Winter dry skin - Why do we get dry skin in winter?

Home › Dry skin tips › Dry skin in winter - Why do we get dry skin in winter.

Most of us experience dry skin during winter. In winter, dry skin is caused due to loss of moisture from epidermis layer. Winter heralds festivity, snow and sports for many of us.

However for many others it means dry, scaly and itchy skin with dull and faded appearance. Understanding the environmental changes and the related changes on our skin can help us in tackling dry conditions.

Dry winter skin: Significance of relative humidity

Sun heats up the air and water bodies around us and water evaporates into atmosphere increasing its water content. This percentage of water content in atmosphere is called relative humidity. The ideal level of humidity for human skin to feel comfortable and be healthy is between 30% to 60%. Our epidermis is tuned to produce sweat during hot weather to cool the body.

When the sweat evaporates it takes away heat from the epidermis surface due to 'principle of latent heat of vaporization' and making it cool.

Alopecia areata universalis What is alopecia areata Types of alopecia Definition of alopecia What is poliosis What is piebaldism Tender skin

The change is endothermic, meaning that the sweat (water) absorbs energy (heat) from surroundings (skin) for going from liquid to gas state. In hot summer if we are surrounded by big water bodies or sea the relative humidity of air goes beyond 60% and sometimes reaching even 100%.

In such conditions, the evaporation from epidermis surface is greatly reduced as sweat does not evaporate as the air is already loaded with high levels of moisture. This causes great discomfort as our body does not cool properly. However the sweating and high activity of the sebaceous glands keep the epidermis sufficiently hydrated.

Low winter humidity causes dry skin

In winter the reverse effects are true.

Hypopigmentation on face Post inflammatory hypopigmentation Malassezia furfur fungus Diagnosis of tinea versicolor Symptoms of tinea versicolor Tinea versicolor treatment Tinea versicolor causes What is methemoglobinemia Methemoglobinemia causes Methemoglobinemia treatment

The sweat glands and also sebaceous gland activity is greatly reduced in cold weather. Skin pores are also closed due to cold weather. As the air is cold and as the water bodies are not warmed up the relative humidity drops down and air becomes very low in moisture. This cold air picks up moisture from the surfaces it comes into contact.

If we are exposed to such draught of cold wind the moisture from epidermis layer gets removed causing flaking and scaling. The same dehydrated air also occupy our house in cold weather. If we use heaters in the house the air further dehydrates the skin. Further the fluctuation from cold air outdoors to dehydrated warm air inside the home takes away further moisture from epidermis.

Effects of winter air on stratum corneum layer of skin

Those having chronic dry skin will find great discomfort, itching and dermatitis during these winter conditions.

What is melasma What is nevus anemicus What is cellulitis Melasma natural treatment Melasma in men Definition of melasma

Persons with normal or oily epidermis also get into spells of dehydrated conditions in cold weather due to dehydration of the top most layer, stratum corneum. With lower temperatures in winter skin turnover is reduced. The moisture trapped between the lipid stacks of stratum corneum layer get dehydrated due to low humidity of the air.

Further there is no topping up of the moisture or lipids by the sweat and oil glands. So the stratum corneum structure gets affected and so also is desquamation process resulting in flaking and scaling. The regions of the epidermis having less concentration of sebaceous glands are the most affected.

Winter dry skin: tackling the problem

The dehydrated skin problem can be tackled effectively by following certain basic principles like not getting exposed to cold wild, using humidifier in living area and copious use of moisturizer etc. There is no need to live with painful, scaly, winter dry skin and there are many ways to alleviate the situation.

Related topics in the natural skincare: Follicular mucinosis. Fordyce spots granules. Function of epidermis. Homemade face moisturizer. Idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis. Idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis causes. Idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis treatment. Nevus depigmentosus. Fordyce spots treatment. Vitiligo depigmentation. Causes of vitiligo.

Interesting topics in the natural skincare: Alopecia barbae. Treatment for dry skin. Vitiligo camouflage. Leucoderma signs. Milk spots. Milia causes. Milia treatment. Tactile defensiveness. Olive oil moisturizer. White spots on children. Pityriasis alba.

Current topic in natural skincare: Why do we get dry skin in winter