Dry Skin Care: How to Keep Skin Comfortable in Winter and AC Rooms

Dry skin is not only a winter problem in India. North Indian winters certainly bring cracked heels and ashy shins, but plenty of people in Chennai or Mumbai feel the same tightness after eight hours in an office where the air conditioner never switches off. Cold, dry air and cooled, dehumidified air do the same thing: they pull water out of the top layer of the skin faster than it can be replaced.

The encouraging part is that dry skin usually improves quickly once you stop stripping it and start sealing moisture in.

Recognising dry skin

Dry skin tends to feel tight after washing, looks dull or flaky, and can itch, especially on the shins, forearms and hands. On brown skin, dryness often shows up as a greyish or "ashy" look. In more severe cases, the skin cracks, particularly on the heels, knuckles and around the nails, and small cracks can sting or bleed.

Dry skin is a skin type, but dehydration, a temporary lack of water in the skin, can happen to anyone, including people with oily skin. The care below helps both.

Rethink the bath

For many people, the hot bath is the biggest cause of winter dryness. It feels wonderful, but very hot water and long soaks wash away the natural oils that protect the skin.

• Use lukewarm rather than hot water, and try to keep baths and showers to around ten minutes.
• Swap harsh soaps for a mild, fragrance-free cleanser or a syndet bar, which is gentler than a traditional soap.
• Use cleanser mainly where you need it, such as the underarms, groin and feet, rather than lathering the whole body every day.
• Pat skin dry with a soft towel instead of rubbing.
• Skip rough loofahs and scrubbing mitts while your skin is dry and irritated.

Moisturise within a few minutes

The best time to apply moisturiser is right after washing, while your skin is still slightly damp. That traps some of the water on the skin instead of letting it evaporate.

Moisturisers work in three broad ways, and good ones for dry skin usually combine them:

• Humectants such as glycerin, hyaluronic acid and urea draw water into the skin.
• Emollients such as ceramides, fatty alcohols, shea butter and plant oils soften and fill in gaps between skin cells.
• Occlusives such as petrolatum, dimethicone and beeswax form a thin seal on top that slows water loss.

In practice, this means thicker creams and ointments are more effective for dry skin than thin lotions or gels. Plain petroleum jelly, used as a final layer at night on very dry patches, is one of the most effective and least expensive options. Coconut oil and other oils can feel lovely on the body, but they are mostly emollients; applying them over a humectant-containing cream, or on damp skin, works better than oil on dry skin alone.

A face routine for dry skin

• Cleanse once a day, in the evening, with a creamy or non-foaming cleanser. In the morning, rinsing with water is often enough.
• Apply a hydrating serum with hyaluronic acid or glycerin on damp skin if you like, then a richer moisturiser.
• Finish with sunscreen in the morning; cream sunscreens often double as extra moisture.
• Go easy on exfoliating acids and retinoids during very dry months. Reduce how often you use them if your face stings when you apply ordinary moisturiser.
• Avoid alcohol-heavy toners and strongly fragranced products.

Surviving the air-conditioned office

Air conditioning removes moisture from the air as it cools, so skin loses water steadily through the day even if you are not doing anything.

• Keep a small tube of hand cream and a lip balm at your desk and use them after every hand wash.
• A thin layer of moisturiser on the face in the middle of the day helps if your skin feels tight. Press it on gently over sunscreen or make-up rather than rubbing.
• Drink water through the day.
• If you can, avoid sitting directly under or in front of the AC vent.
• At home, running a humidifier in the bedroom at night can help in very dry conditions. Clean it often, following the instructions, so it does not grow mould.

Hands, heels and shins

These areas have fewer oil glands and get the most wear.

• Hands: moisturise after every wash and wear gloves for washing dishes and clothes. Cotton gloves over a thick cream at night help cracked hands heal.
• Heels: soak feet in lukewarm water for a few minutes, gently smooth thick skin with a pumice stone, then apply a thick cream, ideally one with urea or salicylic acid, and wear cotton socks overnight. Do not cut hard skin with blades.
• Shins and arms: apply body moisturiser generously after bathing. Woollen clothes directly against the skin can make itching worse, so a soft cotton layer underneath helps.

Clothing and bedding

Wash clothes with a mild detergent, rinse them well, and avoid strongly perfumed fabric softeners if your skin itches. Soft cotton next to the skin is gentler than rough synthetics or wool. Using a heater makes rooms very dry; keep it at a comfortable rather than hot setting and do not sit very close to it.

When dryness may be more than dry skin

See a doctor or dermatologist if your skin:

• Itches so much that it disturbs your sleep.
• Has red, weeping, thickened or cracked patches, which may be eczema.
• Has thick, silvery scales, which can be psoriasis.
• Becomes very dry suddenly along with tiredness, weight changes or feeling cold, which can sometimes be linked to thyroid problems.
• Cracks and becomes painful, swollen or infected.
• Does not improve after two weeks of consistent gentle care.

People with diabetes should pay particular attention to cracked heels and dry feet, and check with their doctor, as small cracks can become infected more easily.

Less stripping, more sealing

Almost everything above comes down to two ideas: take less away from your skin, and give it a way to hold on to water. Shorter, cooler baths, gentle cleansers, moisturiser on damp skin, a thicker layer at night and a little extra care for hands and heels are usually enough to turn tight, flaky skin comfortable again within a couple of weeks.