to be aware of your skin requirements. So many factors like age, environment and routine play into the quality of your skin during wintertime. For example, teens generally have oilier skin and lightweight products are usually necessary even in winter.
'Men may also have acne flare-ups thanks to shaving and that may need to be taken into consideration. Hormonal acne can occur in young and perimenopausal women, and they may need hormonal therapy to get flare-ups under control.
'It's not about making your skin adapt, it's about adapting to your skin. Be conscious of your skin needs every day of the year.'
How to prioritise skincare and work with your skin
Maintaining a consistent beauty regimen is key to finding that winter glow. Dr Mamello points out the essential product application steps for effective skincare:
Step 1: Hydrating cleanser
Step 2: Hydrating serum
Step 3: Hydrating moisturiser
Step 4: Non-comedogenic moisturising sunscreen
Dr Mamello also recommends a gentle exfoliant.
'Exfoliation can be a great way to get rid of dead skin cells and prevent pores from getting clogged. However, it's important that this is done in a gentle and safe way.
'Exfoliation can be done once or twice a week depending on skin tolerance and should always be followed by the application of moisturisers,' she shares.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News24
5 hours ago
- News24
What is National Health Insurance?
The NHI is a policy aimed at providing universal healthcare access for all South Africans, funded through taxes. It establishes a single-funder system to deliver equitable, need-based healthcare, though concerns about affordability and implementation persist. National Health Insurance (NHI) is a health policy aimed at improving universal health coverage and ensuring that everyone in the country has access to quality healthcare in line with their needs and not their ability to pay for health care. What is NHI? The aim of introducing NHI is to ensure every South African has access to quality health care in line with their healthcare needs. The NHI service will be pre-funded by all taxpayers, so that no one pays the costs of what they need when they go to hospital, see a doctor, get medicine, have a diagnostic test or access any other healthcare service. There are many different models of NHI around the world, but generally it is defined as health insurance provided by a government entity and funded by taxes. Public and private sector providers are typically contracted to provide the services that the government entity funds. Healthcare policy since democracy NHI was initially the targeted health policy of the democratic government elected in 1994. It chose to pursue this policy by initially implementing social health insurance. Social health insurance means those who could afford to pay for private healthcare would do so through medical schemes, while those who could not afford it would access state healthcare facilities and only pay according to their means. Regulation of medical schemes was revised to prohibit discrimination on health status and ensure minimum benefits were provided to all members. In order to strengthen cross subsidisation, civil servants were obligated to belong to a scheme, the amalgamation of schemes was encouraged and plans were made to equalise the cost of providing benefits to all members through risk equalisation. It was envisaged that over time, NHI would be introduced with multiple funders, but a single risk equalisation fund. State healthcare facilities, however, remained overburdened and private healthcare became increasingly expensive. South Africa's healthcare spend, relative to other countries, does not match healthcare outcomes, as measured by life expectancy, burden of disease and other leading indicators, that other countries achieve. Renewed focus on NHI The ANC-led government revised its plans for implementing NHI in 2007. A green paper (draft policy) was produced in 2011 and a white paper (NHI policy) in 2015. In 2018 the first draft of the NHI Bill was published and it was tabled in parliament in 2019. The NHI bill was passed by parliament in late 2023 and President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Act into law in May 2024 without specifying an implementation date. The Act has since then been challenged in at least six court cases, two of which were combined for hearing and resulted in a High Court ruling in May 2025, compelling the president to release the full record of how he decided to sign the Act into law despite numerous objections to it. This case is now being appealed. Why the single-funder NHI model? The argument for choosing a single funder NHI system is that the government will become a powerful single purchaser able to bulk purchase healthcare services, drive prices down and ultimately pay for more benefits. There are, however, counter arguments that when there are multiple purchasers of healthcare services, as is the case when there are many medical schemes, there is more competition and innovation by providers. This aspect of the NHI Act is being challenged in court. Some of the legal challenges also point out that even with these efficiencies, NHI may be unaffordable in South Africa given the small tax base and recent lack of economic growth. How will NHI work in South Africa? The NHI Act provides for an NHI Fund to be established to pay for healthcare services for all South Africans and certain foreign nationals. The fund will be governed by a board which reports to parliament. The NHI Fund and the board account to the Minister of Health, who is also required to approve many aspects of the fund's work, including the approval of the benefit design. The fund will co-ordinate the work of a number of committees and units, including: A Benefits Advisory Committee to decide which healthcare services the fund will pay for including the setting in which services are provided and the treatment protocols for those services. A benefits pricing committee that will decide how and what to pay for those services each year. Alternative payment mechanisms will be negotiated, for example, an amount per person for a general practitioner to provide primary healthcare services to a certain number of people who sign up with that doctor. A unit that will accredit providers who can provide healthcare services and a contracting unit that will facilitate contracting with these accredited providers in both the public and private sectors. The performance of providers will also be monitored so that they can be paid in line with their performance in providing healthcare. A procurement unit that will decide what medical devices and other medical supplies to buy and from whom. A central registry of health records for all NHI users. The fund will also report on how NHI is impacting the health of the country. How will NHI be funded? The NHI Act states that the NHI Fund will obtain funding from a number of sources including: General tax revenue, including the amounts government already allocates to healthcare spending for the different provinces; The removal of medical scheme fees tax credits; A payroll tax (a percentage of an employer's wages and salaries) that employers and employees will pay, similar to the way that employees contribute to the Unemployment Insurance Fund; and An additional charge on individual taxpayer's personal income tax. The Act also provides for funding of medical expenses paid out by the Road Accident Fund, Compensation Fund for Occupational Diseases and Injury and the fund managed by the Compensation Commissioner for Occupational Diseases in Mines and Works to be redirected to the NHI fund. The removal of subsidies paid to government medical schemes (Goverment Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS), Polmed, Parmed, and so on) has also been included in the NHI White Paper, but is not explicitly mentioned in the NHI Act. What will NHI cost? Estimates on the cost of NHI were produced with the Green Paper in 2011, adjusted in the White Paper in 2015 and have not been updated since. The estimate in the White paper was that NHI would require an additional R256 billion for the healthcare budget by 2025. This was based on an economic growth rate of four percent which has not been achieved. The estimate apparently also does not take into account any deterioration in public health facilities since 2010, the failure to implement aspects of the National Health Act and the reforms that started with GEMS and the Medical Schemes Act in 1998. The cost estimate was done without any decisions on the benefits for which the fund would pay and this could have a material impact on the cost. The Act states that the NHI Board must advise the Minister of Health on the NHI fund's budget. The amount of revenue required will be determined based on the size of the population and the extent and cost of the health benefits to be provided. In order to direct funding to the NHI fund, parliament needs to pass what is known as a money bill. How will the NHI Fund be governed? The fund will be governed by a board and a chief executive officer who will be appointed by the Minister of Health in consultation with the Cabinet. The board will be made up of up to 11 publicly nominated people with relevant expertise and recommended by an advisory committee. They will serve a five-year term. The NHI Act gives the Minister of Health the power to make regulations, to issue directives and make technical decisions relating to the operation of the NHI Fund. The fund must be run in accordance with the Public Finance Management Act and the expenditure and reporting of the fund will be audited by the Auditor General. When will NHI be implemented? The President signed the NHI Act in 2024 without specifying when it would be implemented. The government and the healthcare industry have indicated that realistically it will take 10 to 15 years from signing, without considering any legal challenges. A set of draft regulations that have been published are expected to bring at least 20 of the NHI Act's 58 sections into effect, setting up the NHI Fund's Board and Committees, and appointing the chief executive officer. The Act provides for its implementation in two phases. In phase one, for a period of four years from 2023 to 2026, the fund must: Continue to strengthen the health system by aligning human resources that may be required by NHI users; Develop the National Health Insurance legislation and amendments to other legislation; Undertake initiatives aimed at establishing institutions required for the fund; Purchase health care services for vulnerable groups such as children, women, people with disabilities and the elderly; and Prepare for the establishment of the fund, including developing and implementing administrative and personnel related arrangements. In phase two, between 2026 and 2028: Strengthening of the healthcare system will continue. Additional resources will be mobilised. The fund will start contracting selectively with providers. The fund has begun contracting with providers in some pilot studies but is only set to start purchasing services for vulnerable groups such as children, women, people with disabilities and the elderly in 2028. This article was first published on an initiative by the Association for Savings and Investment South Africa (ASISA). News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 cannot be held liable for any investment decisions made based on the advice given by independent financial service providers. Under the ECT Act and to the fullest extent possible under the applicable law, News24 disclaims all responsibility or liability for any damages whatsoever resulting from the use of this site in any manner.
Condé Nast Traveler
7 hours ago
- Condé Nast Traveler
Inflammation Is the Latest Wellness Buzzword
In the ever-evolving landscape of wellness, inflammation has emerged as the latest term du jour. Once relegated to medical textbooks, it's now become a focal point in conversations about health, beauty, and longevity. But what does it truly mean, and why is it garnering such attention? Unlike the sharp, obvious kind of inflammation you get from a cut or a sprained ankle, chronic inflammation is subtle. It lingers in the background, quietly disrupting everything from energy levels to digestion, and has been linked to conditions like heart disease, anxiety, fatigue, and even premature aging. It's no wonder so many of us are now trying to get a handle on it—through what we eat, how we move, and with the skincare we use. Travel, too, can have a surprising impact on inflammation, both good and bad. On the one hand, the disruption to routine, jet lag, poor sleep, and processed airport food can spike cortisol levels and inflammatory markers in the body. Long-haul flights also reduce circulation, which can lead to swelling and fluid retention. On the flip side, travel can also reduce inflammation if it allows for rest, exposure to nature, movement, and time away from stress. Inflammation—and finding ways to mitigate it—is something I'm deeply invested in. I have an autoimmune issue called Hashimoto's, which means that I'm constantly looking for ways to lessen the inflammation in my body in order to reduce my symptoms like dry skin, eczema, hair loss, brain fog, crippling exhaustion, and many more. I've tried as many medically sound protocols and questionable TikTok hacks as I can handle, but I can't help thinking a more immersive approach might be necessary. Thankfully, I was invited to a one-off anti-inflammatory retreat at Palazzo Fiuggi. Set in the peaceful Italian hills of Fiuggi, just southeast of Rome, this exclusive wellness retreat has become a leader in anti-inflammatory wellness. Known for its science-backed, holistic approach, the retreat combines advanced medical testing with personalized therapies to help guests reduce chronic inflammation.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Can peptides really help erase wrinkles? Dermatologists weigh in
In you've shopped for any kind of skin care products over the past year, you've probably noticed peptides popping up everywhere. As the beauty world's trendiest, anti-aging ingredient du jour, these small chains of amino acids (which are the building blocks of proteins) are now present in everything from lip plumpers to hair-growth tonics. But experts say their most promising use is as part of an effective daily skin care routine, where research suggests they may in fact have a Botox-like effect on wrinkles by softening fine lines, building collagen and brightening and plumping wizened skin as they go. How do peptides work? "In skin care, peptides are used to mimic natural processes in the skin and encourage anti-aging effects like collagen production, skin repair and improv[ed] elasticity," says board-certified dermatologist and facial plastic surgeon Dr. Akshay Sanan. "As we age, collagen production declines, leading to wrinkles, sagging, and thinner skin. Signal peptides, like Matrixyl and copper peptides send messages to skin cells, essentially 'telling' them to produce more collagen, elastin and other structural proteins to keep the skin firm and plump." Sanan says peptides also strengthen the skin barrier, protecting against moisture loss and environmental damage. And, yes, "some peptides even have a 'Botox-like' effect by relaxing facial muscles and reducing the depth of wrinkles caused by repetitive movements," Sanan explains. Should you try peptides? Dermatologists I spoke with agreed that if you've reached an age when you're starting to spot wrinkles and collagen loss, it's worth adding peptides to your skin care regimen, if only for their plumping, moisturizing effects. In term of acting as a Botox-y wrinkle eraser, research suggests a quality peptide product will soften lines, though the result will be more subtle and less dramatic than that of a neurotoxin. "Collagen peptides do work to boost collagen production in the skin which may, over time, reduce the appearance of wrinkles," says Houston cosmetic surgeon Dr. Rukmini Rednam. What should I look for in a peptide serum? There are loads of types of peptides, but for the most bang for your skin care buck, experts recommend seeking out complexes with the most clinical data behind them, which essentially narrows things down to the Matrixyl 3000 blend and copper peptides. Both of which have some research to back up their claims, with benefits that include skin barrier support, wrinkle softening and complexion brightening. How should I use a peptide serum? Peptides are one of those skin care ingredients you can add to your routine both in the morning and at night. And, as is the case with any lighter-weight serum, for best absorption, these products should be applied after cleansing your face but before you slather on heavier creams like moisturizers and sunscreens. In terms of more detailed order of operations, you can combine peptides with vitamin C and layer them with retinoids, but most skin care experts say you shouldn't mix them with an exfoliating products. Our top 5 favorite peptide serums If you have Amazon Prime, you'll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.) The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
