Skin Care And Sunlight: Why They Don't Go Together

One of the challenges of winter is the uncomfortable dry skin that comes along with it. Indoor heat and cold outdoor winds both contribute to dry skin. Jumping into a shower usually does not help because the water is removed from your skin anyway through osmosis. Fortunately, there are things you can do to correct the dryness problem:

Use Creams

While lotion is good for your skin, creams will usually have a greater effect. Get a moisturizer that will lock in moisture so that your skin won't feel dry. The cream should be thick. If you do use lotion, choose one that contains salicylic acid. This will exfoliate your skin and remove dead skin cells, which can help combat dryness.

Wear Gloves

Gloves designed to moisturize your hands are not crazy. In fact, any barrier that can keep the moisturizers from being removed from your hands will help reduce the dryness of your hands. Also, the gloves will protect your hands from drying winds. However, gloves can also have a negative side. If they are wet and you do not remove them from your hands, they can have negative effects such as cracking and sores. Also, wool gloves often can irritate the skin. Use cotton instead.

Eat and Drink the Right Things

If you drink a lot of water, you will help combat the dryness problem from the inside. Also, consuming foods that have more Omega-3s in it will increase the hydration of your skin. Also, drinking more milk can help reduce dry skin because of the natural fats and lactic acids. You can also apply the milk outside your skin to serve as an exfoliator.

Apply Sunscreen

When you go outside, you will still want to apply sunscreen. Sunscreen is often considered to be something designed for the summer, but your skin will also need it during the winter because the sun can still damage your skin. Apply broad-spectrum sun screen before going outside.

Use Hand Sanitizer

You might be washing your hands more often in the winter as a way to ward off germs. However, by doing so, you could be drying out your hands because of chemicals found in soap. However, if you use hand sanitizer more than soap, you can protect yourself from germs without the same hand-drying effects.

Stop Using Perfume

If you wear perfume, stop using it. Perfume can irritate the skin and cause dryness. Also, the natural barriers that your body has against drying elements can be destroyed through perfume use. These steps might seem like a lot to remember, but even implenting two or three of these changes will reduce how much dry skin you have.

To learn more, or if you have other questions, contact a company like Skin Center with your concerns.