How to Cure "Oklahoma Windburn" After a Weekend on the Water
Oklahomans don't let being landlocked stop them from enjoying the water. Between Lake Arcadia, Eufaula, Tenkiller, and Texoma, we spend our summer weekends on boats, jet skis, and paddleboards.
It is the perfect way to beat the heat, but it is also a recipe for total skin barrier destruction.
Even if you are diligent about reapplying your SPF 50 every two hours, the combination of intense UV reflection off the water and the relentless 30-mph Oklahoma wind strips your skin of every ounce of moisture. When you finally get home on Sunday evening, your face feels tight, red, and hot to the touch.
You have the dreaded "Oklahoma Windburn." Standard drugstore lotions will just sting when you apply them to this compromised barrier. If you want to soothe the heat and save your skin, you need professional intervention. Here is how KC Wellness rescues your skin after a wild weekend on the water.
Step 1: Cool the Fire with Red-Light Therapy
When your skin is windburned and sun-stressed, it is in a state of high inflammation. The very first thing we need to do is calm the cellular alarm bells.
We start by placing you under our Red-Light Therapy panels. The near-infrared wavelengths penetrate deep into the dermis without using any heat. This light acts as cellular fuel, triggering your mitochondria to produce ATP (energy). This massive energy boost rapidly reduces the redness, soothes the stinging sensation, and accelerates your body's natural healing process.
The Cost: It is just a $30.00 Add-On to any service, or you can use your Unlimited Monthly Membership ($175.00) to stop in as often as you need during the summer.
Step 2: Re-Hydrate with Diamond Glow
Once the inflammation is calmed, we have to repair the barrier. Windburn leaves a layer of dead, crispy skin cells on the surface that prevents your moisturizers from actually absorbing.
The Diamond Glow Facial is the ultimate cure. Using a gentle, medical-grade diamond tip, we lightly exfoliate that damaged top layer. Simultaneously, the device infuses your thirsty skin with SkinMedica’s HA5 Hyaluronic Acid Pro-Infusion Serum. Because the dead skin is removed, the hyaluronic acid is driven deep into the tissue, instantly plumping the cells and replacing the massive amount of moisture the wind stole from you.
Step 3: Replenish Internally with IV Therapy
If your skin is windburned, the rest of your body is likely dehydrated, too. To truly recover, you have to treat the issue from the inside out.
While you are relaxing during your facial, we can hook you up to a Myer’s Cocktail IV ($150.00). Flooding your bloodstream with 100% bioavailable fluids, Vitamin C, and Magnesium ensures your skin has the internal hydration and antioxidants it needs to heal the UV damage at a structural level.
Step 4: Take Home the Right Armor
To keep your skin protected for the rest of the week, you need to bench your active ingredients. Put away your retinols and exfoliating acids for a few days. Rely purely on a gentle cleanser, a rich barrier repair cream (like SkinMedica TNS Ceramide Treatment Cream), and absolute sun avoidance while the tissue heals.
Recover Faster at KC Wellness
Don't let a great weekend at the lake ruin your skin for the rest of the week. Stop into our clinic inside Refined OKC and let Kelli Cossey, RN, BSN, bring your skin back to life.
KC Wellness 13820 Wireless Way, Oklahoma City, OK 73134.
