During the winter, the air is particularly dry. For people with chronic skin conditions (like eczema or psoriasis), it’s important to keep the skin hydrated. This can be a lot more challenging in the winter, which is why flare-ups are so common around this time of year. Every year, I see a huge increase in flare-ups around this time.
So why does dry air irritate the skin? More importantly, how can you maintain skin hydration and prevent this from happening?
How does dry air affect your skin?
When the air is dry, this pulls moisture out of the top layers of your skin. When this happens, tiny breaks start to develop in the skin’s surface. These are often so small that you can’t even see them. You’ll just notice that your skin feels dry, rough, or flaky.
Once the skin’s surface has been breached, then it’s no longer able to serve as an effective barrier. Substances from the outside world (like allergens, chemicals, and dirt) can get in through the breaks. These cause irritation, which often leads to a flare-up.
How can you keep your skin hydrated?
In order to protect your skin from drying out, it’s important to keep your skin hydrated. Here are a few ways you can help to maintain as much hydration as possible throughout the winter.
Use a humidifier. Heating systems dry out the air. Using a humidifier can help to restore some of that moisture, so your skin doesn’t dry out so much. You may want to place humidifiers in your bedroom, living room, and even your office.
Take your showers or baths in warm water, rather than hot. Hot water can actually damage the outer surface of your skin, causing it to dry out. Try to cool down the water as much as you can.
Put lotion on while your skin is still moist. The best time to put on lotion is while your skin is as hydrated as possible – ideally right after your shower or bath, just after toweling off the excess water. Choose a fragrance-free product that’s formulated for sensitive skin, so that your lotion itself won’t cause skin irritation.
Use gentle cleansers. Harsh soaps can dry out your skin. Choose gentle cleansers, and make sure that they’re formulated for sensitive skin. Avoid doing too much exfoliation – this can remove your skin’s protective outer layer, which can be damaging at any time, but is particularly problematic when your skin’s surface is already compromised by dry air.
Drink more water. To keep your skin hydrated, your body overall needs to be hydrated. Make sure that you’re drinking enough water throughout the day every day. If you don’t like plain water, you can try flavored water or herbal tea.
It’s important to pay attention to your skin’s hydration all year, but especially during the winter, when the air is dry. Even though the holiday season can be very busy, take the time to care for your skin. This is an act of self-love.
If you’d like more support in figuring out ways to care for your skin, you can reach out to me anytime. I offer health coaching, and I can help you optimize your lifestyle to keep your skin as healthy as possible.
You may also want to join my signature program, Mind Gut Skin Academy. Besides a comprehensive program that teaches you how to optimize all aspects of your life for skin (and overall) wellness, you’ll also get access to a supportive community of other women with chronic skin conditions, so you can learn from others’ experiences and get helpful advice. The brand-new version of the program will be launching soon – head here to learn more or to join the waitlist.