Author: Bay Dermatology

Many people find a great skincare product, incorporate it into their skincare routine, and never want to try other products or treatments. But even as you cling to your favorite skincare product for dear life, you could be damaging your skin instead of repairing it. Your skincare routine should not look the same in the summer as it does in the winter. Your skin has different needs during this time. Here are some of the best ways to care for your skin as temps get colder.

Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!

We can’t stress this enough. The winter months are very drying to your skin. As temperatures drop, the humidity in the air also usually decreases significantly, taking away some of your skin’s natural moisture. You also spend more time indoors, and indoor air run through a furnace or other heating system is also very dry air. The end result is that your skin becomes dry and prone to injury or rapid aging. For best results, moisturize right out of the shower or just after washing your face.

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Having a chronic itch can be really infuriating. As the itch gets worse, it becomes distracting, keeping you from your work or making it difficult to follow a conversation. If the itching is severe enough, you might have to clip your nails to stubs to prevent scratching open your skin. Chronic itch is a very real problem, not just a minor annoyance, and it should be addressed by your dermatologist.

There are four primary causes of chronic itch: stress, allergies, side effects, and skin conditions.

Stress related itch

The biggest problem with diagnosing stress related itch is that it can’t really be measured or detected. If the patient is under significant emotional, mental, or physical stress on a daily basis, this diagnosis might be determined after all others have been ruled out. The best treatment is reducing your stress level anyway that you can.

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Do you have sensitive skin? What does it really mean? The term “sensitive skin” is thrown around a lot, especially on hygiene products and cosmetics. Most people will tell you that having sensitive skin means that you are more likely to have inflammatory skin when exposed to various compounds that are normally harmless. 

If you have allergies, that definition is going to sound very familiar. Here is what you need to know about your “sensitive skin” diagnosis.

Sensitive skin is a symptom, not a diagnosis.

If you have sensitive skin, it is usually a symptom of at least mild allergies. It can also be a symptom of certain inflammatory diseases such as fibromyalgia. If you have had sensitive skin your entire life, it probably has more to do with allergens than a new condition, but you should allow your doctor to explore all of the options.

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