How To Soothe Winter Itch

It’s the same story every year. As the air gets nippier, our skin gets drier. Beauty the saying goes is skin deep. But the meaning of skin goes deeper. Skin is an organ pulsating with life and entrusted with many functions. This is the only organ where you can directly apply nutrition- enriched lotions, hence there is no reason you should not have a fabulous skin this winter.
In most cases, dry skin problems respond well to self-care measures. One way to maintain that youthful glow is to subscribe to a skin treatment regimen. This skin treatment regimen will help your dry skin restore moisture when it’s needed.

• Skip the long, steamy showers and opt for shorter, cooler sprays. Long, hot showers strip skin of its moisture and wash away protective oils. 
• Switch from a deodorant soap to one with added fat, like Dove or Pears, says Dr. Simal Soin, dermatologist with Indraprastha Apollo, New Delhi. 
• Keep your beauty products clean and simple, particularly if you have sensitive skin. Stay away from products with color, fragrance, or those that produce bubbles or have “antibacterial” on the label. These can all irritate skin. 
• Smooth a couple of drops of olive oil over your face, elbows, knees, and the backs of your arms every evening. The oil contains monounsaturated fat, which refreshes and hydrates skin without leaving a greasy residue. 
• For soft, young-looking hands and feet, slather on moisturizing cream and then slip on thin-fabric socks and gloves while you sleep. 
• Do not forget sunscreen. Agreed, sun is welcome in winter but wear sunscreen 20 minutes before you venture out in sun. A sunscreen with SPF 15 is good for Indian skin tone.
• Pop in a multivitamin. Multivitamins are reliable beauty enhancing arsenal. You look as good as your last food, and given the imperfections of the world in which we live, we are often lacking in nutrition. Makes sense to fill in those gaps with a high-quality multivitamin.

Hot tip

The best time to apply moisturizer is after a shower when the skin is still damp.

History

Each time you go through an aisle of cosmetic products to buy a nourishing cream, popularly known as cold cream during the winter for your chapped skin, the kind of choices available is mind boggling for an average buyer. Historically cold creams evolved over a period of centuries. Galen, a Greek physician around the year 150, is reported to be the inventor of the first cold cream. Preparations of that period consisted of animal and vegetable fats and oils. Today most current commercial brands tend to be made of mineral oil (a petroleum product) and/or stearic acid (a fatty acid from animal or vegetable sources).

Sailing through the beauty maze

The labels on the moisturizing creams and lotions promote some impressive sounding names. What are they? Will they help you get a super-smooth skin this winter? This glossary can help you see through the hype on the cosmetics shelves.

Vitamin E: An antioxidant vitamin; its effect on aging skin is unknown.

Jojoba oil: The word Jojoba is pronounced as “ho-ho-ba”. Texture wise, jojoba oil resembles the sebum of our own skin. Jojoba oil makes a superb moisturizer and is suitable for all skin types.

Vitamin A: An antioxidant vitamin and the active ingredient in retinol, a drug that reduces photodamage and increases collagen production.

Vitamin C: An antioxidant vitamin; topical preparations reduce wrinkles and improve skin texture and tone.

Glycerin: Glycerin is a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture to your skin.

Stearic acid: It is a typical example of fatty acid.

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