Red hands, chapped lips, scaly Spots all over body – our skin is tense in the cold Season, in the truest sense of the word. Who is particularly sensitive, developed itchy eczema and struggles with open. Especially neurodermatitis plagues in the Winter, the cold increases the symptoms. The range of creams and ointments is huge – but often mainly for one thing: a sense of helplessness in front of the drugstore shelf. How do I find the right care and why the Winter of our skin?
“The skin in the cold months dry because our natural skin device barrier out of Balance,” says Esther von Stebut-Borschitz, Director of the clinic for dermatology and venereology at the University hospital of Cologne. “This barrier prevents the Penetration of foreign substances and microorganisms and ensures that we lose too much water.” The constant change of dry air from the heating and cooling from hebele this protective function.
The fat it comes
“People usually have a smooth skin, but prone to Winter dryness, you should use a richer cream,” says von Stebut-Borschitz. The purchase of new skin care products is not often necessary, complements pharmacist Thomas Benkert, Vice-President of the Federal chamber of pharmacists (BAK): “Who exchanged the day cream and night cream does much for the skin.” Because night creams contain generally more fat than the light of day creams, which were, however, in the Winter, good for the night.
Who would like to acquire, nevertheless, in Winter, a new cream, you should look for when buying on the labelling of ‘water in Oil’, advises Benkert. It is important, however, to remove the oily cream, if you find yourself for long periods of time in enclosed spaces. “Parents lubricate your kids in front of the out thick a go,” says Benkert. “Remains of the oily cream in warm rooms long on the skin, and kids can overheat, literally.”
Protection for lips and hands
And what helps against dry lips? Skin doctor von Stebut advises-Borschitz to moisturize the lips as rarely as possible. “It relieves the feeling of tension, in the long term, the skin is still dry.” Fat pens with the inscription ‘For very dry lips’ were well suited. “It has also proven to the active ingredient Dexpanthenol,” says Thomas Benkert. “It increases the elasticity of the skin.”
Not only the face, the hands are in the winter time sensitive. “When washing your hands, we wash away valuable fat,” says Benkert. Because hand hygiene is particularly important for protection against pathogens, it is recommended to wash often the hands, but after that, always put the cream on.
Daily showers are allowed
In addition to proper care cream even small precautions can help measures to protect the skin in the Winter. “Also people with skin problems may showers contrary to popular belief, in Winter, every day,” says von Stebut-Borschitz. However, not too hot and not too long. “Otherwise, a kind of griddle effect and the fat is released from the skin,” explains the dermatologist.
The regular showers even has an advantage: The moisture of the skin is then especially receptive for care products. While showering about back fat are the end of lotions. Then you should blot the skin with a towel just to dry and not RUB it off.
More care in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis
For people with eczema and psoriasis small everyday changes often do not suffice to protect the skin even in the cold Season of the year. To counter this, it is important to maintain the skin consistently, says Esther von Stebut-Borschitz. Affected used in the rule, anyway a daily basis care. In the Winter you should change to a product with the inscription “For very dry skin”.
How do I find the perfect cream?
“I often find patients that have a whole burlap bag full of products and do not know how to find the perfect cream,” says von Stebut-Borschitz. She advises, to get samples and to test. “The best time to apply a new cream in the bend of the elbow, and repeated this two to three days.”
People with psoriasis should use creams with the moisturizing factor urea (Urea) ; as well as neurodermatitis, which benefited also from the active ingredient of Glycerin – so it also recommend the guidelines to which Doctors base the treatment of eczema and Psoriasis. Only in the case of babies, no urea-containing cream should be used.