If you resemble a prune more than usual, it’s not your imagination.
Winter can be more devilish on our skin than other seasons thanks to the reduced moisture in the air. Add to that our dry Colorado climate. And on top of that, we do all the things dermatologists don’t want us to do, such as use heaters and take long, hot showers or bath. And we shrivel even more.
“Drier air causes drier skin and mucous membranes, like in your nose,” said Dr. Renata Prado, a dermatologist and skin cancer specialist with Vanguard Skin Specialists.
“The body loses more water. If your skin is drier then the skin can become more itchy. Itchy skin leads to scratching and the more you scratch you can cause small injuries and worsen the itching. You end up in a cycle.”
Lots of scratching and rubbing can produce areas of thickened skin that are more subject to trauma and cracking, and can cause inflammation, dermatitis and even infections during the cold months.
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Some are more at risk than others during the winter, including those who had eczema or ectopic dermatitis as a child, and people with skin disorders, such as psoriasis, or other diseases that produce a defect in the skin’s structure. Those with jobs requiring frequent hand washing, including nurses, hair stylists and food servers, also might find winter to be extra woeful. And age is a factor.
“As we age, our skin becomes drier and thinner,” Prado said. “As compared to healthy, younger individuals.”
But there are choices we can make in the winter to prevent attaining a heightened state of itch and scratch. Take shorter showers in lukewarm water, if possible. Don’t use soap if you can, or use a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser and apply it only to the important bits: armpits, groin, hands, face. And don’t use a loofah or washcloth.
Post-shower is when you want to get in there with moisturizer. Going in order from least to most moisturizing are lotions, creams and ointments. You don’t have to spend a fortune on products — Prado sometimes recommends petrolatum, such as Vaseline. For extra dry areas she likes a moisturizer with urea or lactic acid. And turn on that humidifier to add moisture to the air.
Winter also can pose challenges to those who partake in skiing. Hitting the higher elevation slopes means increased ultraviolet radiation.
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“We usually think for every 1,000 feet of elevation above sea level we increase the intensity of the radiation about 6%,” Prado said. “But when we go to Vail, at 11,000 feet or more, we’re talking about intensity that’s 60% greater than sea level. That’s a significant amount of ultraviolet radiation.”
The advice is the same as it is for everyone everywhere: Use sunscreen, with at least 30 SPF, and make sure it’s broad spectrum, so it’s effective against UVA and UVB rays. Apply every two hours. If you don’t like taking off your gloves to smear a dollop on your face, find a stick sunscreen. And don’t forget your neck.
If you’ve gone and gotten a sunburn, there’s nothing you can do to reverse the damage, Prado says. It means the sun got into the DNA in your cells and your body will have to recover from the damage. If the burn makes you uncomfortable, take a Tylenol. If you’re red, use moisturizer.
“Every sunburn is at a cost,” she said. “Even tanning. If your body is producing pigments that produce a tan, it’s a defense mechanism. Your body is trying to protect the DNA of your skin cells against further damage. That’s a cause for skin cancer.”
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Prado preaches the gospel of sunscreen — either chemical or mineral, it doesn’t matter. It’s whichever one you’ll actually use. Spread it on every day, even if it’s cloudy or you’re only going to the grocery store or walking your dog. Radiation is always coming through the clouds.
“That’s where you get most of your radiation,” she said. “Not during your Mexico vacation or when you get a sunburn, but every day, little by little, you get ultraviolet radiation. It is accumulative and the damage it causes is accumulative.”
And if you see something on your skin that’s bleeding, not healing, is scabbing, growing or changing in color, shape and size, get yourself to the dermatologist.
“We see thousands of cases every year,” Prado said. “Diagnosis is easy. The sooner you’re treated the better the outcome.”
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