Dry Skin Season... Is it Over, Yet???

     Good evening, Fam…  Has anyone else been just a bit bothered by the cold weather conditions that Mother Nature has dished out?  Living on the northeast coast of the US has been brutal on me this winter.  I can’t tell you how many times it snowed during the last 4 months, but I CAN tell you that I think I am satisfied with the snow we had and there really is no need for Mother Nature to come through this way with anymore snow this season…  Besides getting snowed in at my home and being unable to go to work or exercise, me and my car sliding on ice into traffic, spinning my wheels on my snow covered driveway only to realize I was not going to make it into the garage,  and falling on an icy step hurting my elbow and back, the only other issue I have had this season is my bone dry skin.  This is dry skin season and I need to know, IS IT OVER YET?

    Your skin needs moisture.  Moisture can come from the air, but in this cold weather, there is very little due to the low humidity during the winter season.  There are other factors that have also been associated with dry skin.  Did you know that age, as well as a few different medical conditions can affect the dryness of your skin as well???  My research tells me that high blood pressure, diabetes, and thyroid issues can affect the level of dryness of our skin.  Let’s see…  Oh, great!   Three of the 4 issues I mentioned, are a part of my life.

     Now, back when I was a little girl, whenever you took a bath—there were NO showers for us then—you were expected to put on either Jergens lotion (that was my grandmother’s favorite) or vaseline.  Do not come downstairs with any part of your body that looks ashy, dry or flaky.  If you did, before you finally left the house, you would look like the inside of a frying pan ready for fish or chicken because my Mother would SLATHER on vaseline.  There were times when breathing was an issue because she would put some such around your nostrils and mouth, the passages weren’t clear (okay, that’s an exaggeration, but you get what I am trying to say).  The point is, to THIS day, WHENEVER i shower or bathe, I moisturize with lotion/cream and I still manage to suffer the effects of dry skin during the winter, so I cannot imagine you folks that never experienced that regime in your lifetime.

     What do you do about this dryness???  Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!  Various lotions and creams will give the skin a layer of protection to help hold in moisture.  Use a humidifier.  A portable humidifier in your bedroom will help add moisture to the air, thus helping prevent dry skin.  Hand sanitizers are great, but they are loaded with alcohol which can dry out your skin.  Get a sanitizer that has aloe vera in it.  That will help neutralize the the drying effect of the alcohol.  Try to use soaps that are free of fragrances, alcohol, and deodorants, as they can dry out your skin.  Go with a moisturizing product that has extra oils or creams.  We also need to, ONCE AGAIN, watch what we eat.  Certain foods and drinks have diuretic effects.  Coffee, tea, carbonated drinks are not good for the skin.  Drink water!!!   And please don't forget the lips....  You do realize that you lick your lips more often than you realize either through conversation or after drinking, eating, or just in habit.  Keep them moisturized by using chapstick or my favorite, Vaseline.

     There is no need to walk around with lizard-looking skin.  Moisturize, humidify, drink water, and keep the lips kiss-smackin' ready!!!  SMOOCHES...