Enemies of Your Skin in Winter
By Sara Butler
Your skin is your body’s largest organ. So, if you’re concerned with your overall health and wellness, then you have to consider the health of your skin, too, since it’s your body’s first line of defense to keep you healthy. Here are some of your skin’s biggest foes in winter, and how you can beat them.
The Humidity Levels
Winter is cold, but it’s also really dry. That dryness does a real number on your poor skin, causing it to become dry, itchy, and flaky. Your skin has three layers: The hypodermis, dermis, and epidermis. These three layers work together to help form a protective barrier mostly made up of lipids, or fats, to help protect you from losing water as well as to keep things from coming into your body.
The low humidity outside in the winter causes the levels of lipids in your skin to drop, which then weakens your skin’s barrier of protection and causes it to dry up. The loss of moisture causes small cracks to occur in your skin, leading to inflammation and itchiness.
Hot Showers
When it’s cold outside, it can be tempting to take long hot showers or baths, but this is really not what you should do for your skin’s health. Hot baths and showers wash away your skin’s natural oils, and the soaps you’re probably using don’t help either. If you use a washcloth or other abrasive item to scrub yourself down, then you’re also removing moisture.
This doesn’t mean you need to find a way to avoid a shower for the entire winter, it just means you need to turn the heat down and make sure you moisturize your skin every day to help your skin stay healthy. Coconut oil is a great way to feed your skin since it has the fatty acids your skin likes to soak up this time of the year.
Help From a Humidifier
To help combat the dryness of winter, you should consider running a humidifier in your house too. This will help to keep your skin, hair, and mucous membranes supple and moisturized when you’re hanging out around the house, which may also help to keep you from contracting a cold or flu this year too! You’ll find the house to be more comfortable with just a little bit of humidity added!
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.
