Caring For Your Skin Through The Seasons
As the seasons change, the condition of your skin likely changes with you, going from oily to dry and back again in an annual cycle of changing skin conditions. The steps for caring for the skin changes nearly as often as the seasons do, ranging from moisturizer in the winter to baby powder in the spring. Keeping track of the tools and supplies necessary to care for the skin can be a hassle and a chore to manage on a year round basis. But with some planning and a few steps of preparation, the ordeal of keeping up with a skin treatment routine can be a simple matter.
In the summer, most people have the least problems with their skin. The exception to this rule are the allergy sufferers and those with exceedingly oily skin. In summer, allergies can flare up, causing all manner of heat related skin disorders, including several types of dermatitis, the cause of eczema symptoms. Treating these heat related symptoms can be extremely difficult and generally require a doctor. Preventing the onset of heat related skin problems is the best method of defense, as simply keeping cool can prevent the majority of this type of problems.
Allergies that cause skin problems in the summer are very difficult to prevent, as most inflammants are environmental in nature, such as poison ivy, or other plants that can cause a reaction in the skin. Avoiding suspicious plants and substances is good advice at any time of the year, including plants that can be populated by bugs, which can also be a summer time skin irritant.
As the weather cools, skin problems change and often reverse themselves. Those who suffer from oily skin can get dry and flaky skin in the winter, accompanied by severe dandruff or other scalp irritation and flaking. The dryness of the winter air is largely considered the root of these dry skin and flaky scalp conditions. Once again, staying indoors is good advice. Exfoliating the skin with a loofa and moisturizing body wash to remove the dry skin and following the shower or bath with a moisturizing cream or lotion is usually the extent of the winter dry skin treatment. Moisturizing the skin every day or even more frequently than once a day is an easy way to keep the skin from drying and cracking in the winter.
It's important to note that most dermatologists agree that extremely hot showers or baths are harmful to the skin, as well as harsh scrubbing and scraping. The hot water causes further drying of the skin, causing cracking and painful tightness of the skin. Experts recommend warm water, even in cold weather, and a light touch for the washing of the skin, rather than scrubbing. As the temperatures vary, so also must the treatment of the skin vary.