Winter is upon us! Winter brings holidays, snow sports, cozy blankets and sweaters, and sometimes…dry and itchy skin.
As our days become shorter and cooler, we spend more time indoors, turning on our heaters which can then produce dry air. The lower humidity can cause the natural water in our skin to evaporate, resulting in tight, cracked and flaking skin. And if you add hot showers to the mix, we lose even more water through our skin. Dry skin is unhealthy, as it can lead to itching, rashes and infections (keep reading to hear more on this later).
Ever notice that extra itch on your upper back in the winter? Or have dry hands that can crack and bleed? Then you know how winter can affect our skin and trigger “winter itch.”
So, how can you prevent dry skin, itching and flaking this winter? There are actually several quick and inexpensive preventative measures you can take.
1. Don’t take long, hot showers. Yes, we are in a drought, so that’s another reason not to take long showers, but the heat also makes our skin more susceptible to “transepidermal water loss” leading to dry skin. Take comfortably warm, shorter showers to help keep your skin protected. The more the skin temperature is elevated, the more water that is lost through the skin. The same goes for baths—avoid long, hot baths as much as possible.
2. Minimize the use of soap. Did you know that you really only need soap in areas prone to sweat and excess bacteria, such as your armpits, groin and feet? Most of the rest of our body does not need a scrub down. If you do want to wash your whole body, such as after an intense workout or a spill on your mountain bike, use a non-soap body wash for sensitive skin (such as Cetaphil Cleanser, Cerave Cleanser, Dove wash). These washes will not strip your skin’s natural oils.
3. Moisturize immediately after your shower or bath. This may be THE most crucial step of all! We lose most of our skin’s water in the first few minutes after stepping out of the shower, so it is critical to help retain this moisture by applying a moisturizer. This extra “seal” allows skin to stay hydrated. What’s the perfect moisturizer? Everyone’s needs are different, but in general, if water is not at the top of the list it will be better for sealing in moisture after your shower. Here are some of our favorite over the counter moisturizers: Cetaphil Cream, Cerave Cream, Aveeno Eczema Care and Vanicream. For SMD specialty products for the face, neck, hands, heels/elbows, or body select the SMD favorites SMD Pure Moisture, SMD Neck Restore, SMD Hello Hands, SMD Goodbye to Dry, and SMD Smooth and Firm Body cream, respectively.
4. Humidify your environment. If you are still prone to itchy dry skin or eczema, adding a humidifier, especially in really arid areas like Tahoe, can make a big difference. Simply add bowls of water to your environment and watch how quickly they evaporate! Or you can splurge for a cool air misting humidifier—just make sure to follow directions on how to keep your humidifier clean so you don’t add unwanted mold to your environment.
So, what about drinking water or sports drinks?
Well, if you are dehydrated, then yes, your skin will thank you (as will the rest of your body) for drinking water. But, if you are already hydrated, you can’t concentrate more water in your skin by drinking more water. Your kidneys will just flush the extra water out. So, keeping your external environment friendly for your skin is one of the best ways of preventing winter itch.
Interestingly, since our skin is our largest organ, and has a huge role in our immune and nervous systems, improper skin function can affect our overall health. Dry skin disrupts our skin barrier and function and thus can promote inflammation, and inflammation ages us (aka inflammaging.) There is even data to suggest that hydrated skin can help prevent diseases such as Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis and type II diabetes.1
So a healthy skin barrier = hydrated skin = less inflammation = healthier us!
Next time you are tempted to skip moisturizer, just think of all the good it is doing for your body—keeping away the itch, relieving dry skin, and even preventing inflammaging!
- Ye, L., Mauro, T., Dang, E., Wang, G., Hu, L., Yu, C., Jeong, S., Feingold, K., Elias, P., Lv, C. and Man, M. (2019), Topical applications of an emollient reduce circulating pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in chronically aged humans: a pilot clinical study. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol, 33: 2197-2201. https://doi.org/10.1111/jdv.15540
Written by Dr. Christman and Dr. Fardin