Winter skin conditions your GP can help with
Cold weather and skin
Our skin is the largest organ of the body and has many nerve endings and blood vessels giving the skin a rich supply. These nerve endings and blood vessels respond to the environment, often being exposed to the extremes of temperature – cold and wintery outside with the heating turned on indoors. If you have a skin condition, this can make your skin more vulnerable to these environmental changes and compromise the protective barrier the skin provides.
Your GP is a great first point of contact...
when you’re faced with a skin condition that is exacerbated by the cold weather. They should be able to help you with common conditions like eczema, rosacea, psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis – as well as dry skin, chilblains and Raynaud’s disease – to name a few!
Depending on your issue, your GP may be able to prescribe a range of treatments from emollients, ointments or creams to topical preparations like steroids. They will be able to judge whether your circumstances can be managed with their help of whether it’s best to refer onto a Consultant Dermatologist or Community Dermatology Team.
Six Ways to maintain your skin over the winter period
Regularly check your stock of prescription creams
It can be very easy to quickly run out of creams your GP or specialist has prescribed for you. Often, it can take a while to get a new repeat prescription so plan in advance and check what you have at home, especially over holiday periods such as Christmas when pharmacy and GP opening hours may vary.
Invest in good moisturisers and lip balms
As the winter slowly seeps in, our skin can feel drier, and lips chapped. Often, we need to try and test a few moisturisers and lip balms for our skin. The best kind of moisturisers are ones that you are prepared to use often. Find one that works for you to help to reduce dry skin and flaking which in turn reduces itching and irritating symptoms. Regular use of lip balms will reduce licking lips which can cause redness and soreness.
Use SPF
Even though the sun may not be out as much, the effects of UV light on the skin is still present. It is recommended that a good regular use of sunscreen in the winter protects from UV damage as well as photo-ageing.
Be mindful of dehydrating drinks such as caffeine and alcohol
Not only can these lead to flushing of the skin (especially alcohol), causing some of us go red cheeked but excessive amounts can also dehydrate the skin.
Consider humidifiers to add moisture to the air indoors
These can reduce the amount of dryness we experience with the central heating on. Equally, consider setting your heating to warm rather than hot to avoid drying out the skin.
Don’t be afraid to approach your GP
Especially if your skin complaint is affecting your everyday life, mental health or relationships. It’s important to tackle and manage issues to stop them from becoming worse and prolonged.
Dr Serena Rakha, (GP with Extended Role in Dermatology, Birmingham)
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