Huff Post posted "6 Winter Skin Care Tips From Dermatologists " featuring Dr. Purvisha Patel and Visha Skincare.
If you live in a part of the world that experiences cold weather, you’ll know that frigid temperatures can wreak havoc on your skin, both on the face and body. It gets dry, flaky and can sometimes even crack, which can be painful or itchy.
On a quest to find out how to best protect the skin we’re in, we asked dermatologists to share their top tips for keeping our body’s largest organ healthy and hydrated throughout the cold months.
Avoid Hot Showers And Baths
“In the winter months, taking hot showers and not moisturizing can create cracks in the surface of the skin. Hot water evaporates fast, and if the skin is not immediately moisturized, the cracks in the skin let the skin nerves get exposed to air, resulting in what feels like lots of paper cuts and eczema, or ‘winter’s itch,’ Dr. Purvisha Patel, board certified dermatologist and founder of Visha Skincare, explained.
“I know it sounds like common sense, but with the weather we’ve been having, the thing we want to do is come home after a long walk and take a hot shower or bath,” Dr. Melda Isaac, founder and director of MI Skin Dermatology and Laser Center in Washington, D.C., told HuffPost, noting that water that’s too hot actually dehydrates our skin.
“If you do indulge in a hot shower or bath, keep your bathroom door closed if possible, and after you dry, moisturize,” Isaac added. She, too, recommended looking for products with ceramides as well as hyaluronic acid, to “keep the barrier of your skin from losing a lot of water.”