Skin care during holiday season

With temperatures plummeting throughout most of the country, I continue to be bombarded with questions surrounding what kind of impact this harsh weather has on the skin.

For many people, the cold clear days of winter bring more than just a rosy glow to the cheeks. They also bring uncomfortable dryness to the skin of the face, hands, and feet. For some people, the problem is worse than just a general tight, dry feeling: They get skin so dry it results in flaking, cracking, even eczema (in which the skin becomes inflamed).

What causes dry skin?

When your skin doesn’t have enough protective oils, moisture escapes from it. And when there isn’t enough water in the outermost layer of your skin, it becomes dry. This effect can intensify during the winter when environmental humidity is low.

Other common causes of dry skin include:

• overuse of soap and hot water
• exposure to harsh chemicals
• certain types of skin diseases
• aging

What’s wrong with dry skin?

On its own, dry skin may not seem like a big deal. But it’s associated with several health problems that could interfere with your daily activities. Dry skin may lead to:

• itchiness
• areas of thickened, rough skin
• painful cracks in your skin
• dermatitis, which involves red, inflamed, and scaly skin
• eczema, which can appear as round, scaly, itchy, and red patches on your skin
• bacterial infection

1. Seek a Specialist

If you go to your local drugstore, you’ll be hard put to find a salesperson who can give you good advice. That’s why going to a dermatologist even once is a good investment. Such a specialist can analyze your skin type, troubleshoot your current skincare regimen, and give you advice on the skincare products you should be using.

But that doesn’t mean you’ll be stuck buying high-end products. Inexpensive products work just as well as high-end ones. In fact, the extra price you pay for the expensive stuff is often just for packaging and marketing. What’s most important is how your skin responds to the product — and how you like its feel, not how much money you paid for it.

2. Moisturize More

You may have found a moisturizer that works just fine in spring and summer. But as weather conditions change, so, too, should your skincare routine. Find an “ointment” moisturizer that’s oil-based, rather than water-based, as the oil will create a protective layer on the skin that retains more moisture than a cream or lotion. (Hint: Many lotions labeled as “night creams” are oil-based.)

But choose your oils with care because not all oils are appropriate for the face. Instead, look for “nonclogging” oils, like avocado oil, mineral oil, primrose oil, or almond oil. Shea oil — or butter — is controversial because it can clog facial pores.

You can also look for lotions containing “humectants,” a class of substances (including glycerin, sorbitol, and alpha-hydroxy acids) that attract moisture to your skin.

3. Slather on the Sunscreen

No, sunscreen isn’t just for summertime. Winter sun — combined with snow glare — can still damage your skin. Try applying a broad-spectrum sunscreen to your face and your hands (if they’re exposed) about 30 minutes before going outside. Reapply frequently if you stay outside a long time.

4. Give Your Hands a Hand

The skin on your hands is thinner than on most parts of the body and has fewer oil glands. That means it’s harder to keep your hands moist, especially in cold, dry weather. This can lead to itchiness and cracking. Wear gloves when you go outside; if you need to wear wool to keep your hands warm, slip on a thin cotton glove first, to avoid any irritation the wool might cause.

5. Avoid Wet Gloves and Socks

Wet socks and gloves can irritate your skin and cause itching, cracking sores, or even a flare-up of eczema.

6. Hook Up the Humidifier: (Depending on Geographical location)

Humidifiers get more moisture in the air, which helps prevent your skin from drying out. Place several small humidifiers throughout your home; they help disperse the moisture more evenly.

7. Hydrate for Your Health, Not for Your Skin

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times: Drinking water helps your skin stay young-looking. In fact, it’s a myth. Water is good for your overall health and “the skin of someone who is severely dehydrated will benefit from fluids. But the average person’s skin does not reflect the amount of water being drunk. It’s a very common misconception.”

8. Grease Up Your Feet

Yes, those minty foot lotions are lovely in the hot summer months, but during the winter, your feet need stronger stuff. Try finding lotions that contain petroleum jelly or glycerin instead. And use exfoliants to get the dead skin off periodically; that helps any moisturizers you use to sink in faster and deeper.

9. Pace the Peels

If your facial skin is uncomfortably dry, avoid using harsh peels, masks, and alcohol-based toners or astringents, all of which can strip vital oil from your skin. Instead, find a cleansing milk or mild foaming cleanser, a toner with no alcohol, and masks that are “deeply hydrating,” rather than clay-based, which tends to draw moisture out of the face. And use them a little less often.

10. Ban Superhot Baths

Sure, soaking in a burning-hot bath feels great after frolicking out in the cold. But the intense heat of a hot shower or bath actually breaks down the lipid barriers in the skin, which can lead to a loss of moisture.

A lukewarm bath with oatmeal or baking soda can help relieve skin that is so dry it has become itchy. So, too, can periodically reapplying your moisturizer. If those techniques don’t work, go see a dermatologist.

Contributed by Dr. Sravya C Tipirneni, Consultant Dermatologist & Cosmetologist, Columbia Asia Hospital Whitefield