Six Ways to Winterize Your Skin

You’ve cleaned the fireplace and had it checked out, insulated the windows and doors, and performed preventive maintenance on your vehicles.  Winter weatherproofing for your home and your cars is complete.  What about your skin?  When the weather grows colder our skin often grows drier and tighter and may begin to become irritated and/or flaky.  Psoriasis and eczema sufferers may curse the winter, as it brings more frequent and more intense flare-ups with it.  Just as preparing properly can make our homes more comfortable and save on the energy bill and keep our vehicles performing smoothly, it can also keep winter from wreaking havoc on our skin.

What causes our skin to change in the winter?

Just what is it about the winter season that causes problems with our skin?  Our skin has a natural protective barrier that is susceptible to stripping during colder seasons.  This causes it to become dehydrated, irritated, and/or sensitive, resulting in dry, itchy, flaky skin (www.dermalogica.com).  For those of us blessed with a “normal” skin type, winter weather can cause battles with tightness, flakiness, or acne outbreaks, but for those with skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema, an all-out war can break loose.

Psoriasis and eczema

Have you ever seen someone with red lesions covered with loose silver-colored scales on their skin and wondered what it was?  This condition is psoriasis and is caused when a person’s skin cells multiply faster than normal (they sometimes multiply up to 10x faster). 

The culprit behind eczema has not yet been pinpointed, but the condition presents itself as a dry, thick, or scaly rash.  Eczema is like a chameleon, it appears different on different skin types.  On fair-skinned people it is a reddish or brown color.  On dark skinned people it is characterized by making the appearance of the affected area lighter or darker than the rest of the skin (www.webmd.com).  Although they are different in appearance and symptoms, both psoriasis and eczema are generally worsened during the winter season.

Ways to winterize your skin

While we escape winter (except for those lucky ones living in climates that are warm year-round), there are some things we can do to prepare our skin from its effects.  I’m going to share six ways you can weatherproof your skin below.

 

1. Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize.  Cold weather dehydrates or dries out our skin so one of the best things that we can do for it is to give it extra moisture.  This is accomplished by using moisturizing products.  Take note that some of the products that work well for us in the warm summer months may be less effective in the winter months.  What are some good products to use?  Skin experts interviewed for an article for Elle Magazine offer these winter moisturizer product suggestions. (http://www.elle.com/beauty/makeup-skin-care/tips/g8510/best-winter-moisturizers-per-skin-type/).  For normal skin types, top dermatologists suggest the use of cream based products versus lotion during winter, as they will moisturize without causing excessive oiliness.  Gels didn’t make the recommendation list because they may be too drying, and ointments were not recommended because they may be too heavy for normal skin.  Three expert suggested products include:  Eve Lom TLC Cream, La Roche-Posay Redermic, and Kate Somerville RetAsphere 2-in-1 Retinol Night Cream. For the dry skinned, a product that will prevent further drying out is necessary.  Aquaphor, a healing ointment or an oil-based cream such as L’Occitane Shea Protective Cream SPF 20 is highly recommended. If your skin is oily, a non-oil based product is what you need for extra moisturization.  A lightweight, greaseless moisturizer such as Cetaphil Dermacontrol Oil Control Moisturizer SPF 30 should do the trick.
   
2. Exfoliation partners with moisturizer for good skin health.  Exfoliating our skin increases the effectiveness of the moisturizer we put on it.  The harsh winds of winter make exfoliation a greater need during this season.  Exposure to these conditions cause our skin to accumulate flaky dead skin that must be removed for our skin to look and feel its best.  Therefore, you may have to boost your once or twice a month exfoliate treatments up to once a twice a week.  InStyle Magazine profiled five must have winter exfoliators.
   
3. A nice long hot bath or shower may sound inviting when the temperatures dip, but it can also invite drier skin as well.  Take a short warm bath or shower instead to decrease moisture loss.  If the winter air has your skin feeling a little itchy, throw some oatmeal or baking soda in your bath water for relief.
   
4. Sweaters in certain fabrics such as wool can feel like heaven when we are out in the cold elements; however, these same fabrics can dry out and/or irritate our skin.  That doesn’t mean we have to get rid of our beloved sweaters and coats though.  Just add a layer of protection between your skin and the clothing, a cotton t-shirt is the perfect intermediary for the job.
   
5. If you’re like me, you like to feel nice and toasty on a cold winter’s day, so the thermostat gets adjusted quite frequently or the fireplace gets lit for extra heat.  While, these heat sources warm our chilly bones, they also further dry out our skin.  What is the cold intolerant person to do?   Go ahead and pump the heat, but utilize humidifiers to add some moisture into the air.  Placing small humidifiers in the rooms you are in the most, will allow you to be warm without the worries of increase skin dryness.
   
6. Have you heard that sunscreen is unnecessary in the winter?  This myth is false.  During the summer our skin adjusts to the sun’s rays, in the winter time it becomes more sensitive to them.  Even on cloudy days, the UV rays are strong enough to damage our skin (www.healthista.com).  So, the end of summer doesn’t end the need for sunscreen.  It is just as important to apply sunscreen before hitting the winter ski slopes as it is when we enjoying a summer day by the pool or on the beach.