Know the best ways to prevent skin problems this winter

As winter is here, we should take extra care of our skin before it gets us more trouble. It’s the greatest challenge to safeguard our skin from the winter damages. Once the skin vouches on dry and itchiness it takes a long haul. The drier the air, the drier the skin. People using heaters at home are affected by dry skin and cracked feet as it takes its toll. Pre-existing skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and dandruff worsens!

How can you prevent your skin and nourish it the best way this winter?

1. Switch to a good hydrating moisturizer

The outer most layer of your skin is mostly made of 15 micrometers of dead skin cells which acts as the natural barrier against the environment. This layer helps in preserving the moisture within the skin. The cold temperature with a drop in its humid content exfoliates the outer layer of the skin which leads to the loss of the natural barrier. This makes our skin itchy in a vicious cycle.  In order to prevent this best, you need the right moisturizer for your skin.

If it’s a regular dryness without a red flush in your skin any moisturizer would work. But if you have a pre-existing skin disease or those with redness due to scratching, any moisturizer will not be effective. It is best to use moisturizers with no fragrance and consult a dermatologist to prescribe you the best one with your disease before winter worsens it.

Tip:  If it’s just a regular skin dryness, applying coconut oil for 1/2 an hour before bath would help your skin get back its moisture and radiate immediately.  

2. Indulge yourself into short warm water baths 

The use of excessively hot water in winter will dry out the skin even more as when the skin dries it removes the moisture along with the water. Avoiding long hot water baths would heal it best.

Tip: Apply moisturizer within 10mins after a bath.

3. Avoid makeup removers 

Not all alcohol is good for your skin!

Use of certain types of products containing alcohol contents like ‘isopropyl alcohol’ present in makeup removers and also wipes should be avoided as it can add on to the dryness. But certain contents like ‘cetyl alcohol’ are good moisturizers.

4. Your extremities and lips need more moisture 

Lips, palms, and feet have different kinds of glands than the rest of your body so they tend to dry faster

With less production of sebum giving the natural moisturization in these areas. Petroleum jelly acts as the best moisturizer over your dry lips, palms, and foot.

5. Switch to heavy creams over lotions  

Creams are better to be used than lotion in winter as they are thicker and work faster than usual!

Pre-existing skin conditions need to be nurtured and nourished:

• Eczema

For people with eczema especially atopic dermatitis, diet and clothes play an important role. Clothes made of wool-like blankets and sweaters have to be avoided. Foods like peanuts, egg and shelled fish could also aggravate the disease.

• Fungal infection

Pre-existing fungal infection can increase wearing wet clothes and damp conditions though the disease is seen more in summer if you already have the infection it can aggravate.

• Flaky scalp

As winter approaches scalp scaling increases, it can be just dandruff or it can be scalp psoriasis as psoriasis tends to increase in winter. A regular head bath would help in reducing dandruff along with anti-dandruff shampoo as prescribed by your dermatologist but scalp psoriasis needs to be diagnosed and treated accordingly.

• Other skin diseases

Places, where it’s an extremely cold disease like Rosacea, a condition where the cheeks become red with pimples like rash on the face, can aggravate and Raynaud’s disease, a condition in which the fingertips and toes turn blue on exposure to cold can flare. Such disease needs appropriate treatment to avoid the trigger.

Contributed by Dr. Thansiha Consultant Dermatology Venereology Leprosy at Aster RV Hospital.