Winter Skin Care Blog

While autumn brings piles of red-orange leaves and coats are dusted off for the upcoming winter weather, thoughts of sunscreen and bathing suits are quickly forgotten.

And so is skin cancer.

Health Education Coordinator Kathryn Steward said the chances of developing skin damage or skin cancer can still exist during colder months.

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Dry skin very commonly produces itching, which can be severe and interfere with sleep and other daily activities. Repeated rubbing and scratching can produce areas of thickened, rough skin (lichenification). Dry, thickened skin can crack, especially in areas subject to chronic trauma (e.g., hands and feet), causing painful cracks in the skin (fissures). Dry skin and scratching may result in a dermatitis when the skin becomes red (inflamed) in addition to dry and scaly. Round, scaly, itchy, red patches scattered over the legs, arms and trunk (nummular eczema) may also appear. The appearance of yellow crusts or pus in these areas indicates that a bacterial infection is developing. This would require specific antibiotic therapy from your dermatologist or family physician.

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We all know the feeling - we kick on the furnace for the winter and within days our skin starts screaming… loudly… for attention! It “screams” by getting dry and itchy, developing rough flaky patches, and just generally acting cranky! We have to DO something - we rush to buy the latest, greatest moisturizer - shell out the big bucks for whatever the magazines and TV or our next door neighbor says will WORK. Trouble is, it doesn’t. We are still dry, we still itch, our skin seems to drink in the moisturizer insatiably. WHY?

The answer is amazingly simple. Our skin cells die every single day. They stack up in little not-so-pretty layers. This is true of our faces, hands, body. Some of the cells do manage to flake and fall off but the vast majority like to stick together and hang around, causing problems. Think of it this way - even the best moisturizer in the world can’t fix dead skin!

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Skincare is totally seasonal, just like your wardrobe. In summer, you’re busy with sun protection (aren’t you?) and self-tanners, while in winter you may seem addicted to moisturizers because your skin gets so dried out and flaky (this is called “winter itch”). So why the dry skin in winter? Low temperatures, low humidity and strong, harsh winds deplete skin of its natural lipid layer which keeps the skin from drying out.

To keep your skin feeling dewy and moist even in the harsh winter weather, follow these tips:

Keep Water Lukewarm, Not Hot
Hot water robs skin of moisture, so it’s best to shower in lukewarm water. If you can’t bear this rule — I can’t — try to keep your warm showers short and try showering only once per day. This also means skipping the hot tubs in winter (another rule I simply cannot bear).

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