How to Tweak Your Skin-Care Routine for Fall, Depending on Your Skin Type

Every skin type would be smart to slather on sunscreen year-round.

What’s more, this lack of humidity means that people who found they could skip moisturizer in the summer suddenly need to start using one now — or step up to a heavier one.hat’s why for fall, the biggest adjustment will likely be to your moisturizing routine, no matter your skin type. Depending on if you’re oily, dry, or somewhere in between, you’ll be looking for a lotion (made with a large water content, making it a lightweight hydrator), cream (the next step), or an ointment (the strongest option).

If you abused your skin this summer [in terms of sun exposure] or now have bad breakouts from constant sweat and sunscreen application, then peeling off that top layer of skin with a treatment like a chemical peel or laser resurfacing can help try to reverse the damage.

For Oily Skin, Focus on Skin Care That Sops Up Sebum

There’s a lot of good news with the switch of the seasons: “Fall can be a great time for patients with oilier skin. They are at a lower risk of a breakout than during spring and summer. It’s almost like the environment is appropriately medicating their skin, which is a beautiful thing”. After washing with a gentle cleanser , he suggests applying a moisturizer containing hyaluronic acid, which acts as a humectant to attract water to skin, and can appropriately hydrate acne-prone complexions without prompting breakouts,

If You Have Dry Skin, Find a Rich Ointment

“Dry skin can change from a nuisance to a disaster during the fall,”. “As humidity levels drop, evaporation of water from the skin increases, and this can sneak up on people. Fall is ‘eczema season’ for this reason; dry skin cannot protect itself from factors causing inflammation, resulting in dry, cracked, irritated skin.

Still, there are several tweaks you can make to your routine to preserve your skin’s barrier in the autumn. Make sure you’re not damaging the epidermis (top layer) with your existing skin-care routine. If you’re still using a facial brush or scrub to cleanse skin, give them up now, says Hollmig. You should also make the switch to a thicker moisturizer, preferably an ointment like Aquaphor Healing Ointment.

For Managing Combination Skin, Adopt a Two-Pronged Approach

Combination skin types often notice that they have an oily T-zone with drier cheeks. What seems like a complexion challenge is actually straightforward.For combination skin, you’ll need to reach for two levels of moisturizer. Now that drier fall weather is here, your T-zone might be far less oily than it was in the summer, and you may be more willing to moisturize. In the T-zone area, apply a lightweight moisturizer (these are lotion-based, not creams) labeled noncomedogenic or none at all.

If You Have Signs of Aging, Bring Back Retinoids

Retinoids and retinols, vitamin A derivatives, have been the gold-standard in preventing fine lines and wrinkles because, as Harvard points out, they stimulate collagen production, the most commonly present protein in the skin that helps maintain its smooth texture, per the Cleveland Clinic.
Here’s the rub: Retinoids exfoliate the top layer of skin, and are known to increase sun sensitivity.
As long as your skin type allows (meaning: You don’t have exceptionally dry, eczema-prone skin), this is a good opportunity to bring back a retinoid in your nightly routine, like Skinbetter Science's AlphaRet Overnight Cream , which contains a combination retinoid and alpha hydroxy acid (AHA).