Winter Care – for him and her

Winter care for your skin

Especially in winter, the skin is under a lot of stress. Cold and indoor air dry out the skin. The lack of UV radiation makes it more susceptible to blemishes and vitamin D becomes scarce. We reveal to you, together with our skin expert Dr. Meyer-Rogge, how you can optimally care for your skin during the cold season.

Why is the skin dry in winter?
Cold air stores less moisture compared to warm air. That is why the air is drier in winter. The air in the room is also drier because the heating heats up the air, but at the same time dries it out. Your skin also suffers as a result. “The skin’s water loss is significantly higher in winter,” knows dermatologist Dr. Meyer-Rogge.

A second phenomenon further intensifies this moisture loss. In cold temperatures, the sebaceous glands produce less sebum. This sounds pleasant at first, but it is problematic for your skin. Because without the protective layer of fat, it dries out much faster.

The right cream for winter
To counteract the drying out of the skin, the right skin care is the be-all and end-all. First of all, applying cream several times a day is important. In doing so, “the fat content of the cream used should be greater. It is better to use an ointment than a cream,” says the dermatologist. Basically, the firmer a cream or ointment is, the higher its fat content. In winter, therefore, rather reach for the firmer products.

Tip for men: After shaving, use an aftershave without alcohol. This dries out the skin additionally.

Caution: If temperatures drop below 0° Celsius, creams with a high water content can freeze on the skin.

Dry skin after the shower
Shower gels and warm water thoroughly wash off the skin’s protective lipid layer. This dries out the skin. “In winter, use shower oils rather than gels. They don’t have this degreasing effect,” advises Meyer-Rogge. Of course, you can use body lotions and creams to moisturize the skin after showering. “However, it is better to leave the moisture in the skin than to try to get it back in afterwards,” advises the dermatologist.

Lip care
The lips have no sebaceous glands and are at the mercy of the dry air in winter: they become chapped. Lip balms care for your lips in the cold season. By the way, there are special lipsticks for women that not only set color accents, but also provide intensive care.

Dr. Meyer Rogge has something else close to her heart when it comes to lip and skin care: “Very, very important, when you go skiing, please don’t forget the sunscreen! Because even in winter, with ice and snow, we can get sunburn.”

Intensive care for hands & feet
In winter, the skin on hands or even feet can be very dry. Since there are fewer sebaceous glands on the thin skin on the back of the hand anyway, this area dries out quickly in the cold and becomes chapped. In addition, soap washes off the protective covering of the skin when washing hands. It is important to regularly rub the skin with a greasy cream. Soaps containing fat dry out the hands less. For stressed skin, pH-neutral products are suitable because they are kind to the skin.

By the way: gloves also protect the hands from drying out.

Hair care in winter
Not only your skin, but also your hair can become very dry in the cold season. The culprit, in addition to the cold, is warm heating air. The lack of UV radiation can also increase the formation of dandruff. Therefore, when washing your hair, use a moisturizing shampoo or an anti-dandruff shampoo. For women and men with long hair, it is also recommended to care for the hair regularly with a conditioner. This can be applied to damp hair after shampooing, left to act briefly and then rinsed out. Additional moisture is provided by hair oils, of which you can add two to three pumps to your damp or dry hair.

What else you should pay attention to in the cold season
Since the sun shines much less in winter and is not high enough in the sky, you can quickly develop a vitamin D deficiency. The important vitamin provides you with calcium and strengthens the bones. With us you will find appropriate preparations to optimally cover your vitamin D needs.

A vitamin-rich diet is also important to promote health and strengthen the immune system.

Tip: Frozen fruit and vegetables are almost as rich in vitamins as fresh ones.