The winter season brings all sorts of joy, usually in the form of the holidays and gorgeous scenery. However, the harsh elements and low temperatures can also be the cause of several health concerns. In particular, winter tends to be a time of year that is very bad for your skin, as the cold usually causes skin to become dry and uncomfortable. Here are some tips to keep your skin healthy in the winter…
Use lotion or other moisturizer
Because the cool air is going to dry out your skin at an accelerated rate, you’ll need to moisturize your skin a lot more than you would in the spring or summer. You may even need to switch it up and use an oil-based moisturizer, if you have only been using a water-based moisturizer. If you allow your skin to dry out too long, it can cause long term damage and irritate your nerves.
Protect your skin from the sun
Although it is no longer hot outside, and the sun isn’t out as long as it is in the summer, sun exposure can still cause immense damage to your skin, and increase your chances of developing skin cancer. Many people will stop using sunscreen during the winter because they don’t believe it is necessary, but it may actually be even more so, due to the amount of sunlight reflected off of snowy surfaces.
Protect your hands
The place on your body where your skin is most likely going to be irritated is easily your hands, due to how thin the skin is, and how much less circulation there is. Because of this fact, it’s important to take special care to keep your hands moisturized and protected. If you let your hands dry out too often, your skin will begin to break and become damaged.
Drink water
One of the simplest ways to keep your skin hydrated in the wintertime is to make sure that you keep your water intake up. Many people will decrease the water they drink in the wintertime, due to the fact that it isn’t as hot and they aren’t sweating as much. However, it’s also important to note that drinking more than the recommended amount of water won’t make your skin healthier, but becoming dehydrated will.
Use a humidifier
Although the air will be cold and dry outside, it doesn’t have to be like that, indoors. Using a humidifier can help you keep your inside environment moist and make sure that the air is more humid. This will prevent your skin from becoming dry when you are inside, and will take away some of the pressure of having to constantly moisturize.
