Winter Skincare: A Physician's Guidance

In winter the complaint I hear in clinic is almost always the same: "My skin feels tight, it flakes, my usual cream isn't enough." The cause is rarely a single factor — it is several acting together.

What changes in winter?

As outdoor humidity falls, more water evaporates from the surface of the skin. Add the dry heat of indoor spaces, hot showers and wind, and the lipid layer of the skin barrier comes under strain. When the barrier weakens, itching, redness and flaking follow; in sensitive skin, eczema and rosacea flares also become more frequent in this season.

What the barrier is and why it matters

The outermost layer of the skin behaves like a wall built from cells and the fats between them. Its job is to keep water in and irritants out. What winter disrupts is essentially this structure — which is why the answer is not more products but the right ones.

Simplify your routine

The most common winter mistake is to answer dryness with more layers. The opposite is usually needed.

• Change your cleanser. Swap foaming products that leave skin squeaky for creamy, sulphate-free options.
• Use lukewarm water. Hot showers strip surface lipids quickly; shorter showers help too.
• Moisturise damp skin. Pat dry after showering and apply moisturiser within the first three minutes.
• Read the ingredients. Ceramides, glycerin, hyaluronic acid and squalane are the ones that support the barrier.
• Ease off actives. Reducing the frequency of retinol and acid products in winter lowers irritation.

Do not drop the sunscreen

This is the step most often skipped. Ultraviolet A passes through cloud and glass, and snow reflects light, increasing exposure. A broad-spectrum sunscreen every morning, in winter as well, remains one of the most effective steps against both pigmentation and collagen breakdown.

What can be done at the clinic?

Treatments that support the barrier are easier to plan in winter because sun exposure is lower. After a skin examination, procedures that support hydration can be considered as a course where appropriate. That said, no procedure is performed on irritated skin or during an eczema flare — the barrier has to be repaired first.

When to see a doctor

If itching disturbs your sleep, redness persists for weeks, fissures bleed, or a rash does not settle with basic care, this is no longer simple winter dryness. Eczema, rosacea, psoriasis and thyroid-related dryness belong in the differential diagnosis.

Small details that help

A humidifier in the bedroom, not sitting directly in front of a radiator, avoiding wool against bare skin and keeping a simple petrolatum-based lip balm to hand all make a noticeable difference. Drinking water alone does not hydrate the skin, but it keeps its place as part of general health.

Lips, hands and the eye area

These three areas suffer most in winter and deserve separate attention.

Lips. The skin of the lips is thin and has no oil glands, so it dries quickly. Licking them gives brief relief but worsens dryness because of the enzymes in saliva. A simple, fragrance-free, petrolatum-based product is enough for most people.

Hands. Frequent washing and hand sanitiser put the barrier under strain in winter. Moisturising after every wash and using a richer cream overnight prevents fissures.

The eye area. The skin here is the thinnest on the face. Avoid rubbing, and apply products gently without pressing.

Winter care comes down to three things: fewer products, better ingredients, and sun protection you do not skip. Skin usually responds to that combination quickly.