Virtual Medical Centre

Looking After Your Skin in Winter

• Introduction
• The skin as a protective barrier
• Tips for preventing dry winter skin
  • Cut down on long, hot baths

  
  
  

  

  Introduction

  During the winter months our skin is subject to the damaging and drying effects of cold, windy weather and the low humidity of dry indoor heating. Our efforts to stay warm with long, hot showers and internal heating tend to suck the moisture from our body, leaving skin dry, itchy and prone to cracking. Those with sensitive skin or skin conditions such as eczema and rosacea are particularly affected. Severely dry skin can crack and bleed, creating sites that can be further irritated by soaps and clothing, and also making you more vulnerable to infection. Thus, it is just as important to take extra care of your skin during this season as it is in the summertime.

  The skin as a protective barrier

  The skin is the largest organ of the body. Some of its primary functions are to act as a protective barrier against the external environment, as well as prevent water loss. The outer-most layer of the skin, known as the stratum corneum (SC), plays an instrumental role in protecting skin against moisture loss. The SC consists of a layer of cells surrounded by lipids (oils) such as ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids. These lipids determine the moisturisation levels of the skin.

  

  The skin produces less of these oils during the winter months, thus making the skin more susceptible to abnormal dryness, also known as winter xerosis or winter itch. Xerosis is characterized by roughness, itching, scaling and flaking.

  Dry skin tends to be more of a problem in older people because the skin is less able to hold its moisture, and the number of oil-producing sebaceous glands decreases with ageing. 

  Dry skin also occurs more frequently among people who wash their hands several times a day, as this strips the skin of its natural oils.

  Tips for preventing dry winter skin

  The key to preventing dry skin is keep the moisture locked in. There are several precautions you can take to avoid dry, itchy winter skin and maintain soft moist skin during the cold season.

  1. Cut down on long, hot baths

  Hot water removes the skin's natural oils very quickly, so having a long, hot shower can really deplete the skin of its natural moisture and leave it extremely dry. Use warm water instead, and reduce the time spent in the bath or shower to a maximum of 10-15 minutes.

  In addition, try using a moisturising shower gel, or soaps that contain moisturisers. Harsh, drying soaps tend to strip the skin and wash away the body’s oils. Choose mild soaps that are non-alkaline and have added oils and fats (super fatted soaps). Super-fatted soaps are recommended because they have extra amounts of fatty acids (e.g. cocoa butter, coconut oil or lanolin). If you want to soak in a bath, use bath oils and consider adding colloidal oatmeal to your bath. This can help soothe and heal the skin.

  After bathing, pat your skin dry (as opposed to rubbing) so that it retains some dampness. Moisturise within 3 minutes of stepping out of the shower. Moisturising while the skin is still slightly wet traps the moisture in and helps to reduce water lost through evaporation.

  
  
  

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