Suffering from itchy skin in the winter months? Here’s what to do!

The cold is here, and though I absolutely love the winter, I know some suffer from an annoying winter ailment: winter itch. Let me explain where that itchy skin comes from and what you can do about it!

1. What’s winter itch?

In the winter months, the air is much drier. We also turn on the heating to keep ourselves warm. The downside is that this causes your skin to dry out faster. The moisture in your skin evaporates, making your skin drier and eventually flaking. In some cases, eczema also arises because your immune system wants to repair your epidermis. Subsequently, substances are released in your skin that causes itching. And with winter itch, as soon as you scratch, the itch often only gets worse.

2. How to recognise it?

There are a number of symptoms by which you can recognise winter itch. For example, the skin looks dry and flaky and eczema sometimes appears with redness, bumps, and blisters. You can also recognise it by skin with a crackle aspect. That looks a bit like the cracks in the paint of an old painting. Winter itch occurs mainly on the upper back, arms, and legs and sometimes on the face and neck. People with sensitive skin are especially prone to it.

3. Why the upper back?

Winter itch is common on the upper back and for a good reason. When you take a hot shower, your back is the first and most to be revealed to the hot water, which dries out the skin faster. To prevent winter itch on your upper back, it’s, therefore, better to take a short shower and use lukewarm water.

4. What to do?

It’s good to know that the itching basically disappears when the temperature rises again. But there are a number of things you can do against winter itch when you suffer from it:

• Don’t shower for too long and too hot. A water temperature of 35-36 degrees is best and don’t shower for more than five minutes.
• Use a hypoallergenic and perfume-free shower gel or shower oil.
• After showering, it’s important to take care of your skin with a moisturising cream. Preferably a perfume-free and hypoallergenic variant.
• Ventilate your house well in winter, for example by opening a window.
• Are you worried about the itch or does it bother you a lot? Then it’s wise to contact your doctor or a dermatologist.

Love, Skye Lewis ❤

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Image source: Pexels

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