Winter is a wonderful season, however, our skin might be seriously affected due to the low temperatures and dry skin is the main problem. This is the season when diseases such as topical dermatitis or eczema become acute.
Taking care of our skin during winter means changing our skin care routines, including our lips, our hands and the rest of our body. The area of our skin that is the most affected area is the outer skin layer, the one that is most directly affected by the cold.
Winter Skincare Face and Hands Routine
Because our face and hands are what are usually exposed to the cold, they are the ones that are most affected. We need to protect the skin in these areas by using mild skin cleansers for sensitive skin with acid pH, instead of using soap; this is because the skin´s pH is acidic, and soap makes the skin alkaline, thus more fragile to external aggressions.
While it is important to continue nourishing the skin of our face with anti-ageing serums that promote the regeneration of the skin components, the protection of the epidermis must also be done with creams and in some cases with oils. We prefer creams that use water for oily skin and skin with a tendency to develop acne; and we prefer creams that use oils (emollients) for normal to dry skin, the oily creams should only be used on the skin that is extra dry.
The application of creams should be done in the morning and at night, on top of the serum; and in the case of very dry skin, it should be done several times per day.
Lips should not be neglected; we can keep them hydrated using, preferentially, Vaseline.
The use of sun protection keeps being of the utmost importance in order to avoid ageing and skin spots. In areas that receive snow, the use of sun protection has to be done several times per day because the snow reflects the sunlight; and it is not uncommon for people to be sun burned when they are exposed to or in the presence of sun for long time and do not use sun protection.
Each time that we wash our hands, we need to use a cream, sun protection and gloves.
Winter Skincare Routine For The Rest of The Body
Even though the rest of our body is not generally directly exposed to the environment, our skin usually becomes dry during winter for which reason it is important to use soap with an acidic pH or a liquid cleanser in the shower. We need to apply cream at least once a day in the areas that are dry. It is preferable to pick creams without perfume or colourants.
Winter Skincare Routine For Patients That Suffer From Eczema or Topical Dermatitis
In the case of these patients, skin care needs to be extreme: they have to use liquid cleansers for the face and body; the water of the shower needs to be warm; if they take a bath, they can use oatmeal powder for 5-10 minutes (which has hydrating properties); and they can also apply oatmeal water at least twice a day after having washed the face. Creams need to be emollient (oil based) and to be applied several times per day, and do not forget the sun protection that should be a mineral one.
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