How to Keep Skin Hydrated in Winter

Dry skin in winter is so prevalent that it frequently feels like an inescapable byproduct of the season. As the temperature drops in late fall and early winter, dry skin symptoms start to appear. Many factors can rob your skin of moisture, leaving it dull and dry. Not only does dry winter air affect your face, but your hands, feet, and other areas exposed to the elements can suffer.

Cold winter air, indoor heat, low humidity and harsh wind can rob your skin of essential moisture. These factors can result in itchy skin that is red and irritated. Combatting dry skin requires a dedicated winter skincare routine that will keep your face and other areas of your body looking fresh and supple.

Why Dry Winter Skin Happens

A layer in the skin called the stratum corneum retains moisture in your skin. This outer wall acts as a barrier to hydrate your skin and keep out chemicals, germs and allergens. Proteins and fats hold this structure in place. In winter, when humidity drops, water escapes more easily through this skin barrier, leading to skin dryness. Fireplaces, space heaters, wood-burning stoves and central heating also cause a decrease in humidity.

Dry Skin Risk Factors

Risk factors for dry winter skin include the following:

• Age
• Eczema, food allergies and other specific health conditions
• Frequent hand washing, hot showers or baths, and swimming
• Exposure to harsh body washes, soaps, and chemicals

What are the Signs of Dry Skin?

Xerosis cutis is the medical term for skin with severe dryness. Symptoms can range in severity and may look different depending on the affected body area. Common signs and symptoms include the following:

• Skin looks and feels rough
• Flakiness or scaliness
• Redness, rawness and irritation
• Ashy, gray color
• Itchiness
• Small cracks or fine lines
• Deep cracks that bleed
• Stinging or burning
• Tight feeling, especially after bathing, showering or swimming

Tips to Keep Skin Hydrated and Prevent Dry Winter Skin

Preventing water loss through the skin's moisture barrier is the goal of maintaining healthy skin in colder months. Adjusting your skin care regimen with proper skin care products, like a thick moisturizer for your face and body, is essential for relieving dry skin, but you can do much more to reduce the effects of winter weather and cold air. Consider the following tips to maximize skin health in the colder months.

Preventing Dry Skin

Most preventive steps are simple. You can help avoid severely dry skin by doing the following:

• Avoid dryer sheets, scented soaps and products if you have sensitive skin. Fragrant and abrasive soaps strip the skin's surface.
• Use a mild detergent to wash clothes.
• Avoid overly hot showers and long baths. Very hot water dries the skin. The longer your exposure, the drier your skin will become.
• Apply moisturizers to your face or body right after bathing or showering
• Use saline eye drops for dry eyes, a saline nasal rinse for your nose and an emollient for your lips.

How to Change Your Skin Care Routine

Facial skin may become especially sensitive or irritated due to dry winter air. Consider temporarily simplifying your skin care routine. The skin's moisture barrier must be healthy to respond well to serums and beauty treatments. Fragrance and alcohol that would normally feel great could become irritants. Use only a moisturizing lotion and sunscreen in the morning, and a gentle cleaner for sensitive skin and a moisturizing cream at night. Deeply moisturizing skin overnight is particularly effective. Once you feel you have healthy skin again, slowly incorporate other treatments and ingredients into your routine.

Although exfoliation to remove dead skin cells is an integral part of your beauty routine to keep it looking smooth and vibrant, it's possible to overexfoliate, especially in winter. If you have dry or flaky skin, opt for a gentle chemical scrub instead of a physical exfoliant. Harsher scrubs with large particles are more likely to break down the skin's moisture barrier.

Pay particular attention to the ingredients in the skincare products you use. Ointments are best to keep skin moisturized on your body, but if you don't like the greasy feeling, use a thick cream instead. Look for natural oils like Vitamin E, coconut oil, and the like, but keep in mind that they may not work well on very dry, rough skin.

Other helpful ingredients to help retain moisture during the cold season include urea, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and ammonium lactate.

Maintain Protection Against Harmful UV Rays

Although the days may be shorter with less sunlight, you may feel tempted to cut daily sunscreen from your morning routine. However, even in winter, the sun's rays can still harm your skin and stress its moisture barrier. Continue adding a layer of sunscreen daily after your moisturizing lotion to keep skin healthy.

Other Ways to Treat Dry Skin

You can take other common sense steps to treat dry skin in winter. Try the following. You may be surprised at how much better you feel.

Use a Humidifier

Humidifiers add moisture back into the air and can be especially helpful in maintaining hydrated skin during the winter. More moisture in the air acts as a natural moisturizer and may prevent and relieve dry skin. Health indicates that humidifiers set at 60% can adequately replenish moisture in the top layer of skin.

Reduce Air and Water Temperature 

It's tempting to crank up the heat when the weather is frigid, but high central heating can make the air in your home even drier. Keep the temperature at a comfortable 68°F to 75°F.

Hot baths and showers at the end of a cold winter’s day can feel especially soothing. But, to keep your skin hydrated, consider keeping the water temperature closer to lukewarm. Very hot water can strip away skin’s natural oils faster than lukewarm water, typically around 98.6°F, and may even cause damage.

Take care when drying your skin after bathing or showering. Avoid vigorously rubbing, and gently pat your skin with a soft towel to allow moisture to hydrate the top layer of your skin.

Hydrate From the Inside and Eat Well

Keeping your skin glowing in winter also involves staying well-hydrated throughout the day. Not ingesting enough fluid can affect your appearance and make the skin more susceptible to drying.

In addition to staying well hydrated, focus on consuming foods high in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. These nutrients can protect your cells from environmental damage and keep your skin healthy. Many foods that help renew skin cells are part of a healthy diet. These include:

• Tuna and salmon
• Avocadoes
• Almonds
• Sunflower seeds
• Sweet potatoes
• Bell peppers

When to See a Doctor for Dry Skin Problems

Dry and cracked skin from winter weather usually resolves independently when the weather warms. However, in some cases, dry, irritated skin can progress to other conditions like eczema, causing inflammation and redness. Bacteria can also enter cracks, causing infections.

If home remedies or lifestyle changes are ineffective at treating dry skin, contact VIVAA for a consultation. Symptoms such as large areas of peeling or scaly skin, itchy skin resulting in infections, soreness, or the inability to sleep are cause for concern. Call us today at 425-250-9999 to schedule your appointment.