Dry Skin in Winter

    In fact, skin has to fight a daily battle against the drying effects of the environment.
    But this drying effect is worse in the winter months. Although air in the winter months often feels damper, on average it has less relative humidity than in the summer - that is, humidity compared to that of the skin.
    In winter the difference between the concentration of water in the air and that in the skin exerts a considerable drawing force on water in the skin. If dry skin becomes drier, the lipid structure of the barrier tends to break up. As a result, water cannot be retained so easily. The cycle of water loss is set up again.

In the winter months, air has less relative humidity and the skin tends to dry more rapidly.

    Another factor is that the stratum corneum simply doesn't like the cold. Cold makes keratin stiffer and less flexible - you will probably be familiar with the 'tight' feeling that skin has in the winter.
    As a result of all these factors, skin tends to be drier and in worse condition in the winter months than at other times of the year. In extreme cases, this constant drying effect can lead to cracking, flaking and redness. In the winter, skin tends to lose the battle against the environment. That's when it needs to be looked after most.
    In the winter, a moisturizer can be regarded as essential to maintain healthy skin - even so-called 'normal' skin. As we will see later, a moisturizer performs several important functions. It enables lost water to be replaced, and then helps to keep it in the skin by the humectants (water-binding agents) that it contains (see page 101). One such is glycerol. Scientists have shown that humectants play a vital role in the skin by helping to maintain the lipids of the epidermis in good condition, vital to its water-retaining properties.

A good moisturizer will deliver water to the skin effectively and keep it in the skin for as long as possible.

Glycerol (often called 'glycerin'), one of the best known humectants, is an ingredient of nearly all moisturizers.

Coming in from the cold
Coming into a warm room from the cold outdoors will often restore a rosy glow to the skin and soften it to some degree. This is due to the blood vessels in the skin opening up in the warmth.