4 Hacks For Winter Skin Blues

I always have more trouble with my skin in the winter. It's dry, flakey, more sensitive. Help!

I’ve been thinking about this too because our patients, especially those with eczema, dry skin, and psoriasis, come in right about now with problems.

The 4 golden rules of winter skin:

  1. For your body.  You need products that hold moisture in and help you slough that outer dead layer (stratum corneum).  But not TOO much.  If you overdo this, it reduces the skin’s ability to hold moisture in.  Try adding an oil to your lotion like this Apricot Oil from Eminence, changing to a thicker cream (rather than a lotion), and adding something on the legs that helps with the flakes to retexturize like this product.
  2. Facial Barrier Function:   Keep hydration in your skin by supporting the natural lipids, like cholesterol and ceramides, already in your skin.  A skincare product for barrier function.
  3. Gentle Exfoliation:   Retinols and glycolics exfoliate your skin naturally without harsh scrubs.  The trick is to find one your skin likes which doesn’t irritate you.  Try putting them OVER your moisturizer at night and start with 2-3 times a week.  Then see if you can gradually build up.  With glycolic, start with the 10%.
  4. Protect from the weather.  Wind, cold, sudden temp changes all affect our skin.  When outdoors in the cold, try wrapping a scarf around you to protect, and pull up over your face if needed.  Run with your face covered if it’s below freezing.  Gloves really help.   And make sure the humidity in your home doesn’t go below 30-40%.  You can buy a tool to measure it.  🙂
Happy Winter and Hope this helps,
Dr. Brandith Irwin
Founder, SkinTour
Director, Madison Skin & Laser Center
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Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

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Hi, I’m Dr. Irwin. I believe that consumers deserve a medically trained and unbiased skin care advocate.

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