How to Rescue Your Dry and Chapped Winter Skin
Look at your joints very quickly. Is this a bloody disaster?
Of course, if you foolishly decided to build your life outside the tropics. Terrible, tundra winter, hands must be withered riots. And for many of us, this leads to cracking, bleeding, and endless irritation.
There are no quick fixes. (One dermatologist advised us to just move to hot and humid climates, so I think so.) But with a little common sense and a tolerance for grease, you can fix your bumps.
Why is this happening?
Cold air retains less moisture, so the air is dry, and forced air heat is still the norm in many rooms. Add to that compulsive hand washing to avoid the flu (you do that, right?), And skin catastrophes are almost inevitable.
“Our hands are one of the areas most prone to dry and chapped skin in winter,” says Dr. Megan Feely , a board-certified dermatologist practicing in New York and New Jersey.
In addition to how often we move them throughout the day, the skin makeup on our mittens makes it difficult to treat the irritation there.
Dr. Ross Raduski , a board-certified dermatologist practicing at Soho Skin and Laser Dermatology, PC , in New York, notes that our hands are 30 times thicker than our eyelids. Thickness serves as a natural barrier to lotions, ointments and creams as well as elements.
“It’s just hard for us to get treatment where you want it,” he says.
The stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the epidermis, consists of approximately 20 layers of dead cells in a matrix of natural oils and fatty acids. This is the first barrier between the outer world and our inner world.
Dr. Dhawal J. Bhanusali , a board-certified dermatologist practicing in New York and Miami, describes the cell layer as a cross-linked structure. In dry and windy conditions, the amount of oil in the matrix decreases and the cells do not move smoothly over each other, resulting in small scratches.
“The skin is not as elastic,” he says. “There are small cracks in the armor.”
This problem is more or less inevitable if you live in cold climates. Hooray.
Humidity control
In Hot’s conditions, it is tempting to spend a lot of time in a hot and humid place – in the shower. But if you don’t want to ruin your skin, you are not.
“Unfortunately, your skin will literally and figuratively end up in hot water if you take too long in the bath or shower,” says Fili. “Hot water ironically draws moisture from your skin.”
Shower briefly and coolly, no matter how tempting a long hot shower may be.
“Seven minutes or less,” says Bhanusali. “As soon as the mirror fogs up, you’ve been there for too long.”
Wipe dry – do not rub. Raduski says hand dryers are fine for your hands in public restrooms, but stop before completely dry.
All three documents say humidifiers are your friend. Fili recommends aiming for 30 to 50 percent humidity in your home. Moreover, you run the risk of getting mold. Drinking water is great overall for your health, but it doesn’t really help your skin.
Creams, lotions and ointments (and Krazy Glue), oh my!
After every hand wash and every shower, you need to immediately moisturize your skin. It may seem like a lot, but the main thing is consistency. The docs recommend the thickest creams or ointments you can handle.
“Everything in the pump is just too watery and I don’t recommend it for the hands,” says Raduski. “You want to switch to creams that have less water or vaseline-based ointments. They are beautiful and fat. “
Oh yeah. ” Nice and bold .”
Ideally, we should all have a slimy layer of Vaseline on our hands all day long damn, dirty little paw prints on all of ourTPS reports . But, of course, you need to make concessions to reality.
“There is a difference between what we can treat functionally and what we can treat perfectly,” says Bhanusali. “It’s harder if you have her in your arms.”
If you can’t walk with slimy fingers all day, use a thick cream and switch to ointment at night. You can grease your sheets a little, but hey – this is a battle and there will be casualties.
All three documents say that sleeping with gloves on is a good idea. This may leave your sheets a little cleaner, but this is not the most important reason. Gloves will help the cream or ointment penetrate your skin – Bhanusali says this results in a 30 percent improvement.
Raduski thinks cotton gloves are a mistake. They swallow the cream or ointment on their own instead of helping it penetrate your skin. Instead, he recommends nitrile gloves.
Let’s say your hands are already split and you passed creams and ointments. You can use a liquid dressing, but why not get some crazy? Yes, real doctors recommend applying Krazy Glue to your skin if it is cracked.
“This is a funny dermatological hacker,” says Bhanusali. “I told my mom that. She’s like, “We sent you to medical school for this?” “
Your shopping list
Okay, you can lubricate. What should you be looking for?
Fili advises looking for oil-based and fragrance-free products that include ceramides and moisturizers. “Ceramides are a natural component of the skin’s lipid bilayer that makes the skin waterproof by retaining moisture,” she says. “Moisturizers like alpha hydroxy acids and glycerin draw moisture to the skin.”
Radusky is looking for products with urea, a low percentage of salicylic acid or lactic acid. These ingredients exfoliate and can therefore be irritating, and you can only use them once a week to supplement your regimen. He loves CeraVe Renewing SA Cream and AmLactin Ultra Triple Action Alpha Hydroxy Acid Hydrating Body Cream.
Bhanusali also encourages the use of ceramides and CeraVe, as well as petroleum jelly.
Both Bhanusali and Raduski (and your humble correspondent) are very fond of Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream.
Do you want it. It absorbs pretty quickly – just like by the time you’re done checking your teeth for spinach in the mirror before leaving the bathroom. It comes in an odorless version. Get a large size for your bedside table and a small size for your bag, your car, your workplace, whatever. It is thick, with a lot of glycerin, but with a much lower global factor than petroleum jelly or any other.
“This is the one I’ve been using since medical school,” says Bhanusali. “This is the bulk of my bag.”
If none of this works, it might be time to see a dermatologist. You may be suffering from eczema, contact dermatitis, or an allergic reaction.