The winter season is harsh on the skin. It explains why most people tend to experience eczema flare-ups during the cold season.
In most cases, people find that their dermatitis or eczema becomes quite bad on areas of the skin exposed to the winter elements, e.g., the face and hands.
Fortunately, there are a range of treatments and home remedies, e.g., buying
Hydrocortisone tablets at International Pharmacy can help prevent its symptoms.
Read on for tips on how to prevent an eczema flare-up during the cold season.
1. Wear Gloves for the Duration of the Winter Season
Hand eczema can refer to the emergence of blisters, peeling, and deep cracks on your hands. Consider protecting your hands using a pair of gloves whenever you have to head outside.
It’s recommended that you wear gloves every day during the cold season to assist your hands in retaining moisture and protecting them from the environment.
You may want to consider skipping woolen gloves during winter. Such gloves can prove to be itchy and highly irritating for people with eczema-prone hands.
Leather or thick cotton gloves are best for use in winter.
2. Use a Humidifier in Your Bedroom
Sleeping with a humidifier in your bedroom is a recommended treatment for winter eczema. The cold and dry air allows you to enjoy drier skin.
Remember that most winter practices, such as spending too much time outdoors or cranking up your indoor heat, can lead to skin irritation.
According to Mayo Clinic, you should ensure that your indoor humidity remains between 30 to 35%. Placing a humidifier in your bedroom will help you add some moisture to the air.
3. Avoid Long Hot Baths
Heat can cause your body to begin drying out. As such, you should skip hot long showers and baths. Consider using warm water to bathe or reduce your bathing frequency.
Add some moisturizer to the bathing water to assist in keeping your skin moist when taking a bath. For this, ensure you look for products made explicitly for bathing.
For example:
• You can look for moisturizing oatmeal products intended for bathing
• Reduce your overall bathing time
• If you have children prone to winter eczema, reduce their bath time to 5 minutes
After taking your shower, refrain from using a towel to dry your skin. The best option here is to pat it dry. Patting prevents irritation and allows the skin to retain moisture.
4. Try to Get Some Vitamin D
Your skin naturally generates vitamin D whenever it gets exposed to direct sunlight. Given that the sun doesn’t come out often during the winter, it may become difficult for your skin to obtain the vitamin D it needs to repair itself.
Studies show that taking vitamin D supplements can assist in improving eczema symptoms.
5. Eliminate All Harsh Soaps from Your Bathroom
It would help if you used gentle cleansers in place of harsh soaps. Gentle cleansers will assist in soothing eczema and your winter skin.
The body can tolerate continued use of harsh anti-bacterial soaps during the warm season, but it’s recommended that you stick to non-soap cleansers during winter.
When shopping, skip anything labeled soap and focus on those with the words ‘body bar’ or ‘face cleanser’ in them.
Eczema is incurable, however small lifestyle changes can help alleviate aggressive flares. Winter is a difficult time for eczema sufferers to be sure to take time out for practical self-care (stress is a trigger for eczema) and moisturize regularly!
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
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