Is Your Skin Cold-Weather Ready?
As each season comes and goes, prepping your skin for the weather can save you from scrambling for a way to help your dried-out skin and chapped lips. If you are not prepared, the changes to your skin can make for a long winter. Knowing how your skin typically reacts to cold weather can help you create a routine ahead of time and keep your skin from reacting negatively to fall and winter. The dermatologists at Dermatology & Mohs Surgery Institute have tips and tricks on how to prepare your skin for the cold weather.
How Cold Weather Affects Your Skin
The cold temperature and low humidity results in dry air leaving your skin without moisture. Since the temperatures are so cold, most people have their heat on which can take even more moisture out of your skin. Those with eczema or psoriasis may notice their symptoms are exacerbated by the cold weather. These tips and tricks on how to get your skin ready for the cold can help you avoid severe effects from the cold weather.
Tips and Tricks to Cold Weather-Proof Your Skin
As winter approaches, try to remember how your skin changed during past winters. Maybe your skin stayed the same as it did in the summer. This could be because of the routine you have in place. If your skin changed and became dryer than usual, this may mean you need to better prepare your skin for winter.
If you know your skin is prone to drying out from cold weather, a way to prepare your skin before and during the winter is to stick to short and warm showers. Long, hot showers can feel great after a cold day, but can strip your skin of important oils, leaving it dry.
Additionally, find a good moisturizer and use it before the cold weather hits and throughout the cold weather season. A moisturizer does exactly what its name implies: moisturizes. Moisturizing your skin in preparation for the cold weather and during the winter can help your skin from becoming dried out. An oil-free moisturizer that contains glycerin is best to help keep skin hydrated.
An area of the body that is often forgotten about are the lips, but it’s one of the most important areas to worry about as cold weather hits. Preparing your lips for the cold weather is as easy as applying a lubricating lip balm daily, both before the cold weather arrives and during the cold weather season. If you are not hydrating your lips, they can become dry and chapped. They can even become painful and swollen depending on how chapped they are. If your lips do become chapped, make sure to avoid licking them, which can make it worse.
Dry skin and chapped lips can make for an uncomfortable winter which is why preparation is key as we head into cold weather. The dermatologists at Dermatology & Mohs Surgery Institute are here to guide you as you prepare your skin for the winter. If you are in Bloomington, Illinois or surrounding areas, complete this form to get in touch with us.