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Monday's Health Report: How to protect your skin in the cool, dry months
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BATON ROUGE — It's the season of dry skin, and if you're feeling the itch, you're not alone!
"The cold temperatures outside, the high heat and the low humidity, all of those factors play a role in making our skin more dry and more sensitive," Dermatologist Dr. Susan Massick said.
Dr. Massick says there are ways to protect your skin and provide some relief. She says it starts with hydration.
"We want to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. You can never moisturize enough," she said.
Massick says most products out there are effective emollients, and ointments like petroleum jelly can help seal moisture into the skin. Creams that have more oil than water can replenish skin to keep it healthy.
"Lotions tend to have more water, and so they are able to glide on the skin more easily than creams, but creams and ointments are more moisturizing," Dr. Massick said.
When outdoors, she says to cover up to make sure your skin isn't exposed to the elements.
Inside, consider using a humidifier and avoid taking long, hot showers; keep it lukewarm and shorter.
She also says to pay attention to what you're washing with.
"Make sure we're using mild soaps, gentle cleansers, avoid the really harsh astringents, toners, perfumes, scented types of cleansers that can actually help irritate the skin," she said.
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