My skin itches after taking a shower in winter. What’s going on?

With the coming of winter

Many people have found

Dry skin after taking a shower

Sometimes itching is unbearable

What exactly causes this discomfort?

In winter, severe itching frequently occurs in the legs, arms and other parts of the body, accompanied by dandruff . This is usually diagnosed as winter pruritus, also known as sebaceous deficiency eczema, fissure eczema or winter eczema. Common areas of occurrence include the calves, forearms and hands.

When taking a bath in winter, hot water will accelerate the expansion of blood vessels in the skin . In a cold environment, once you leave the hot water, the blood vessels in the skin will shrink rapidly. This will lead to a decrease in sebum secretion , making the surface of the skin drier and even causing the stratum corneum to fall off. This rapid vasoconstriction and reduced sebum secretion make the nerve endings in the skin more susceptible to external stimuli, thus causing itching.

In addition, if you use heating or air conditioning indoors in winter, the indoor temperature will be high and the humidity will be low , which will accelerate the loss of skin moisture and further aggravate the dryness and itching of the skin. Especially after taking a bath, the skin's natural protective layer, the sebum film , will be washed away. If you do not moisturize in time, the moisture in the skin will evaporate faster, causing the skin to become drier and the itching to intensify.

Generally speaking, itchy skin caused by dryness has obvious seasonal characteristics , such as more obvious symptoms in autumn and winter. Therefore, skin care after bathing is particularly important. However, if itching symptoms appear in atypical seasons, such as spring or summer, patients should seek medical attention for detailed examination in time.

(1)

Don’t take a bath for more than 15 minutes

When bathing in winter, people often extend the bathing time because of the comfortable water temperature. However, bathing for too long may cause the skin to lose excessive moisture and sebum, thereby damaging the skin barrier function. If the skin's natural barrier is damaged, its moisturizing ability will be significantly reduced, and it will not be able to effectively resist the invasion of bacteria and viruses, which can easily cause itching or dermatitis.

(2)

Water temperature does not exceed 40℃

Taking a bath with water that is too hot will accelerate the loss of moisture and sebum on the skin surface, leading to dry skin. Therefore, in order to maintain skin health, it is recommended to keep the bath water temperature at around 38°C in winter, that is, the water temperature should be comfortable to touch and slightly higher than body temperature. This water temperature can provide sufficient warmth while preventing the skin from feeling overly dry after bathing.

(3)

Be careful when identifying shower gel ingredients

When choosing bath products, avoid using shower gels containing **sodium lauryl sulfate (sodium lauryl sulfate) and soap bases (such as stearic acid, sodium laurate, sodium palmitate)**, because these ingredients have strong cleaning power and can easily cause dry skin. In winter, it is recommended to use shower gels with amino acid and glucoside ingredients.

For people who take a shower every day, you can occasionally not use shower gel, especially for areas that are prone to sweating such as armpits and buttocks. Using shower gel 2-3 times a week is sufficient. Washing other areas with warm water is enough to keep them clean.

(4)

Exfoliate less frequently

In addition to using shower gel, many people also choose to use scrubs to exfoliate. However, frequent exfoliation is actually not good for skin health. This is because the stratum corneum on the surface of the skin will fall off naturally without excessive intervention. Daily use of scrubs or shower gels containing scrub particles may lead to excessive cleansing , which in turn damages the skin barrier function and causes redness, dryness and itching of the skin.

For those with oily skin, if exfoliation is necessary, it is recommended to do it every 2 to 4 weeks. For those with dry or sensitive skin, it is recommended to avoid using any exfoliating products.

(5)

Use body lotion to moisturize

As time goes by, the sebaceous glands and sweat glands will gradually atrophy and their secretory function will decline, causing the skin to lose sufficient oil nourishment and protection, making the skin drier.

In winter, dryness is particularly evident, and the skin may shed white flakes. Therefore, as we age, we should pay more attention to skin moisturizing . After taking a bath in winter, when the skin still has 70% to 80% moisture, applying body lotion in time can more effectively lock in moisture and enhance the skin's moisturizing effect.

Itchy skin in winter

Not inevitable

Remember these tips

Make your winter

No more troubles from itchy skin

What do you avoid

Any tips for itchy skin in winter?

Welcome to share in the comment section

This is the end of this issue

Want to see more interesting and practical content

Follow me now

Source: Tencent Medical Dictionary, Life Times.

The cover image and images within this article are from the copyright gallery Chuangke Post. Reprinting and using them may lead to copyright disputes. For reprinting original images and texts, please reply "reprint" in the backstage.