1/26/10

Winter Skin Care

Cold winter weather can cause a person’s skin to become dry, but taking some precautions can make a difference.

Many people suffer from very dry skin during the winter as a result of cold, dry weather outside and a lack of humidity inside.  A person’s skin doesn’t have enough of a natural coating of oil to seal in the moisture and protect against the dryness says Dr. Stephen Stone, professor of dermatology at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.  He explains the two areas that are most affected.

SOUND BITE: “Number one is the exposed areas.  As I said before.  The areas like the hands and face when you’re in the wind and water is evaporating.   But also, particularly as you get older, the legs tend to get very dry and that has to do with the loss of oil glands in the legs and lower extremities as we age.”

Dr. Stone says another cause of dry skin in winter is taking long hot showers or baths.  Although the heat of the water feels good at the moment, it actually damages the skin by taking away the body’s own oil.  This is especially damaging to older people because their oil glands produce less than when they were younger.  He explains the best way to moisturize the skin.

SOUND BITE:  “First of all, creams rather than lotions.  Lotions in general are more pleasant to use.  You squirt them out of a bottle and you spread them over your skin.  It doesn’t take as much work for them to rub in.  The problem is that a lotion is mostly water.  And the reason it is easily to spread is that water and the reason it is easy to rub in is that water evaporates as you rub it in. So creams in general are more efficacious than lotions.”

Dr. Stone recommends seeing a family physician or dermatologist if a person’s skin has areas of redness or if a person is scratching to the point of the skin bleeding.  If the skin is red or inflamed, a person could be suffering from eczema or psoriasis, which may need to be treated with prescription medication.

This is Ruth Slottag at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.