How do we protect our skin during the autumn and winter months?

We are leaving the sunny summer days behind. The melanin pigment, which causes our skin color to tan due to exposure to ultraviolet sun rays, actually emerges to prevent damage to the skin. The darkening of our skin color is, in a way, an indicator of the damage the sun has left on the skin.

Exposing the skin to the sun for long periods without using sunscreen with an adequate SPF protection factor breaks down collagen and elastin fibers in the skin, leading to photoaging. Dark spots on the skin, wrinkles, sagging, prominent blood vessels, uneven skin tone, dryness, and sensitivity are signs of photoaging.

In autumn, the arrival of cool breezes, rain, and changes in air temperature and humidity bring different needs for our skin. In autumn, while treating the damage caused by the sun during the summer months, we must also prepare our skin for the cooling, dry air and the cold winter months.

Specialist Doctor Elvan Elvan answered the question, 'What should we do to protect our skin in cold weather?'

First of all, of course, we need to use sunscreen creams with an SPF 30 protection factor in all seasons to prevent photoaging, regardless of whether we are outdoors or indoors.

We select the content, concentration, and frequency of application of chemical peeling according to the skin type and the needs of the skin. Chemical peeling is used in the treatment of acne, dark skin spots, melasma, and wrinkles; it ensures that the dead skin in the uppermost epidermis layer is peeled and shed within days, triggers the formation of new healthy cells, and thus prepares a healthy skin for other mesotherapy procedures.

Autumn is the best time for these procedures. Chemical peeling can be applied as light, medium, or deep depending on the condition of the skin. 1-2 weeks after the chemical peeling procedure, applications with mesotherapy, lasers, and energy-based devices can be started.

Mesotherapy is one of the most effective and reliable methods that we can apply in every season.

In mesotherapy, by using very thin and short needles to inject serum cocktails containing amino acids, peptides, vitamins such as Vitamin C, minerals, hyaluronic acid, and Salmon DNA into the 1-4 mm depth of the skin (the middle dermis layer), we can treat skin spots in 4-6 sessions.

These serums, which we mostly apply to the face, neck, décolleté area, and the back of the hands, protect our skin from oxidative stress and environmental toxic effects; by increasing collagen and elastin production, they allow us to achieve firm, pore-reduced, acne-free, bright, soft, smooth, luminous, and healthy skin.

We also frequently use the method called PRP, which is platelet-rich plasma obtained by taking the person's own blood into a special tube and separating it in a special device, in skin rejuvenation and spot treatments due to the rich growth factors it contains.

PRP injections, which we apply to the skin via the mesotherapy injection method, also increase the effectiveness of all other applications. PRP can be applied alone in 3-4 sessions at intervals of 10-15 days. PRP can also be applied alternately and in combination with other mesotherapy methods.

Plant Stem Cell treatments, which I also apply in 3-4 sessions using the mesotherapy method, are quite effective in skin rejuvenation and spot treatment.

Youth vaccines are ready-made products that contain amino acids, which are the basic building blocks of the skin, peptides, and high doses of non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid. We can apply youth vaccines to the suspensory ligaments on the face for 3 sessions to benefit from the lifting and face-tightening effect, as well as to the entire face, neck, décolleté area, and hands. Youth vaccines are a good alternative, especially for clients who do not want fillers.

Youth vaccines, which we safely apply during these months, provide moisture and brightness to the skin from the inside for months; by increasing collagen and elastin production in the skin, they reduce wrinkles, rejuvenate and tighten the skin, and are also effective in the treatment of spots on the skin.

Another treatment that can be applied during these months and gives pleasing results is the MICRONEEDLING (DERMAPEN) application.

In this method, which is quite successful in the fields of acne, acne scars, oily skin, shrinking pores, reducing skin wrinkles, scar, stretch mark, and spot treatment, we create damage by opening many micro-holes in the skin with a special device and activate the skin's repair mechanisms. The microneedling method, which we can apply in 3-4 sessions with at least 10 days between them for every skin type, also increases the effectiveness of other mesotherapy and device applications.

If we want to say goodbye to chapped lips, lip vitamins that we apply into the lips via the injection method will both provide moisture to our lips in the cold weather that awaits us and give them a healthy, natural color.

For neck rejuvenation, mesotherapy can also be applied using enzymatic serums, skin-renewing serums, and youth vaccines, lasting 4-6 sessions.

When mesotherapy, PRP, stem cell, chemical peeling, and microneedling methods are applied for skin spots, using medical serums and creams that lighten skin spots, which we recommend for home use, will increase the effectiveness and permanence of these treatments.

For those who are afraid of needles, methods such as needle-free mesotherapy and satin lifting are also available. These methods, which can be applied in 3-4 sessions for skin tightening, scar, spot, and fine wrinkle treatment, must be supported with home maintenance products.

Here, I would like to touch upon the difference between Botox and mesotherapy.

Botox is injected into the muscle and is a treatment aimed at temporarily stopping mimic muscle movements. In mesotherapy, however, serums are injected into the skin. Also, mesotherapy is not a filler, meaning it cannot replace the volume lost in or under the skin.

The number and intervals of applications in mesotherapy vary according to the products used, the concentration of the products, and the individual. The number of sessions can be 4-6 sessions depending on the condition of the skin and the desired results. When maintenance treatments are performed every 6 months, its effect continues for years.