Dry and cracked skin in winter
Care tips for face and body

Our body needs care, especially in the cold season. Because who hasn’t experienced it? As soon as the temperatures drop, dry lips and cracked skin on our hands start to plague us. Dry, heated air indoors also exacerbates this. Read the following article to find out why we struggle with this, which tips are useful here and how it can be prevented.
Why our skin gets irritated in winter
In addition to stress and an unhealthy diet, the weather can also take its toll on our skin. While the heat in summer causes us to lose fluids and dries out our skin, the cold can also irritate our skin. This is because cool temperatures cause the sebaceous glands to produce less sebum. When temperatures reach 0 degrees, the sebaceous glands even stop producing sebum completely.
Another reason for chapped and cracked skin in winter is that less moisture reaches the skin in the cold months compared to summer, as the moisture content of the air decreases as the temperature drops. One consequence of this is that the skin’s lipid and water balance is disrupted.
While the cold does not affect some parts of the body even in winter, certain parts of the body are particularly affected by dryness. These include the lips and hands in particular. The reason for this is that these parts of the body are not protected by clothing. The protective layer of skin disappears and then provides an ideal opportunity for bacteria, fungi and viruses to penetrate. If you are not careful and take countermeasures, you can expect inflammation or eczema to develop.
Preventing dry skin: here’s how
To prevent this from happening in the first place and drying out the skin, good skin care should be used to help restore the skin’s protective function.
Moisturizing care for the lips
One way to protect our skin from the cold and thus dehydration is to keep it warm and thus optimally protected. To do this, it is advisable to dress as thickly as possible when staying out in the cold for long periods – even in several layers. While gloves can protect the hands, it is important to take the right care of the face and especially the lips. Cold protection creams that are particularly greasy and provide extra moisture are the first choice here.
Oily creams for the hands provide the necessary care
Our hands are particularly sensitive as we have few sebaceous glands on them and use them frequently, even on cold days. If we do not protect our hands adequately and expose ourselves to particularly cold temperatures, dry hands are inevitable. To ensure that the skin on your hands does not crack in winter and remains soft, you should apply an oily cream several times a day. It is also advisable to moisturize the skin after showering or bathing in order to provide optimum protection.
Think about legs and feet too
Although we protect our legs and feet in winter with trousers or tights and shoes, these parts of the body are also particularly susceptible to the cold – unfortunately, this is too often forgotten, as they are less visible in everyday life than our hands, for example. If feet and legs are not cared for, dry and cracked areas are also on the agenda here. Moisturizing creams and lotions with at least 5% urea are the best way to protect these parts of the body from the cold and thus from drying out.
Stop itching with special creams
Dry and cracked skin not only hurts, but can also be very itchy. If this is the case, scratching should be avoided, as this can lead to wounds, which are a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and viruses.
It is therefore better to use a moisturizer such as a repair cream. This can also contain olive oil, for example. A lipid lotion can also be useful here. If the symptoms do not subside after around four to five days, a doctor should be consulted to be on the safe side.
Home remedies that counteract cracked skin
If your skin does become cracked and chapped despite care, this is nothing that cannot be counteracted. There are certain household remedies that almost everyone has at home to quickly restore suppleness to the skin. Olive oil, for example. Just a few drops rubbed into the affected areas of skin are enough. Aloe vera is also a good household remedy for moisturizing dry areas of skin. Those affected can also use coconut oil. This is rich in lauric acid and unsaturated fatty acids. For a good application, simply melt a little coconut oil in your hand and apply to the affected areas of skin.