Cold Weather Skin Care, 2

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Winter is hard skin, whether you’re spending time outdoors or in.

Winter is a tough time because the relative humidity is much lower due to the central heat and air. And it’s especially a problem because the hands can get dry and cracked.

Dr. Jaculeen Dano is a board certified dermatologist with a practice in Austin. Dry, cracked skin on the hands, and overly dry, itchy skin elsewhere, can turn an outdoor adventure into and ordeal.

Dr. Dano says one way to prevent your skin from over-drying in winter is to wash in cool water, and stay away from harsh chemicals.

I always recommend using non-deodorant, non-anti-bacterial cleansers-–they tend to be a lot harsher—and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. So, cooler water in the colder temperature? I know. It doesn’t have to be cold, cold, but not excessively hot water.

Sunscreen helps moisturize exposed skin in addition to protecting from the damaging rays of the sun skin. For the hands…

When you’re choosing a hand moisturizer, looking for one with dimethicone in it is a good idea. It’s kind of a sealant that prevents it from washing away as easily, and it keeps things from irritating the skin.

Some people do have an allergic reaction to dimethicone creams, so check with your health care provider before using products containing it.

That’s our show for today…for Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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