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Gorgeous skin in the mountains!

Don’t Stress The Dryness - High Altitude Skin Help!

Skincare tips for combating mountain and high altitude effects on your skin to keep you looking fine!

This struggle is for real! High altitude skin care is an ever growing concern among many women who travel to ski resorts or live in high mountain towns. Even the lovely Gwyneth Paltrow featured high altitude beauty recently on Goop! Here at Alpinistas, we got you covered. The tips below will help you to have gorgeous skin on your next ski vacay or just living the usual everyday bad-ass mountain woman life.

Alpinista skin care

So really, what’s the deal? High-altitude is considered between 8,000 - 12,000 ft above sea level. Given that many US cities check in at or around this height or more, (oh heyyyy beautiful Colorado!) it is easy to be under the spell of high-altitude concerns if you are an Alpinista, or any other mountain sports or resort vacationing lover!

High altitude basically means less oxygen in the air than our sea-level friends. High-altitude air is extremely dry causing dehydration both inside and outside wreaking havoc on your face. The low humidity of high mountain air can leave your skin feeling itchy, sensitive and extra dry. It also can cause your skin to break out. Tack on winter with the lower temps and lower humidity and increase in the fireplace and forced air heat finding a worthy skincare routine that is up to task is more important than ever!

Wait, there is more….

Higher altitude leads to an increase in UV exposure. UV exposure is what damages your skin by causing collagen to break down and could also cause skin cancer. Yeah, accelerated aging of your skin!

Moisturizers that are amazing at sea level can tend to be ineffective at higher altitudes. You might experience a wonderful moisturizer proving totally ineffective, just about disappearing into your skin. That’s not just it, facing the elements requires a multi-layer action plan to support your skin with as much hydration as possible.

What’s a gal to do?

Well first, drink more water. Water has so many benefits but it is crucial to hydrate your inside and the increase in fluids will show in your skin. You know how shitty you look after a dehydrating night of drinking even at sea-level so imagine the look mountain high?

Next, tackle that beautiful face head on. The best plan is to target a layering system of all hyper-moisture focused products.

Cleanser

Find a nice oil cleanser that will breakdown makeup in the evening. If you haven’t explored oil cleansers then you have been missing out. They are effective, gentle and supportive of the skin and really do not break you out. If you are a fan of the double cleanse route then add on a gentle, non-foaming skin cleanser for the second cleanse and the morning wash. There isn’t any need for harsh face soap but a gentle exfoliant is a nice addition or find one that tackles two at the same time. Tata Harper makes a few great face cleansers, like the Regenerating Cleanser!!

Serum

A nice hydrating toner like the Herbivore Rose Hibiscus Coconut Water Hydrating Face Mist would be excellent to add in before a serum but if you want to skip ahead then feel free to. When choosing a serum, look for hyaluronic acid formulas. Skinmedica has a few really excellent options like the Hydrating Complex or Rejuvenating Hydrator. A serum is the powerhouse for your face so this is really where you should add to your skin care budget more-so than moisturizer. If you want to take it a step farther, look for a retinol version for nighttime. Sunday Riley makes a great nighttime oil with retinoic acid, double whammy. That leads me to.….

Oil

There is no other place mo betta than the mountains to start adding in an oil to your moisturizing plan. Josie Maran 100% Argan Oil is a great, lower priced option but I also use Sunday Riley’s oils! Juno is a fave!

The final skin prep step would be to jacket all of these hydrating layers in with a nice moisturizer. This will seal all of your hydrating work in for bouncy, soft skin. This is not where I would spend a ton of money. A great option would be Belif’s true Cream Moisturizing Bomb.

Sunscreen

Don’t forget a hat!

Don’t forget a hat!

What’s next before you get into your makeup routine, if you go that far, Sunscreen! Skin is so vulnerable to sun exposure. Save a step and find a great sunscreen that is also a moisturizer. Look for broad spectrum UV protection that saves your skin from harsh chemicals. I tend to prefer Shiseido sunscreens as there are a lot of great options for under makeup or tinted to use in place of foundation.

Get out There!

Add some sunglasses and an Alpinistas hat to shade your head and you’re straight on track to have amazing skin throughout you mountain adventures!