Ease your dry winter skin

With around half of people in the UK having a skin condition, which has the potential to have an impact on both daily life and mental health, it’s essential to stop the wintry weather making things worse...

- DR PHILIPPA KAYE

Noticed the cold weather has negatively affected your skin? You’re not the only one. Generally, in winter, you may find that your skin is less shiny. Colder temperatures and low levels of humidity can lead to the air being very dry, and this means it can draw moisture away from the skin. Add in a chilly wind battering your face and spending time indoors with the heating on, and skin can become itchy, sore and flaky. Because of this, it’s common that conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis, flare up during the winter months.

The trouble is, dealing with dry skin can often become a vicious cycle. When the skin becomes dry or flaky, it can lead to irritation and itching. Scratching can then set up the itch-scratch cycle, whereby the more you scratch the more inflammation occurs, meaning that your skin becomes itchier, you scratch more and the cycle continues. Your skin can crack or bleed, meaning that it’s barrier function is lost, and then, potential skin infections can occur.

You may also have noticed that the impact of the colder weather on your skin has gradually become worse over the years, particularly after the menopause. This is because the low levels of oestrogen can impact all areas of your body, including your skin.