The Best Ways To Keep Your Skin Protected During The Winter
Does your skin tend to get chapped, blotchy, flaky, and itchy or simply less radiant than normal whenever colder weather sets in? If so, you’re not alone. Our skin reacts each time the seasons change. Fall and winter weather in particular are challenging for our skin to adjust to due to the drop in temperature along with low humidity levels, strong winds, and heating from radiators or heaters. All of these conditions strip much-needed moisture from the skin, leaving it dry and prone to irritation. The cold, dry, and dark conditions of winter also tend to trigger worse and more frequent breakouts of chronic diseases such as eczema. It’s not just your face that suffers from this often itchy condition known as “xerosis,” because the skin on your hands and entire body can develop symptoms as well. If you’re frustrated about dull, uneven, and clogged skin during these months, the Dermatology Group of Arkansas recommends chemical peels. The Little Rock-based team explains that exfoliating treatments like peels are ideal for cooler weather because your skin will be more protected during the healing and recovery stages, since there is less exposure to heat and sunlight during this time of the year.
However, if your main concern is how you can keep your skin in good shape, there are some lifestyle changes that can help to keep it happy and healthy despite the seasonal changes.
Moisturize Often
The outermost layers of skin, called the stratum corneum, are responsible for protecting the inner layers from harmful aspects of the environment. Unfortunately, natural moisture gets depleted from these outer layers. The best thing you can do for your skin is keep it moisturized to replace the oils and water that get zapped away. Your skin will need tons of hydration, and the lighter moisturizer you may have been using during the warmer months won’t be sufficient anymore. Your skin will need thicker products for winter. However, try to avoid using a topical steroid cream on your face, because some patients have experienced a rash that is known as Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW) when they finally stop using the steroid. Also use moisturizers containing lactic acid, which helps to bind moisture. Use them to moisturize every time you wash your face, hands, or body because you need to trap some of the water that evaporates from your skin after you wash it. You can also undo some of the effects of the dry air from central heating by placing a humidifier filled with distilled water from somewhere like Golyath in the rooms you spend a lot of time in, such as the bedroom (since distilled water is some of the purest water you can get). This will introduce more moisture into the air.
Take Shorter Showers
Although most people don’t think too much about their everyday habits, your shower regimen has a big impact on your skin, especially in chilly weather. Water evaporates from your skin after a shower. Even though a steamy, long rinse might be exactly what you want when the temperature outside is low, hot showers are something you should consider avoiding. Take shorter showers, preferably just five to 10 minutes at most, and use warm rather than hot water. It’s better to keep the temperature below 99 degrees Fahrenheit. Over-showering—or showering too frequently—will also result in dryness, redness, and irritation, so you might want to look for ways to cut back. Also, swap out bar soaps for moisturizing in-shower lotions.
Try Overnight Skin Treatments
If you want to rejuvenate your skin by replenishing lost oils and moisture, overnight treatments containing emollients can be beneficial. Emollients need a longer time to be absorbed into the skin. A rich night cream is one of the essentials for winter-proofing your skin, as it creates a seal and helps all of the creams and serums you layer on beneath it to be absorbed into the pores more effectively.
Learn more about moisture-preserving skincare products and the benefits of minimally invasive cosmetic procedures like chemical peels from Little Rock’s Dermatology Group of Arkansas. Call 501-227-8422 or 1-800-225-8422, or send a message online to schedule a consultation and get more information.