S.O.S.—SAVE OUR SKIN
THIS WINTER SAVE THE ALIGATOR LOOK FOR YOUR HANDBAG AND FOLLOW SKIN SCIENCE
EXPERT AND LEADING DERMATOLOGIST DR. JEANNETTE GRAF'S SIX TIPS FOR SILKIER SKIN

Winter is almost synonymous with dry and itchy skin. In fact the term
“winter itch” is commonly used to describe the changes that affect our
skin in these namesake months. The relative humidity in the
atmosphere is lower in the wintertime, so the outermost layers of skin
which contain moisture-attracting humectants will have less moisture
available. The result is dry skin. When dry skin worsens in severity it
is often accompanied by itching, chapping and eczematous rashes. 

But don't despair. You can still have smooth, silky skin this season, if you follow these six tips:

1. Keep a home humidifier running, particularly in your room at night.  Since the air humidity is lower in winter and is made even drier by home heating, a humidifier can be quite helpful in adding much needed moisture to the air.

2. Avoid long, hot showers—which can be a challenge, especially after that early morning walk from your bedroom into your bathroom on a cold floor. So many of us love standing under the pulsating hot water that feels so good on our backs. It warms us up and we end up staying in longer than we should. These kinds of showers are a major contributing factor to dry, itchy skin, as they wears away the important moisture retaining lipid barrier of our skin. Without these lipids, our skin loses more moisture since our natural skin humectants are not able to function properly without our skin protective lipids.  Showers must be kept to a three to five minute activity and the water temperature must be lukewarm. I suggest using an egg timer since I have found we underestimate the amount of time we are in the shower. If possible, I suggest taking a shower before bedtime and having a cup of tea or coffee in the morning wake up and warm up.

3. Use a moisturizing body wash or a soap-free body wash in the shower rather than a harsh scrub or deodorant soap. This can go a long way in helping to preserve the precious lipid barrier.

4. Moisturize the skin of your body morning and evening. Applying moisturizers to the body is usually done only after a shower or bath.  However, you should be moisturizing whether or not you've showered. In the winter especially, you need to apply a moisturizer to your body skin two times daily.  Using a moisturizer which contains lactic acid or urea can be helpful since they are humectants. If you really want to have super soft skin, I recommend applying a natural body oil or lipid moisturizer over it to simulate normal skin. If you are in a hurry, I recommend using a body oil spray, which is also great for getting to those hard to reach areas such as your back.

5. Don’t forget to wear UVA/UVB protective sunblock on your face and hands every day since UVA rays stay the same all year round. Be especially careful if you are a skier since snow is a giant sun reflector.

6. If you are planning to take a vacation in a warm climate during the winter months, prepare your skin for the sun exposure by applying a sunblock to your body everyday for a month. The first sun exposure after not being in the sun for many months can result in redness even while wearing a sunblock. Sunblock has a collective protective effect on the skin and pre-applying it for several weeks before going away can help prevent redness often associated with initial sun exposure.

Dr. Jeannette Graf, MD, FAAD, is a leading skin science expert, board certified, clinical and research dermatologist. A top industry expert, published author and National Institute of Health award winner, Dr. Graf combines minimally invasive office procedures with effective skincare products and nutrition and lifestyle counseling to elicit both an inner and outer beauty from each of her clients. To get your glow, go to www.askdrgraf.com.