Thursday, January 11, 2007
New ideas for protecting the face and nose during winter
New protective garments that I've been experimenting with recently have revolutionised what outdoor activities I can take part in during winter, especially long-distance hiking which previously I avoided like the plague during the colder months.
I wanted to share my experience for anyone else whose face and nose turn red and hurt during and after cold weather exposure.
I have learnt that you must physically protect the face from the cold and the wind with a fabric layer and that although still essential, a Zinc based skin protectant such as Linda Sy's Zinco (which I use daily) is not sufficient to fully protect the face and nose.
I recommend looking into the following.
(as per the rosacea blog manifesto – these are my own pesonal recommendations – I receive no payment for placements or links and I bought all the products with my own $$)
Polartec Balaclava. There are a number of makes of balaclava that use Polartec material. The one I've been wearing uses Polartec 100 material and is made in Canada... It
doesn't list a make on it. It is made of lightweight, soft Polartec fabric; thicker versions are available using Polartec 200 although I've not tried these myself.. I first read about polartec balaclavas on the rosacea support group.
I find it very comfortable next to my skin and I've tried a number of makes of balaclava over the years. It has a good size face-hole (through which eyes and upper nose are exposed – more on protecting the nose later), so looks nothing like as threatening as those with just eye holes... Different makes have different setups - e.g. nose covered / nose exposed, etc. I don't wear the balaclava around town - just in the outdoors. I don't consider balaclavas to be suitable for town wear because they can freak people out, which is a shame!
Summary: Soft, gentle fabric protects the face and neck from moderate cold and wind. Can be teamed up with a buff or neck-warmer (below) to protect nose and cheeks further.
Neck warmer / Buff. To protect my face and nose in past I've used a scarf tied around the back of my head and pulled up over my face and nose. While this
has worked reasonably well it has not been ideal, and I've struggled to find a scarf made of out material soft enough not to irritate my face.
This year I have discovered some interesting face protectors called "Buffs" – these protect the neck and can be pulled high enough to cover the entire face and nose (and just as easily pulled down again on entering a shop for example). I wear one while around town if the weather is bitter, and team it up with my Polartec balaclava if I'm out in the countryside.
These look reasonably stylish and I've seen a fair few people using them in the cold around town over the last couple of weeks too, so they're getting popular and there's no need to feel out of place wearing one! They feel much less conspicuous for town wear than balaclavas. There are a wide variety of styles and fittings. I actually tried one last winter and it was such a tight and uncomfortable fit I just gave up until I spotted one in an outdoor shop recently, so you may want to find an outdoor gear shop and try on different makes and styles rather than ordering online – or at least order a number of styles. They're not expensive and cost between £10-£25 ($15-$40).
I have tried a number of different neck warmers. The best I've found to be those by "buff", and I far prefer one that is made from thick fleecy material that I picked up in an outdoor shop called a "thermal pro combi buff" (also available in UK). This is made of soft material and has a toggle at the top that can be used to vary how tight it is. It can be adjusted to be loose fitting, which reduces irritation and any pressure points. Great piece of kit for protecting the neck and cheeks and nose. I have also noted that by protecting my neck and cheeks (i.e. without the buff fully pulled over the nose), it does still proffer benefits for the nose, presumably because the vascular system of the face is not a set of isolated components; e.g. chill affecting the neck and cheeks can show as pain and throbbing in the nose.
Summary: Neck-warmers that can be pulled up to protect the entire face and nose from the elements. Suitable for about-town wear!
I recently went on a walking weekend where temperatures hovered around 5C and wind gusts of up to 60mph were battering our faces. Wind chill must have been significant. Using the gear described above (balaclava plus wind-stopper buff pulled up over my cheeks and nose + hood up) my face was completely protected from the cold and wind. My companions weren't so lucky and I got a few envious looks and questions about what I was wearing.
Zinc Skincare protectant. I still use Linda Sy's ZincO daily on top of my favourite moisturiser. I believe that gentle cleansing, moisturising and topical Zinc usage are an essential daily routine during winter.
A future post will look at other skincare and lifestyle options for making winter more bearable for those with rosacea and ultra-sensitive facial skin! Keep checking back :-)
I wanted to share my experience for anyone else whose face and nose turn red and hurt during and after cold weather exposure.
I have learnt that you must physically protect the face from the cold and the wind with a fabric layer and that although still essential, a Zinc based skin protectant such as Linda Sy's Zinco (which I use daily) is not sufficient to fully protect the face and nose.
I recommend looking into the following.
(as per the rosacea blog manifesto – these are my own pesonal recommendations – I receive no payment for placements or links and I bought all the products with my own $$)
Polartec Balaclava. There are a number of makes of balaclava that use Polartec material. The one I've been wearing uses Polartec 100 material and is made in Canada... It
doesn't list a make on it. It is made of lightweight, soft Polartec fabric; thicker versions are available using Polartec 200 although I've not tried these myself.. I first read about polartec balaclavas on the rosacea support group.I find it very comfortable next to my skin and I've tried a number of makes of balaclava over the years. It has a good size face-hole (through which eyes and upper nose are exposed – more on protecting the nose later), so looks nothing like as threatening as those with just eye holes... Different makes have different setups - e.g. nose covered / nose exposed, etc. I don't wear the balaclava around town - just in the outdoors. I don't consider balaclavas to be suitable for town wear because they can freak people out, which is a shame!
Summary: Soft, gentle fabric protects the face and neck from moderate cold and wind. Can be teamed up with a buff or neck-warmer (below) to protect nose and cheeks further.
Neck warmer / Buff. To protect my face and nose in past I've used a scarf tied around the back of my head and pulled up over my face and nose. While this
has worked reasonably well it has not been ideal, and I've struggled to find a scarf made of out material soft enough not to irritate my face.This year I have discovered some interesting face protectors called "Buffs" – these protect the neck and can be pulled high enough to cover the entire face and nose (and just as easily pulled down again on entering a shop for example). I wear one while around town if the weather is bitter, and team it up with my Polartec balaclava if I'm out in the countryside.
These look reasonably stylish and I've seen a fair few people using them in the cold around town over the last couple of weeks too, so they're getting popular and there's no need to feel out of place wearing one! They feel much less conspicuous for town wear than balaclavas. There are a wide variety of styles and fittings. I actually tried one last winter and it was such a tight and uncomfortable fit I just gave up until I spotted one in an outdoor shop recently, so you may want to find an outdoor gear shop and try on different makes and styles rather than ordering online – or at least order a number of styles. They're not expensive and cost between £10-£25 ($15-$40).
I have tried a number of different neck warmers. The best I've found to be those by "buff", and I far prefer one that is made from thick fleecy material that I picked up in an outdoor shop called a "thermal pro combi buff" (also available in UK). This is made of soft material and has a toggle at the top that can be used to vary how tight it is. It can be adjusted to be loose fitting, which reduces irritation and any pressure points. Great piece of kit for protecting the neck and cheeks and nose. I have also noted that by protecting my neck and cheeks (i.e. without the buff fully pulled over the nose), it does still proffer benefits for the nose, presumably because the vascular system of the face is not a set of isolated components; e.g. chill affecting the neck and cheeks can show as pain and throbbing in the nose.
Summary: Neck-warmers that can be pulled up to protect the entire face and nose from the elements. Suitable for about-town wear!
I recently went on a walking weekend where temperatures hovered around 5C and wind gusts of up to 60mph were battering our faces. Wind chill must have been significant. Using the gear described above (balaclava plus wind-stopper buff pulled up over my cheeks and nose + hood up) my face was completely protected from the cold and wind. My companions weren't so lucky and I got a few envious looks and questions about what I was wearing.
Zinc Skincare protectant. I still use Linda Sy's ZincO daily on top of my favourite moisturiser. I believe that gentle cleansing, moisturising and topical Zinc usage are an essential daily routine during winter.
A future post will look at other skincare and lifestyle options for making winter more bearable for those with rosacea and ultra-sensitive facial skin! Keep checking back :-)
