Guest Author - Sharon Bejin

The winter season can wreck havoc on your skin. Especially if you live in cold weather states where your home or workplace is heated. Whether you find your warmth by the fireplace or near the furnace, dryness sets in. Before you know it you are depending on the humidifier and lots of moisturizer to soften up your skin.

As you get older, skin problems becomes more troublesome. Your skin is thinning and losing elasticity. The reduction of your sweat glands and oil glands also makes it more difficult to have that baby soft skin you once took for granted. Your skin can suffer in the form of cracked, itchy, or dry skin, making it unbearable to say the least.

There are some things you can do to have soft skin. Carefully slough off dead skin cells where your skin is dry. This will allow the cells underneath to push their way through the epidermis (the outer layer of skin.) You don’t want to rub the skin too hard when sloughing so you don’t damage or break open the skin; just enough to remove the dead cells.

Avoid taking hot showers; this greatly contributes to dryness. Your skin will appreciate and benefit from a warm shower instead. You might want to try a gentler soap throughout the winter. After taking a shower, apply moisturizer on your skin while it is still damp; your skin will soak up more moisture that way.

If your skin is really dry or cracked, apply a thick layer of moisturizing cream on your hands and feet at bedtime and cover them with gloves and socks. This is very effective and by morning they will feel baby bottom soft. I’ve done it and it works, although I have to admit that wearing gloves at night feels kind of foolish, but when the edges of your thumbs are cracked you’re willing to try anything.

Moisturizing cream soaks into the skin and when you wash your hands, the protection stays on your skin. Moisturizing lotion on the other hand doesn’t soak into the skin as much and you need to apply more often; mostly because the water content is higher in the lotion.

Check out your diet too. You may need to add more fruits and vegetables at meals and snack time. These nutritional choices will add moisture to your skin. Your body needs to be moisturized from the inside out so drink plenty of water throughout the day and replenish your liquids.

Taking care of your skin will bring you comfort throughout the year. With all the products, both natural and over the counter, you shouldn’t have to suffer with the discomfort of dry, cracked or itchy skin.