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The Dallas winter weather can lower your body's ability to retain moisture by a staggering 25%, making for miserably dry, cracked hands in the chilly winter days. These Dallas hand doctors compile the best hand-warming advice from athletes, dermatologists and even hand models for a list of ways to keep your hands healthy.
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Protect Your Hands from Winter Weather Renova Hand and Foot Centers February 2014
Hot Tips for the Cold Months As winter weather continues, many of us suffer from dry, cracked hands. Low temperatures and high winds can make winter a nightmare for our skin, especially on our knuckles and fingers. That’s because winter weather actually lowers the skin’s ability to retain moisture by over 25%. Luckily, the right products and practices can keep your hands smooth and comfortable despite the biting winds of winter. We’ve rounded up advice from athletes, dermatologists, and even a hand model for keeping your hands happy during the coldest months of the year.
Sanitize Properly While keeping hands sanitized is imperative to disease prevention, sometimes the products we use to keep our hands germ-free wreak havoc on our skin. The high concentration of alcohol in many popular hand sanitizers and anti-bacterial soap can dry out skin quickly. In an article on Every Day Health, dermatologist, Dr. Jessica Wu recommends swapping out regular soap for moisturizing liquid hand soap. Keep moisturizing soap with you throughout the day, since “the soap in public restrooms is often very harsh and drying,” she says. Also, be sure to apply hand lotion after washing your hands or using hand sanitizer.
Get Great Gloves If you spend time running, walking, or playing sports outside during the winter, it’s probably taking a toll on your hands. To combat the weather, finding the right pair of gloves is key. Runners World recently posted an article listing glove recommendations for every need. Many different brands of ultra-warm gloves can keep your fingers toasty. In the event of extreme cold, using a wool glove liner, a shell mitten, or even just layering the pairs you already own can do the trick. You can even get warming packs for your mittens to keep your hands extra toasty.
Make the Most of Your Moisturizer Craig DiFrancia is a hand model who has to keep his hands in tip-top shape year-round. Because of the demands of his job, he’s discovered a myriad of ways to protect his skin from biting winter weather. “My hands have to be a 10 every day, and since I do get bad cracked skin in the winter, I started experimenting four years ago with different preventative methods,” he told Details Magazine. One of his rituals is to apply a high quality lotion before bed and then wear a pair of gloves through the night to lock the moisture in. He also uses a cuticle oil to keep his nail beds from drying out.
Hydration and Nutrition When the temperature drops, many people stop drinking as much water as they consume during warmer months. On top of that, many favorite winter drinks contain caffeine and chocolate, which have a dehydrating effect on the body. To stay hydrated, continue to drink plenty of water and try swapping out coffee and cocoa with un-caffeinated or low-caffeine tea. The foods you choose can also help you stay hydrated. Foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids, like several kinds of fish and nuts, have been shown to help keep skin looking and feeling great.
