How to Keep Your Skin Healthy during Winter

Usually, when I write posts about pharmaceuticals, I tend to focus on real world topics that are grabbing people’s attention. This time, I decided to go a little simple with this post. So what is the topic for today? Cold weather. To be more precise, the cold weather and how it affects your skin. Yes, I am talking about dermatology.

So… Why is This Important?

As you may know, dermatology is the branch of medicine that deals with the skin, nails, hair, and any diseases related with these body parts. The skin is the largest organ in the integumentary system. It covers a total area of 22 sq. ft. and weighs an average of four kg. It also consists of three different layers – dermis, epidermis, and subcutaneous tissues.

Ironically, this is one organ that we tend to ignore most of the time. After looking at the above mentioned statistics, wouldn’t you want to give your skin a little more attention? If yes, then let’s get down to it.

Dermatological Problems Faced During Winters

The winter season can be a huge deterrent to your health, especially for your skin. Extreme cold, and excess exposure to the same can lead to skin dryness, cracking, and even bleeding. You may also see redness on the skin, which occurs due to dryness. Excess exposure to the cold can even cause your skin to age faster.



5 Dermatological Tips to Maintain Healthy Skin during the Winters

There are a variety of tips, tricks, and techniques that you can use to keep your skin in good condition, so that you can really enjoy the winter season.

• Have Lukewarm Baths: I know that lukewarm baths in winters may be quite a stretch. However, the fact is, extremely hot baths can rid the skin of many oils that help in keeping it healthy. Less oils mean dry, brittle skin. Lukewarm baths can help maintain a certain level of moisture within the skin.


• Keep a Moisturizer Handy: As we tend to use our hands for many activities, the skin can become dry due to cold weather, and regular hand washing. Keep an oil based moisturizer with you. This can help maintain skin moisture, and create a protective layer over the skin. Ensure that you moisturize the moment you have dried your hands slightly. If commercial products do not suit you, there are a variety organic products that can do the job. Doux moisturizing soaps and lotions are good examples.


• Wear Gloves: Another simple solution to protect your hands and skin is to wear gloves. Apply a cream or moisturizer to your skin, wear your gloves and leave it for 30 minutes. The best time to do this is at night. Deep moisturization of your skin overnight is extremely helpful. To further protect your skin, you can wear gloves outside the house.


• Use Winter Sunscreen: While the combination of sun and cold wind or snow may feel beautiful, Ultraviolet rays that are reflected off of snow can damage the skin. Excessive exposure can even lead to skin cancer and premature wrinkling. One way to avoid this is to use special winter sunscreen lotions with Sun Protection Factor (SPF). This will moisturize the skin as well as prevent the rays from affecting it. Reapply the sunscreen every two hours.


• Hydrate: Many dermatologists and people in general disagree with the point that drinking certain liters of water can be good for your skin. The main reason for this is that while drinking water may hydrate the body, you still need to use moisturizers for the skin. The primary idea behind drinking fluids is to cleanse your body from the inside out. Drinking water help to keep your body hydrated. Besides water. Water based fruits like oranges, pineapples, grapes, or apple juice are good options as well. You can also consume oil based foods like omega-3 rich fish. Using fish oil in your cooking, and adding linseed oil to your diet can also help.


• Pay the Dermatologist a Visit: Home remedies and skincare products can only help you so far. It is important that you visit the dermatologist at periodic intervals, and take his help. A dermatologist can classify your skin type, create a skin care regimen, and even suggest tips to keep your skin healthy.

A combination of home remedies, organic skin care products, and periodic visits to the dermatologist can go a long way in gaining and maintaining clear beautiful skin.