high altitude skincare- why it's different a mile up?
What is high altitude? The vertical geographical elevation above sea level, typically 4,000 ft. or higher.
Some examples of high altitude places here in Colorado-
Denver 5,279 ft. above sea level
Colorado Springs 6,033 ft. above sea level
Woodland Park 8,465 ft. above sea level
Breckenridge 9,600 ft. above sea level
What happens to the body, organs & skin at high altitude? ⛰️
Low humidity, increased dryness & dehydration. Less oxygen, increased red blood cells because the body is trying to allow more oxygen to be carried to the tissues. You create an extra pint of blood living at high altitude. It's harder to breathe and to exercise. The barrier function of the skin is easily compromised due to TEWL (trans-epidermal water loss).
Common skin complaints I see are dryness, redness, flakiness, dehydrated surface, and premature aging due to UV induced photo- damage. Nosebleeds, headaches, chapped lips and cracked skin are common in this climate.
We also have 300 sunny days a year here, even in the cold winters, so the sun's rays have less atmosphere to travel through making it very easy for the skin to sunburn here. Especially in the snow, I see snow-burns all the time from the sun reflecting off the blinding white snow making people get a double UV blast reflecting off the ground. You need to wear a high spf factor all year here & reapply every 2 hours. Plus get your annual skin checks at the dermatologist for skin cancer prevention.
What are the specific ingredients your skin needs at high altitude? ⛰️
✔️Bioidentical Phospholipids & Glycolipids for barrier repair, calming, hydrating and soothing benefits to eliminate lipid dryness.. Other soothing ingredients for healing include Green Tea, Bisolobol, Snow Mushroom, Winter Cherry, Vitamin E, Coconut Oil, Lavender, Chamomile & Algae Extracts.
✔️Hyaluronic Acid to bind water to the skin 1000x it’s own weight for intensive hydration and trans-epidermal water-loss recovery.
✔️Corrective transformative ingredients: Retinol, gentle levels of AHA, BHA, Vitamin B & Vitamin C, Antioxidants, Peptides & Non-Toxic UV Protectors.
Courtney Parkhill Skincare was intentionally curated for this specific climate & skin concerns from the treatment room. Luxuriously effective for healthy, radiant skin. These products are specifically formulated for high altitude skin concerns:
Lavender Cleansing Lotion, Waterfall Quench Serum, Tidal Glow Drops, Radiant Peak Retinol, Cloud Bliss Barrier Soothe, Alpenglow Hydrator, Oceanic Glow Nutritive Cream, Moonrise Dream Cream, Glacial Soothe Oxygen Repair.
Visit courtneyparkhillskincare.com to shop Courtney’s Collection and rejuvenate your high altitude skin concerns.