There are a number of reasons why you may experience dry, itchy, and irritated skin during these months of transition into spring. As the season changes from one to the next and the weather and environment around us change, so does our skin. Often times things like pollen, dirt, sun, and wind damage can hurt our skin and make it dry and sensitive.
Here are five of the most common examples of skin issues we see during seasonal changes:
- Dry Skin: Skin gets flaky and dried out when it loses too much water and oil and can’t rehydrate itself and skin cells begin to die and flake off. Dry skin can be repaired but the longer it is dry and the more dried out it gets the more damage your skin endures and the more likely it is that your skin will have a hard time recovering.
- Eczema: Also known as atopic dermatitis, this is a condition that affects your skin’s ability to protect itself from toxin and outside stimuli and causes skin to react.
- Contact Dermatitis: There are two types of contact dermatitis- allergic and irritant. Irritant contact dermatitis happens when something touches your skin that causes a reaction at the point of contact. Allergic contact dermatitis occurs when you have an allergic reaction after being exposed to a certain element.
- Rosacea: This is a common skin disease that affects the face and causes redness, irritation, and sensitivity. Rosacea causes extreme sensitivity. Some products may cause immediate burning and stinging, while other stimulants may take longer before the full reaction kicks in and the reaction visible. In some cases, there may be painful symptoms without any visible signs of a flare-up.
- Contact Urticaria: Known commonly as hives, this skin condition is caused when your skin comes into direct contact with an irritating substance. Hives can be caused by direct ingestion of or from indirect exposure to an allergen.
How to Overcome Skin Irritations
Cleaning your face is of the utmost importance since there are many things in our environment that our skin is exposed to, day in and day out. These toxins and irritants can cause a range of skin issues, and simply washing your face clean before bed each night can greatly reduce the severity of flare-ups and keep your skin looking and feeling great.
1. Good Skin Care Routine
Your skin care routine needs to be tailored to meet the needs of your skin type:
- Dry, sensitive skins need a light oil based cleaner that will moisturize your skin
- Oily, combination skin types can use more gel-like cleanser
- Oily, sensitive skins should use gel or water type cleanser made for oily skin
- Test samples to find the cleanser that causes the least amount of irritation
2. Mask Daily if Possible
You can buy masks if you have a favorite brand that you like and have used before, but you can also use natural ingredients you have at home to make your own mask. Three simple common natural masks that are great for acne prone, sensitive skin are:
- Cucumber and yogurt paste mask
- Simple aloe and ginger gel masks
- Mung green powder mixed with honey
3. Other Lifestyle Changes
You can do a lot to protect your skin and slow down the effects of aging by making some simple yet powerful lifestyle changes, starting right now:
- Kick the smoking habit once and for all
- Limit your alcohol intake
- Stay out of the sun and protect your skin
- Moisturize daily
- Repair damage as soon as you can
- Eat right and exercise