Beauty Alert: Soft, Vibrant Skin during Harsh Winter Months

No, it’s not your imagination. Your skin is probably drier than usual, especially your hands. You can thank Old Man Winter and this winter’s frigid temperature phenomenon dubbed the Polar Vortex for this particular hand jive.

“Cold air holds less water vapor than warm air,” said noted dermatologist Dr. Leslie Baumann, author of “The Skin Type Solution” and CEO of Baumann Cosmetic & Research Institute in Miami, Fl. (www.derm.net). Baumann also writes the Yahoo! health blog, The Skin Guru, and is a regular expert for numerous publications as well as on television shows like “Good Morning America” and “The Today Show.”

Baumann said of all the parts of the body it’s the hands that suffer the most when it comes to dry skin. “Hands can be drier. They have different types of lipids,” she said of the naturally occurring molecules that include oils. “That’s why they wrinkle in water while the rest of the body does not.”

Baumann said the problem is exacerbated by the use of certain products such as hand sanitizers which, because of their high alcohol content, dry the skin. And, she added, there’s also a link between one’s diet and dry skin.

“You need fatty acids in fat and cholesterol for the skin to hold onto water. Lots of vegans have dry skin,” she noted. And, she added, that daily caffeine fix may also be adding to the problem since caffeine also dehydrates the body.

So what’s the answer? After all, winter is also cold and flu season and the use of cleansers and hand sanitizers is frequently mentioned as a way to limit the spread of germs and viruses.

Baumann said one of her suggestions is to use cleansers that don’t contain alcohol. She encourages her patients to use GCP Skincare, a cleanser used by physicians before surgery.

“It makes a really great hand sanitizer that does not have alcohol and does not dry the hands,” she said.

As for moisturizers, Baumann said there are certain important ingredients to look for including glycerin, MLE emulsion, ceramides and shea butter. Drinking plenty of water is also important, she said, adding that she also likes to encourage her patients to use a new water additive called Drip Drop that helps the body absorb water.

Among her favorite products are Vaseline Intensive Care Total Moisture Dry Skin Lotion, Kiehl’s and L’Occitane brand moisturizers and Zeroid face cream, though she noted that hand creams really are best for the hands since they’re heavier.

“Stay away from peppermint, cinnamon and other allergenic substances. And foaming soaps are the worst for dry hands,” she added. “If you must wash then use a cream cleanser, a gel like Cetaphil or wash with GCP Skincare.”

—Karyn D. Collins