Winter time is usually one of the best times of the year if you’re someone who enjoys spending time with their family. You have thanksgiving first and then a month later you’re opening gifts for Christmas.

However, for some people winter time means skin problems that make living a normal life difficult to say the least. Depending on where you live winter can last anywhere from 90 to 120 days. That’s 3 to 4 months dealing with a skin problem that can take all the fun out of spending time with family and enjoying yourself.

Some of the most common skin conditions that show during winter months for some people include:

Rosacea

This skin condition often shows up as a red bump somewhere on the face. These red bumps that are often mistaken for acne usually have puss in them.

Other than skin redness and puss filled bumps rosacea can also cause eye problems and can make the skin on your nose thicken up to the point where it looks twice its size. This skin problem usually flares up during the winter months due to the cold air irritating the skin.

Eczema

Another common skin condition that often develops during the winter months is eczema. Eczema is sometimes called atopic dermatitis and it causes the skin to feel itchy, dry, and can cause the affected area to become extremely red in color.

The most noticeable symptom of eczema is the itchiness as it can get so bad that the person suffering from it can’t even sleep. Small children are often the ones affected by this skin disease, but some adults suffer from it too. Eczema flares up during the winter months because the cold weather causes the skin to become too dry.

It’s not just the cold weather, but also the things people usually do during winter time such as taking hot showers and wearing a lot of layers of clothing can trigger eczema or make it worse.

Keratosis Pilaris

Winter time is known to trigger keratosis pilaris flare ups in certain people. The main symptoms of keratosis pilaris are small bumps and rough patches on the skin. It develops whenever your skin is making an excessive amount of the keratin protein.

The most common areas on the skin where this KP develops are the upper arms as well as the thighs and buttocks. It usually has a white color to it but sometimes it can cause a lot of redness in your skin.

Psoriasis

Whenever the temperature begins to drop outside the air will begin to get drier, which will lead to the evaporation of the moisture in your skin. When this happens your skin becomes much more vulnerable to dry skin conditions like psoriasis.

Melasma

This skin condition is mostly seen in women and rarely affects men. Women who have melasma often find brown discoloration showing up on different areas of their face such as the cheeks, upper lip, chin, and forehead.

It’s caused when too much of the melanin pigment in the skin is produced. The sun is one of the main triggers of melasma because it causes an over production of the melanin pigment in the skin.

Regardless of what melasma cure is used to lighten the discoloration it’s extremely important to wear a good sunscreen. The reason melasma worsens during the winter months is because a lot of women simply don’t use their sunscreen.

They mistakenly believe that since the sun isn’t out much then their safe to go outdoors without any sunscreen protection. However, even on winter days when it isn’t sunny outside the sun rays can still penetrate through the sky and cause various skin problems like melasma.

Oily Skin

Even though extreme skin dryness is a common problem for most people during the winter months, some people can have the opposite of this problem.

The reason some people suffer from excessive oily skin during winter time is because they start putting too much moisturizer on their skin. When you over moisturize yourself it can cause your skin to become very oily.

Acne

Out of all the skin conditions out there acne is considered the one that affects the most people. Most people at one point or another in their life has experienced acne symptoms.

Acne breakouts are common during the cold weather because it causes your skin to become so dry to the point where your skin’s oil glands begin to make too much oil.

4 Tips To Fight off Common Winter Skin Conditions

The good news is there are some simple things you can do during the winter months to keep your skin safe against the brutal cold air.

The 4 simple things you can do to keep your skin problem free during the winter time include:

Wear a good sunscreen

You may already know it’s very important to wear a good sunscreen regularly during the summer, but you may not know it’s just as important to wear your sunscreen during the winter too.

Neglecting to protect your skin from the sun during the winter can lead to skin problems that will rob you of your self esteem like melasma, freckles, age spots, wrinkles, and more.

Always remember that your skin is still exposed to the sunlight’s harmful rays in the winter. In order you to keep your skin protected always apply at least an SPF 30 sunscreen before you go outdoors.

Moisturize yourself

Since skin dryness is the main problem that the cold air in the winter causes you must keep yourself moisturized at all times. If you keep your skin properly moisturized you’ll prevent most of the common skin problems that develop during the cold weather months.

The best way to keep your skin moisturized is to apply a good moisturizer on a regular basis. Make sure you choose your moisturizer wisely because if you use the wrong one it can cause more irritation and dryness in your skin. Find a moisturizer you like and begin a regular regime of moisturizing.

The best time to apply your moisturizer is right after you get out of the shower. When your skin is wet or damp it will seal in more of the moisturizer you’re applying. This will leave your skin feeling soft and moisturized a lot longer throughout the day.

Exfoliate your skin

Invest in a good exfoliating face wash to keep your skin safe during the harsh winter months. Exfoliating your skin helps by scraping away the top layer of skin that’s damaged due to the cold weather. Exfoliate your skin 1 to 2 times weekly to remove dry skin and leave behind the much smoother skin underneath.

Avoid harsh skin care products

You may be able to get away with using harsh skin care products during months like spring or summer, but when winter comes around you may not be so lucky.

A lot of people’s skin become much more sensitive during the winter months, which is why going with products that don’t contain harsh ingredients is important.

During the winter time stay away from skin care products that contain fragrances, colors, and other harsh chemicals that could make it a lot easier for the cold weather to suck out the natural oils in your skin.

These are some of the best things you can do to prevent the winter from stripping away the beauty in your skin. If you do these things regularly during the cold season your skin will remain supple, soft, and beautiful.