Winter Skin Care for Seniors: Tips I Swear By

Cold, windy, dry weather can make winter skin care for seniors a particular challenge. Since our skin is more sensitive than it was when we were younger, the air conditions both inside and outside can lead to itching and flaking and that can become cracking and bleeding.  This opens the door to more problems, including infection. The good news is that it’s all avoidable in most circumstances.

I Love Winter Skin Care for Seniors

I admit that winter skin care for seniors is a strange thing to love, but I do! Here’s why. The products I use at this time of the year are typically rich and creamy. Because of the dryness in the air – both inside when the heat is on and outside where it’s cold and windy – applying the products usually feels luxurious right away.  Whether I’m putting on a face cream or applying a hand lotion, I can actually feel each cell thanking me for the relief and for the prevention of problems.

This is my version of drinking lots of green tea.  It’s something I do that is very enjoyable and that I know is also good for me for the rest of the day too. Due to normal age-related changes, like overall drying, thinning and increasing fragility, winter skin care for seniors is more important and feels great.

My top Winter Skin Care Tips for Seniors

1 – Apply Moisturizer Regularly

Yes, I just said that winter skin care for seniors isn’t just about moisturizing, but it’s still a very important factor. Choose a good rich cream for this time of year, since the lotions you use in the summer might not be enough. Apply right after bathing. If you didn’t shower or have a bath that day, make it a part of your routine for getting up in the morning or getting ready for bed (or both!).

2 – Stay Hydrated

Don’t forget that most of the moisture your skin makes for itself comes from what you get from what you drink and eat. You might not feel as thirsty when it’s cold outside but keeping up your fluids is still very important. Cold water doesn’t usually appeal to me when I’m already cold, but warm water with lemon sure does!

3 – Dress Warmly

This may sound obvious, but ask yourself if you’re as terrible about this as I am. I don’t like to wear hats because they mess up my hair.  When I’m visiting places that are colder – I live in Miami – I will bring my pretty leather gloves. They’re elegant looking, which is why I like them, though they do very little to keep my hands warm. In fact, gloves are notorious for keeping fingers colder than mittens, because they stop fingers from borrowing heat from each other. Dressing in layers, keeping exposed skin covered, and paying particular attention to the head, face, hands and feet can help to prevent heat and moisture loss from the skin, while protecting it from becoming wind chapped or damp.

4 – Keep Water Temperature Reasonable

When I’m very cold, a hot shower or bath is exceptionally appealing, particularly at the end of the day.  However, I’ve started aiming for warm instead of hot, because those steamy showers strip away the body’s natural moisture barrier and dry things out very quickly. For me, this leads to an especially itchy back, which is frustrating because it’s already the hardest place to moisturize on my own, without Peter telling me that he doesn’t like the smell of my skin cream on his hands (which only makes me buy the same one every time, but that’s another story).

5 – Use a Room Humidifier

If your room humidity drops too low during the winter because of your home heating, consider getting a room humidifier.  There are whole home humidifiers of course, but those are much more of an investment than the small single-room devices.  Even if you don’t want it running all the time, running it in your bedroom overnight can make a tremendous amount of difference to your winter skin care, to your irritated airways, and even to your dry eyes.

The key here is to read the manufacturer’s instructions and follow them. These units are easy to use and maintain, but they must be maintained properly. Without using and cleaning them according to the directions, they can just cause you to breathe in mold spores and bacteria, instead of nice clean and properly humidified air. That’s not exactly the type of winter skin care for seniors I’d recommend!