Taking Care of Dry Skin

Seunga (Jasmine) Han, PharmD Student

It’s that time of the year, where the cold, dry air can take a toll on our skin. It can be common for many of us to experience flaky, dry skin on our hands, face, and body during the winter months. 

Not only is dry skin irritating and itchy, but it can be more prone to crack, causing bleeding, pain and increase risk of a skin infection. It can be easy to neglect our skin with our busy lifestyle until it’s already damaged. So before that happens, make sure to take care of yourself and use some of the following tips we’ll cover today.

What are some causes of dry skin?

There are many causes to dry skin including medical condition and medications. There are also causes that we can mitigate to prevent dry skin in the first place, and these include:

#1 Low humidity (dry air)
This can be a problem both indoors and outdoors. Anything from cold wind, hot climates, electric heat, fireplaces to air-conditioning, they can cause dry skin. If you find yourself experiencing dry skin at home, consider investing in a humidifier to moisten your home environment.

#2 UV light exposure
While sun exposure is important for vitamin D in our body, prolonged periods in the sun could result in photo-aging. When UV light penetrates the skin, it can cause dryness, thickening of the skin, and increase the risk of skin cancer.

Contrary to what many of us think, our exposure to UV light is actually greater in the winter because of angle changes of the sun and reflection from snow. So make sure to take appropriate steps to cover your skin from overexposure to the sun.

#3 Frequent hand washing
Hand washing is an excellent way to stay clean and reduce the spread of infection, but it also requires frequent use of hand soaps. Hand soaps can strip away the natural oils that moisten your hands. We’re not suggesting you wash your hands less, but consider keeping a bottle of lotion near your sink.

#4 Excessively warm, long, or frequent showers/baths
As relaxing as it may be, bathing or showering frequently in hot water too frequently or for a long periods of time can lead to drying of the skin. If this was the case, consider using lukewarm to warm water, having 3-5 minute baths or showers, and for 2-3 times/week.

Treating dry skin

Even after taking precautionary measures, it’s still possible to end up with dry skin. There is a wide variety of products available in the market from creams, lotions to ointments that we can use to treat dry skin. Let’s take a closer look at each one of them.

#1 Emollients (Glaxal Base^®, Cetaphil^®, George’s^® )
Emollients contain emulsifiers such as stearic acid, stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol and work by filling in the gaps between your skin cells. You can use these products 3-4 times a day to help seal the moisture into the skin.

#2 Occlusives (Keri^®, Ihle’s Paste^®, Lubriderm^®, Vaseline^®)
Occlusives look more ointment-like and are typically heavier and greasier. They work by blocking the surface of the skin cell to prevent further water loss. For this reason, we wouldn’t recommend occlusives during hotter seasons where you’re likely to sweat or on the face as it could clog your pores.  However, occlusives do a great job of staying firmly on the skin and creating a protective, outer film which locks in moisture and is helpful in the cold winter months. 

#3 Humectants (Dermaflex^®, Dermal Therapy^®, Eucerin^®, Uremol 10%^®, Urisec^® )
Humectants are unique in that they directly bring moisture into the skin from the surrounding environment.  Glycerin, urea and lactic acid are some humectants found in many products. They can be used 2-3 times a day and in combination with occlusives to enhance the ability of your skin to hold water. Avoid using the product on open skin, as it could cause stinging and burning. 

As always, we hope you took away something valuable from this piece. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this article or others, feel free to reach out to us on Instagram, Facebook, or at ask@orbishealth.ca with your feedback. We’d love to hear from you.

RESOURCES

1. RxTx
2. Dynamed Plus