Winter can be a depressing time for your skin, with many more people suffering from what we call ‘SAD Skin’. During the winter months skin is subject to more damage, dehydration and stress than you may realise. The Great British Winter means that you’re subjected to the extremes of harsh weather conditions and indoor heating. Add this to the damage caused by the sun, even on a cloudy day and the result can be devastating to the health of your skin if you don’t look after it properly.
The symptoms of ‘SAD skin’ are commonly dry, flaky, dull and itchy skin. Anyone can be affected, not just those of us with more sensitive skin or existing skin problems, although as we age and skin becomes thinner and holds less moisture the symptoms can be exacerbated. This is because the number of sebaceous glands which give out the essential moisturising oils become less effective and therefore the skin’s ability to hold moisture is reduced. We are all familiar with the look and feel of dry skin, but one particular worry for people with more mature skin is that the loss of moisture can exaggerate the
appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Sadly, the problems that can occur with
dry skin do not stop at undesirable cosmetic appearance. Dry skin commonly causes itching which can be severe. Repeated rubbing and scratching creates areas of thickened, rough skin which often results in painful cracks, leaving skin open to infection which may require help from a doctor or dermatologist.
Stress is also common at this time of year, especially with the approach to Christmas, but it is very important that you do take some time to relax and keep stress levels at bay. Not only does stress have a negative impact on your general health, but also shows on your skin, as it slows down the rate of cell turnover making skin look lifeless and dull. Long term stress can also suppress natural immunity, breaking down the skin’s defense mechanism leaving you more likely to pick up infections.
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