Dry skin in winter?

Hi,


Why does the skin become dry in winter? What makes the skin dry and why winter?





Thanks
Dry skin in winter?
I found this great article that you may find informative!





Solutions offered to cure dry skin during winter


- By Andrea Holyfield/Staff Writer








As the holiday season approaches, many women will begin the not so jolly ritual of rushing to pharmacies and drug stores to find that magic cream to rid them of dry skin.





Dr. Eliot Mostow has been a pharmacist for eight years. He said that although dry winter skin is easy to treat, it is a very common problem.





"One reason people experience dry skin in the winter time is due to a constant change of environment," Mostow said. "We tend to go from a cold environment to warmer areas like homes and schools. This leads to the drying out and eventually cracking of skin."





But just as dry skin is a common problem, the solutions are also quite simple.





"The three things I tell people are: Use less soap, lower shower temperature, and put on a moisturizer," Mostow said.





"I haven't used soap for years. The only times I use soap are under my arms or in my groin area."





Mostow said if the skin is moderately dry, soap just dries it out more.





Lowering the shower temperature is another crucial step in avoiding dry skin. Mostow used the example of washing a skillet after frying an omelet, to demonstrate how water can affect the condition of one's skin.





"Imagine you have this skillet and you run it under cold water," Mostow said. "Most likely the grease won't budge.Now take this same skillet and run it under warm water you'll loose a little of the grease. But if you take that skillet and run it under hot water, you'll wash away any site of the grease especially if you're using a cleanser with it."





The most important step comes after the shower. Mostow said a moisturizer should be applied before the skin is completely dry.





"In terms of a moisturizer, something you scoop out of a jar is better than something you pump out of a bottle," Mostow said. "Lotion and things like that tend to be more watery."





Mostow said to look for a moisturizer that contains lactic acids or alpha-hydroxy acids. Another ingredient to look for is urea.











OR FOR A MORE SCIENTIFIC APPROACH:


Dry Skin in Winter





In fact, skin has to fight a daily battle against the drying effects of the environment.


But this drying effect is worse in the winter months. Although air in the winter months often feels damper, on average it has less relative humidity than in the summer - that is, humidity compared to that of the skin.


In winter the difference between the concentration of water in the air and that in the skin exerts a considerable drawing force on water in the skin. If dry skin becomes drier, the lipid structure of the barrier tends to break up. As a result, water cannot be retained so easily. The cycle of water loss is set up again.





In the winter months, air has less relative humidity and the skin tends to dry more rapidly. Another factor is that the stratum corneum simply doesn't like the cold. Cold makes keratin stiffer and less flexible - you will probably be familiar with the 'tight' feeling that skin has in the winter.





As a result of all these factors, skin tends to be drier and in worse condition in the winter months than at other times of the year. In extreme cases, this constant drying effect can lead to cracking, flaking and redness. In the winter, skin tends to lose the battle against the environment. That's when it needs to be looked after most.





In the winter, a moisturizer can be regarded as essential to maintain healthy skin - even so-called 'normal' skin. As we will see later, a moisturizer performs several important functions. It enables lost water to be replaced, and then helps to keep it in the skin by the humectants (water-binding agents) that it contains. One such is glycerol. Scientists have shown that humectants play a vital role in the skin by helping to maintain the lipids of the epidermis in good condition, vital to its water-retaining properties.





A good moisturizer will deliver water to the skin effectively and keep it in the skin for as long as possible.
Dry skin in winter?
The cold winter weather really causes your skin to get dried up, rough and cracked if you don't look after it.





Just use 2 or 3x more lotion in the winter then you would in the summer.
Reply:first, hot water strips skin oils, as does alkali soap. In winter people are tempted to stand for ages under a hot shower, thereby stripping the skin. blood circulation is less in the cold as well. treat from inside also: eat chocolate and nuts and fish in winter. Take a fish oil supplement. Moistursie with high lactate product the periphery; eg legs and feet.
Reply:There are multiple reasons as to why does this happen.





1. Winter weather automatically reduces your hydration level as you consume less water.





2. When the weather is cold, you are more likely to be under hot/warm showers which make the skin dry by sucking away the moisture/oil secreted by your oil glands.





Apart from the reasons above, one fact that most of us can't digest is that our diets are MESSED UP! No matter how much we deny, just look at the surveys. 70% or more americans either consume too less of the essential fatty acids or have a huge imbalance of omega-6 vs omega-3. They almost have no omega-3 in their diets.





Other reasons include any of the issues relating to your gut. Get your colon cleansed and see your skin issues fade away. But somehow, that also is related to fixing your diet first.





This article is a recommended read:


http://acelooks.com/blog/2007/08/07/dry-...
Reply:Dry skin is caused by the air molecule in the winter. There are less, and the skin needs oxygen to be healthy. If you are exposed to extreme cold and then directly into a warm house, you skin ges messed up. I recommend transitioning smoothly from outoors to indoors, and allowing yourself to sit in the heat for longer.