Health
Are the Comforts of Winter
NATURAL Nutmeg
Damaging Your Skin?
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022
14
By Elisabeth Johnson
“It’s funny how it works—the things we do for comfort in the cold weather can sometimes be the worst things for our skin.” —Elisabeth Johnson
A
ll my life I have battled rosacea—a skin condition that in the winter gets aggravated with the harsh cold wind outside and the dry heat inside. I earned the nickname “Rudolph” growing up from this condition, because my nose was always bright red in the winter. The teasing over my red nose and cheeks made a serious impact growing up, knocking my self-confidence down for years. I was always cautious of the obvious known triggers like the cold, heat, caffeine, and spicy foods, and avoided them where I was able. My key to managing my skin condition has been to find some of the lesser-known triggers—things we don’t realize will have an adverse effect on it—and managing those. It has become a passion of mine to try and help others who have suffered from the same issues find better ways to help their skin.
What’s Causing That Dry Winter Skin?
During the winter months, most people experience some sort of frustration with their skin—it is not limited to those with rosacea. It’s funny how it works—the things we do for comfort in the cold weather can sometimes be the worst things for our skin. When we come in from shoveling or being out in the cold, all we want is to get warm
and dry. There is nothing that feels better than sitting in front of a fire and getting that instant warmth…but sadly, that dries out your skin. Taking a hot shower can also feel incredible, but that, too, dries out your skin and can even strip it of the natural oils—oils that help provide a barrier to keep in the moisture we need to keep our skin at its best health. Cranking up the heat when we get up in the morning or when we get home from work can also be detrimental to our skin. Our home heating systems tend to produce a very dry heat, which can further dehydrate our skin. The liquids we consume can even have a significant impact. We tend to drink more hot liquids in the winter and less of the necessary cool, hydrating water, and alcohol in excess effects your skin as well—the facial blood vessels become restricted, which can stop the oxygenated blood from getting where it’s needed, creating that reddened, puffy face we all know and hate. And although it’s easy to do in low winter temps, we often harm our skin by forgetting to wear sunscreen. Snow and ice can reflect the sun right back onto our skin, so even though it may not feel possible in the cold winter air, there is still a big risk of getting a sunburn and doing further damage.
