Winter Skin Care

Hello friends! I am Dr. Jyotsna Deo. I am a dermatologist practicing in Navi Mumbai.

Today I would like to talk about winter skin care. As Diwali gets over, the weather becomes cooler, the air becomes dry. This is the time when the summer problems of the skin such as excessive sweating are much lesser but the changing weather brings with it, its own set of problems. Some of these problems are dryer hair and increased dandruff at times, dryer skin and cracking of skin over the palms and soles. Most allergic people and people with atopic dermatitis notice a flare in their skin condition in the winter.

So how should one alter one's skin routine in winter? For this let's start with good bathing practices. Use fragrance-free gentle bathing lotions which do not dry the skin. Your bath should be with warm water not very hot, not more than 7-10 minutes. After a bath pat your skin dry with a towel gently and apply moisturizer over the entire body including the face. You can use an oil-free moisturizer for the face, a moisturizing lotion for the body and a thicker creamier moisturizer for the joints and the palms and soles. The moisturizer can be reapplied as many times as one requires when one's skin feels dry. But best moisturization is always achieved when the moisturizer is applied on damp skin. Having moisturized the skin one should not neglect the regular use of sunscreen because the ultraviolet rays are as intense even during the winter months.

Additional care which is required is good hair care during the winter months. The scalp tends to get oily but the hair tends to get drier in winter. So what is required is good coconut oil massage on the scalp. Do not keep the oil on for more than half an hour to 1 hour and wash your hair with a gentle shampoo and use regular conditioner. Using a cream especially for cracked feet and using socks after applying the cream definitely helps prevent the cracks in the skin. Along with good skin care practices, a healthy diet can help a lot. A diet full of fresh fruit, antioxidant and nuts can help the skin considerably. If in spite of your skin care practices you do experience winter related skin care problem, you can consult me at my clinic. You can take an appointment from Lybrate or you can call up at my clinic to fix an appointment. Thank you!