Dry, Winter Skin

The first form of barrier disorder: dry skin

Cooler, dry, winter air tends to create a perfect storm for creating or exacerbating a compromised barrier with dry, irritated, red skin.

Skin likes around 60% relative humidity. Winter in the Okanagan is around 30-40%. It’s why skin goes from a raisin-like to grape-like shortly after you step off the plane in Mexico.  

If the air in our environment is dry, the environment will take water from wherever it can get it, including us. A process called transepidermal water loss (TEWL). TEWL is higher overnight.

Healthy skin is a balance of oil and water. If there’s not enough oil (epidermal fats including triglycerides, squalene, ceramides, cholesterol, phospholipids, fatty acids, Natural Moisturising Factor) produced by the skin, water will evaporate at a higher rate; skin will become more irritated, red, itchy and prone to dermatitis.

Dry skin is only the beginning of many barrier disorders, including:

• couperose

• rosacea

• acne

• psoriasis

• neurodermatitis

• skin inflammations

• premature skin aging

A few things to help:

• humidifier or diffuser

• avoid products with colour & fragrance

• avoid products with emulsifiers (ie. sodium laurel sulphates)

• use physiological compatible products to repair barrier

• balanced diet (easier said than done!)

• water and omega 3’s

Reach out if your skin could use some help feeling better.