The dry and irritated skin is the unpleasant part of the winter season. With the drop in temperatures and the humidity all year low the skin experiences cracking, chaffing and dry patches, requiring extra attention and care to stay healthy. Treating your skin before the dryness sets in is the trick to keep the skin healthy and glowing.
© AFP/File Rob ElliotNovember 17, 2008, (Sawf News) - The dry and irritated skin is the unpleasant part of the winter season. With the drop in temperatures and the humidity all year low the skin experiences cracking, chaffing and dry patches, requiring extra attention and care to stay healthy. Treating your skin before the dryness sets in is the trick to keep the skin healthy and glowing.
"Further into winter, conditions get dryer and you have to be careful because when skin is dry like that, there is a lot of weakness to it," said Jeff Moore, an instructor of pharmaceutics in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Department at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. "During cold spells, your skin is constantly bombarded, dried out, and increasingly susceptible to infection."
To be sure you’re effectively treating and protecting your skin during the harsh winter season, Moore has provided the following skin care tips:
- Moisturize from the inside out: When we’re properly hydrated, our skin lubricates itself from the inside, and that moisture works itself up from the lower dermal layers to the upper dermal layers at the surface. By drinking the recommended six-to-eight glasses of water daily, you can help keep dry skin at bay.
- Take shorter, cooler showers: Despite how soothing a long, hot shower feels when it’s chilly outside, the steam and heat can do skin more harm than good by drawing out moisture that is on the skin and causing dryness. Instead, keep the water temperature comfortably warm and take shorter showers.
- Create a barrier with moisturizers: When applying lotions and crèmes, you are creating a barrier to protect your skin against dryness. This barrier allows time for hydration and healing to occur from the inside. For best results, regularly apply a product with ingredients like shea butter and petrolatum immediately following a bath or shower, when the skin is still moist.
- Exfoliate regularly: Exfoliation not only removes rough dry patches, but it promotes new cell growth by exposing more hydrated levels of the skin and bringing them up to the surface. Exfoliation also enhances the absorption of skin care products, so it’s best to apply a moisturizer after exfoliating to ensure that the moisture brought up to the surface of the skin doesn’t evaporate right away.
- Avoid harsh soaps and cleansers: Pay special attention when picking your soap, as certain seemingly-mild cleansers actually contain chemicals that strip water from the skin. Generally, products containing preservatives, fragrances, and lye are harsher and more irritating to the skin. Instead, look for products that contain glycerin, a humectant that traps and maintains moisture.
- Use a humidifier: The use of heaters and furnaces in the winter can greatly reduce the humidity level inside your house and suck moisture out of the air. Using a small bedside humidifier, especially at night while sleeping, can help combat dry skin and keep moisture in the bedroom.
While the worst of winter weather is still to come, Moore recommends treating your skin early in the season, before dryness has a chance to set in.
"The earlier you incorporate these tips into your daily routine, the greater improvement you’ll see," he said. "While we often neglect our skin, or only treat it for cosmetic reasons, it’s important to remember that our skin is an organ, part of the body just like anything else, and requires consistent care."
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