Winter is Not Your Skin's Best Friend

Lots of things can make winter unpleasant.

It's cold. It's dark. The holidays offered a distraction, but they are long gone. And why is the shortest month of the year dragging on? Oh, right. It just started.

Those are things that you can't do much about. But then, there are things you can, such as the season's effects on your skin.

In August, low humidity is not exactly a problem. Things change in the winter. Factor in indoor heat, and it's a recipe for dry, flaky skin.

How to fix that? It's surprisingly easy, according to dermatologists.

First, don't worry so much about getting spick-and-span.

"The skin is covered with a layer of oil that helps keep us moist," said Dr. Steven Feldman, a professor of dermatology, pathology and public-health sciences at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Detergents and strong soaps are really good at cleaning, but they also strip the natural oils. When those oils are washed off, our skin is more likely to be affected by dry air.

"Anything that will make your kitchen dishes cleaner will make your skin drier," Feldman said.

In the winter, switch from a strong soap, such as Dial, Ivory or Lever 2000, to something softer, such as Dove or Basis. Aveeno makes a soap-free body wash with oatmeal that may soothe your skin. Soaps that create lots of suds are good at cleaning. This time of year, they are the ones to avoid.

If you are OK with it, take a shower once every two or three days instead of every day. Turn down the water temperature -- steaming water feels so good on an icy morning, but it can contribute to dryness. Keep your showers short, to five minutes.

"Even though it doesn't make sense that water can be drying, but it really can be," said Dr. Christina Haverstock, a dermatologist with Premier Medical Associates in Winston-Salem.

Winter dryness tends to affect our arms and legs, and especially our hands. And even though physicians tell us to frequently wash our hands to avoid colds and the flu, constant cleaning can strip us of natural lubricants that help keep moisture in our skin.

Some skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis (a noncontagious skin condition which causes rough, scaly patches of skin) can flare up in the winter. Sun exposure helps with psoriasis, and we get less of that in the colder months. "Some people have dry skin all the time, and (in winter) it gets drier and sometimes it crosses into eczema," said Dr. Paul Wortman of Mountainview Skincare in King.

While you are shopping for a wintertime alternative to suds, pick up a moisturizer. You are going to need plenty of it -- dermatologists suggest applying it two or three times a day if your skin is bothering you, and once if dry skin is an occasional nuisance.

Women are pretty good about doing this. Men, Haverstock said, generally have to be prodded more.

The three dermatologists interviewed for this article recommended Cetaphil, CeraVe, Eucerin, Vanicream, Aquaphor and Aveeno as good choices of widely available lotions or creams. Some of these skin-care lines offer soap-free cleansers, too. Wortman points patients toward what he calls "bland" moisturizers -- ones that are fragrance-free -- because people can be allergic to scented ones.

On the other hand, if your skin isn't irritated by your sparkling body butter that makes you smell like a tropical rain forest crossed with a fruit salad, then by all means use it, Haverstock said. The most important thing is that you use it regularly. "If patients love their Bath and Body Works lotion and never break out, that's great," she said.

Vaseline is another option, Feldman said, but he finds that many people don't like how greasy it feels.

Another tactic is to apply moisturizer within a few minutes of toweling off from a shower. "The theory is that it helps trap moisture," Haverstock said.

Haverstock prefers that patients with dry skin use cream over lotion. Cream is thicker and more emollient, she said, and seems to coat skin better.

For relieving dry hands, she suggests looking for creams that are specifically made for them. If your hands are especially dry, try slipping on white cotton gloves after applying moisturizer, and wearing them around the house.

Clothes can matter. Avoid fabrics that make you itch.

The temperature and low humidity of your house or work place may be contributing to winter skin woes. It's tempting to huddle next to space heaters and fires, but that can dry out your skin, too.

To counteract that, turn down the heat. Wortman suggests setting your thermostat to less than 70 degrees.

You can also try using a humidifier, maybe just at night in the bedroom. "I think that helps get eczema and dry, itchy skin under control better," Haverstock said. "It doesn't have to run all day, or be expensive, but can be quite helpful."

It's time to see a doctor when itching keeps you awake at night, or when your skin is persistently cracked and red -- a sign of inflammation. You can try an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream, but if you have tried some of these tactics at home and your skin isn't improving, you may need a prescription.

? Laura Giovanelli can be reached at 727-7302 or at lgiovanelli@wsjournal.com.