Staying Acne Free During the Winter

It's almost that time of year again when winter sets in and acne gets worse for thousands of people in the Northern United States. Thousands of people see their acne get worse every winter, especially if you live in the far north with the below 0 temperatures and high winds. Plus, to make things worse, that nice skin tone you've managed to get over the summer fades away making acne look worse and acne scars more visible.

Why does winter weather make acne worse? The problem is that during the winter we tend to stay indoors a lot where the air is quite dry. Well, except when we go outside in the freezing cold where there is even LESS moisture in the air and frigid temperatures that freeze and evaporate the moisture on our skin very quickly. On top of that, suddenly changing temperature from really warm to really cold is never good. Ever feel your skin tighten when you hit the warmth? Our face usually comes in direct contact with the air outside, so it has a lot to deal with!

Ways To Clear Acne During the Winter Months:

Circulate the air in your bedroom: Most folks spend most of their time at home in the bedroom, most of it sleeping. One good thing to do is to open the windows when its not AS cold out to circulate the air a bit. This has been shown to help out quite a bit
Use a humidifier: My dermatologist actually recommended this to me and I've got to say that it works great. A humidifier add humidity to the air by warming the water up and turning it into a light vapor. My grandmother used to put a large bowl of water in her room to accomplish the same thing.
Keep hydrated: This is important because while you may not be as thirsty all the time, you still need six to eight glasses of water a day. Water not only helps to keep your skin hydrated, but it also helps rid your skin of toxins and helps facilitate the movement of nutrients from the blood stream to the skin. Water is good, drink up!
Change up your facial cleansers: A lot of facial cleansers have chemicals such as that are also known to dry out the skin. Put those away and switch to a facial cleanser that doesn't contain any medication. The weather is doing the drying out part for you, so just make sure that you continue to wash your face often to keep pores open and infections out.
Lube it up: Keep your skin moisturized by using a moisturizer. Look for one that contains aloe and doesn't contain oil as this will not only keep your skin moisturized and supple, but will also fight against the redness that dry winter weather brings on.
Cut back on the meds: Talk to your dermatologist before taking this one to heart but like the face wash you might want to cut back on all the medicines you may be taking to clear your acne. The reason being is a lot of these medications help dry out the oil on your face and winter is already causing that. If you do stick to the medications, limit your exposure outdoors, especially on windy days.
Exercise it up: Exercise is so good for you in the winter that you should do it even if you don't have an acne problem, though doing it will help your acne. Exercise helps to open your pores, sweat out toxins, increases circulation, balances hormones, relieves stress, and builds muscles and endurance. It's also a fact that a lot of people don't get enough exercise during the winter months. Just make sure you wash your face with your gentle face wash after you're done!

This is just a start. Be sure to talk to your dermatologist if you're problems get significantly worse as he/she may be able to get you something to help.

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