Protect your skin during the winter months
Harsh weather of winter adds special concerns for your skin.

Dry itchy skin can appear during the winter months. This can be a result of the increasing of heating your home or office. This can reduce the relative humidity (moisture in the air). If this moisture drops below 60 percent, your skin wil begin to lose moisture. This is when skin can become dry, itchy, and flaky.

When the skin loses moister from low humidity, from washing your skin, because the top layer of skin loses the lipids that the oil glands produce. Lipids keep the skin from losing moisture and keep your skin soft and flexible.

The skin can replenish the moisture by increasing humidity. However, taking hot showers is not the way to do this. Hot showers are shown to also cause the drying of skin.

Showering or bathing in luke warm water for between 5 and 10 minutes is the best to protect your skin.

It is recommended to put on creams, ointments, and moisturizing lotions within 3 minutes from getting out of the bath or shower.

Snow can radiate up to 80% of the sun's ultraviolet rays. make sure to sue sunscreens withat least SPF's of 15 or better. Use lip balms with the same SPF's of 15 or better.

Use a humidifiers to increase low humidity in your home or office.

When you wash your hands apply lotion immediately after drying hands. You can put a light coating of Vasoline or other petroleum jelly to trap moisture in areas that have patches of dry skin.

See your dematologist or a skin care professional for more specific advice. Dermatologists are doctors who specialize in the skin.