Skin-care tips that will have you ready for spring

When she gives her "generic spiel" on wintertime skin care, MIT Medical dermatologist Caroline Levine, M.D., gets the biggest question out of the way immediately. "My patients always worry that I'm going to tell them not to shower every day," she laughs. "They're so relieved when I tell them a daily shower is okay."

But they tend to be less happy with the next part of Levine's lecture. That would be the part where she tells them to make it quick and lukewarm.

There's nothing like a long, hot shower on a cold winter morning, Levine concedes, but as hot water evaporates from your skin during one of those 20-minute, mirror-fogging, body-scalding revelries, it takes valuable moisture along with it. That's the last thing you need at this time of year in New England, when the double whammy of artificial heat indoors and chilling winds outside have already conspired to rob your skin of moisture at every turn.

According to Levine, a successful wintertime skin care regimen has two main components: avoiding activities that can further damage or dry the skin and adding moisture whenever possible. "In the spring and summer, your skin can pick up moisture from the air," she explains. "But the air is drier in the late fall and winter. And when your skin dries out, it damages the lipids in the top layer, breaching your body's natural defenses against the elements and against infection-causing bacteria."

Avoid skin damage in the shower

As it turns out, hot water is not your skin's only shower-time enemy. To further protect your skin in the shower, Levine offers these recommendations:

• Use a mild, unscented soap: Anything labeled as "gentle" or "moisturizing" is probably a good choice, Levine says.
• Don't use a washcloth. "Just wash yourself using your hands," Levine advises. "Washcloths, scrub brushes, and those puffy-scrubber things are abrasive and perpetuate skin dryness."
• Wash only the important parts of your body. "On a day-to-day basis, most of us are not getting that dirty," Levine notes. "If you're a construction worker or doing other very strenuous activities, you can wash all over, but, otherwise, just wash your face, armpits, groin, and feet on a daily basis, and forget about your arms, legs, back, chest, and belly. Unless you're getting filthy dirty, you don't need to wash all those areas every day."
• Pat yourself dry. After showering, Levine recommends patting yourself dry with a towel. "Pat; don't rub!" she emphasizes.

Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!

"Once you've dried off after a shower, use a good body moisturizer immediately," Levine says. "This will help to seal in the moisture that's gotten into your skin from taking the shower."

Although everyone should be using a skin moisturizer in the winter, there's no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of moisturizer choice. Levine recommends choosing a facial moisturizer based on skin type. And if the skin on certain parts of your face tends to be oily, just moisturize the spots where extra moisture is needed.

When it comes to body and hand moisturizers, Levine recommends reading the label and choosing an unscented product that contains petrolatum, mineral oil, linoleic acid, ceramides, dimethicone, and/or glycerine. She advises against moisturizers with added preservatives, perfumes, and lanolin, which can be irritating to people with allergies or sensitive skin. "You want to use a moisturizer that is relatively thick but not greasy," she says. "I especially like a product called Vanicream. I would also recommend Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. Some of the Curél products also seem to work quite well."

Moisturizers with fruit acids, such as alpha-hydroxy acid or lactic acid, work well for people who can comfortably use them, Levine says. "Fruit acids are humectants, so these products will help draw moisture into the skin," she explains. "But you don't want to use a product with fruit acids if you have any kind of rash or if your skin is broken down in any way, because it will sting." One product of this type Levine recommends is AmLactin Moisturizing Cream.

"All the moisturizers I've mentioned by name are over-the-counter products, Levine adds, "but stores tend to hide the AmLactin cream behind the counter, so you may have to ask the pharmacist for that one."

Hands

Clean hands are especially important during prime cold and flu season, but the skin on our hands often bears the brunt of winter dryness and chapping. Levine's answer, not surprisingly, is to moisturize frequently. "Use a little bit of lotion every time you wash your hands," she says. "I carry a little tube of cream with me, so I always have it available."

Although hand sanitizers must contain a concentration of at least 60 percent alcohol—the amount required to kill germs effectively—Levine says they are no more damaging to the hands than washing with soap and water. And they may actually be less harmful. "Nobody seems to dry their hands very well after washing," Levine says. "So you're constantly leaving a little bit of water on your hands to air dry, and that wet-dry-wet-dry cycle wreaks havoc on your skin."

Prevention is key

New England winters present a real challenge to maintaining healthy skin, Levine acknowledges, but, she says, the "winter itch" is not inevitable. Most wintertime skin woes are entirely preventable, she emphasizes. Frequent moisturizing and doing what you can to prevent further damage will get your skin through the winter in good shape for spring. After all, warm weather is just around the corner!