5 Winter Skin Myths To Avoid

Wind. Not enough water. Dry indoor heat. Poor circulation. These are just some of the major dehydrators that can make skincare during the winter months such an arduous, uncomfortable process. Add to that the misinformation that dermatology patients take to heart, and it's no wonder we're confused about our dry, itchy skin.

"Winter skin care comes down to adequate hydration of the dermis," says Dr. Bobby Buka, a practicing dermatologist in New York City. "Most of the water we have in our skin is in the dermal layer, which is just below the epidermis, or the surface."

The trick to beating the effects of the coldest season? Help lock in moisture to the dermis while still letting the skin breathe. There are also a couple of general wellness tricks that help keep skin supple, like staying active and using cooler water to bathe. For more skin myths -- and a few better remedies to replace them with -- click through below.

Comments

[mzrecycle]

04:38 PM on 01/13/2012

A simple, cheap help for dry skin: put organic almond, or sunflower oil in a washed out hair color bottle that has a cone shaped top with a small opening. Keep only an inch of so in the container, rest in the fridge. After shower or bath, put an old ratty towel down in the tub, stand on it and squeeze out a few drops of oil. Apply to wet skin, lightly touch to distribute oil. Massage into skin, further spreading it evenly. Blot all over with another old towel. Wear old knit cotton clothes for 10 min.
Use additive to laundry that will cut oil, wash towels, etc. separately.

All lotions contain water. After a short time, skin appears just as dry as before application. With hands, one wash, & it's washed away.
I make a hand cream that is hydrous lanolin, shea butter and bees wax. Melt each in it's own small pyrex container in a skillet of hot water on range. Watch continuously while heating. When melted, add together and use one beater in a hand mixer to blend. Pour into your containers.

I run my fingernail across the top of cooled cream, having it accumulate on the top of the nail tip. Dot on the skin. Repeat as many times as necessary to distribute some all over hands. I rub my hands together vigorously (heat helps cream to melt into skin).
This is a petrolatum free version of a popular product.

[traceymarie]

10:51 PM on 01/12/2012

I just add more ice and water to my scotch to stay hydrated

[local21]

07:06 AM on 01/13/2012

cheers !

[traceymarie]

12:50 PM on 01/13/2012

Salud!

[TotallyDaft]

09:35 PM on 01/12/2012

The tip for caring for a sore nose is timely, lol.

[Carl Caroli]

03:48 PM on 01/12/2012

Slide 2 caught me be surprise. Looks like something you wouldn't put a picture of on this site.

[Paws Up]

07:58 AM on 01/13/2012

OMG.....i thought that too. I was about to x out the screen lol. My mom would have killed me.

[IKnowWhatYouDid]

06:17 PM on 01/13/2012

When I first read this I had no idea what you were talking about. Then I revisited the slide and my face looked like this ==> 8-) lol, maybe they should have just showed a container of vaseline...

[AchuBlessU]

11:45 AM on 01/12/2012

k cool, thanks