Cold, dry air in the winter months can wreak havoc on your skin. And with the cooler temperatures lasting several months in the midwest, you may be searching for some relief. Anna Bahnson, MD, an Avera dermatologist explains how to protect and nourish your skin.
Why Is Dry Skin Common In the Winter?
“Dry skin becomes a problem in the winter for a couple different reasons. The first is that it is so cold and dry outside so there is less humidity in the air so our skin dries out more easily. Between the cold temperatures and the wind, it kind of zaps our skins natural oils and we lose more water through our skin that way,” said Bahnson.
Habits That Can Dry Out Your Skin
“Oftentimes people like to take long, hot showers in the winter to help warm up. Those long, hot showers can definitely deplete our skin’s natural moisturizing factors, like our skins oil. Additionally the heat in our homes and not running our humidifiers,” said Bahnson.
Who Experiences Dry Skin?
“Some people might have some underlying skin conditions like eczema that might make their dry skin worse. Also older individuals can have more issues with dry skin. People with certain health conditions like issues with their thyroid and, people on certain medications can struggle with dry skin more often than people that don’t have some of those issues,” said Bahnson.
Treating Dry Skin at Home
“Try to moisturize your skin as often as you possibly can and definitely look for moisturizing creams as opposed to lotion because creams are thicker and they help to hold in more moisture. Also make sure you’re drinking plenty of water. There is also some evidence that suggest taking a fish oil supplement can help with skin dryness or just eating a diet that is rich in omega 3 fatty acids can help with dry skin as well,” said Bahnson.
When Should You See a Dermatologist?
“Dry skin should be treated by a dermatologist when you’re not able to keep symptoms under control with moisturizing at home, if you’re dealing with a lot of itching, a lot of breaks in your skin. We talk about that skin barrier; when your skin barrier is compromised it can put you at an increased risk of infections,” said Bahnson.
