Skin tips for winter preparedness

Save Your Skin From Wintry Blues

New Delhi, December 2: Being ‘skin-deep’ is wisdom in winter season.

This season is usually a very trying time for skin. The extreme cold causes dryness and triggers conditions like eczema. Who better than dermatologist Dr. Aruna Raghunathan of Enhance clinics, who leads by example of keeping lustrous and healthy skin herself, knows best to protect the body sheath?

For the impending winter season, which can get extreme anytime soon, Dr. Reghunathan has shared a few Winter skin and Hair care tips for meditoall readers and visitors so that they can avoid potential damage to their skin. They are as follow:

1. Bathing with lukewarm water and not very hot water.
2. Before bathing one should use coconut oil or olive oil or baby oils for light massage.
3. Avoid using harsh soaps, very mild moisturizing soaps to be used.
4. Bath water emollients (skin softener products) are available freely which can be added to bathing water, This leaves a protective coating to the skin.
5. After bath, a good thick moisturizer like glycerin, Shea (a kind of tree) butter, cocoa butter, aloevera , or even oils should be applied immediately to seal the moisture within.
6. The clothing should be in layers and the immediate layer touching the skin should be pure cotton only. Warmers, sweaters and jackets can be worn on top. This minimizes the chances of skin allergies.
7. For people with very dry skin frequent moisturizing is good.
8. People with atopic or eczematous tendency should visit a dermatologist, undergo examination and take necessary precautions.
9. Sunscreen to the face in mandatory even in winters and should be repeated every 3 hours.
10. Lips should be smeared with petroleum jelly and feet with good foot creams.
11. Hair to be oiled and washed on regular intervals. Appropriate anti-dandruff treatment to be taken if required.