Is Your Skin Ready for a Montana Winter? Cold Season Skin Care Tips From Your Dermatologist
As fall settles into Northwest Montana, cooler temperatures, lower humidity, indoor heating, and windy days can all start to take a toll on your skin. You may notice that your skin feels tighter after showering, your hands become dry or cracked, or conditions like eczema suddenly seem harder to manage.
October is also Eczema Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to pay a little extra attention to your skin and make a few simple adjustments before winter arrives.
At Dermatology Associates, we help patients throughout Northwest Montana manage seasonal skin concerns and chronic skin conditions year-round. Here are a few ways to help keep your skin healthy and comfortable as temperatures drop.
Why Does Skin Get So Dry in the Fall and Winter?
Cold weather and lower humidity can make it more difficult for your skin to retain moisture. Add indoor heating, hot showers, frequent handwashing, and exposure to Montana’s cold air, and your skin barrier may become dry and irritated.
For some people, that means occasional dryness or chapped lips. For others, seasonal changes can contribute to itching, redness, cracking, or flare-ups of conditions such as eczema.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends adjusting your skin care routine as temperatures fall, including using moisturizer regularly and protecting exposed skin from cold weather.
1. Switch to a Heavier Moisturizer
The lightweight lotion that worked well during summer may not provide enough moisture during a Montana winter.
Consider switching to a thicker, fragrance-free cream or ointment, particularly if your skin is already prone to dryness or eczema. Applying moisturizer shortly after bathing, while the skin is still slightly damp, can also help lock in moisture. For eczema-prone skin, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends fragrance-free creams or ointments rather than lotions.
2. Turn Down the Shower Temperature
A long, hot shower can feel great when it’s cold outside, but very hot water may make dry, irritated skin worse.
Instead, choose warm water and keep showers relatively short. Gently pat your skin dry and follow with moisturizer.
3. Don’t Put Away the Sunscreen
Cooler temperatures don’t mean UV protection is no longer important.
UV exposure happens throughout the year, including on cloudy fall and winter days. If you’re spending time outdoors skiing, hiking, working, or simply enjoying Northwest Montana, continue making sunscreen part of your daily routine.
Regular sun protection is also an important part of reducing your risk of skin cancer. Learn more about skin cancer screening and treatment at Dermatology Associates.
4. Pay Attention to Persistent Dryness
Dry skin and eczema aren’t always the same thing.
Eczema can cause intensely dry, sensitive, itchy, inflamed, and sometimes painful skin. While moisturizing and adjusting your skin care routine may help mild seasonal dryness, persistent itching, rashes, cracking, bleeding, or recurring irritation may be signs that something else is going on.
October’s Eczema Awareness Month is a good reminder that you don’t have to simply live with chronically uncomfortable skin. The American Academy of Dermatology offers additional information about eczema types, symptoms, and treatment.
If you’re struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rashes, acne, rosacea, or another ongoing skin concern, our medical dermatology team can help identify the cause and develop an individualized treatment plan.
5. Keep an Eye on Your Skin Year-Round
Fall is also a great time to check in with your skin after a summer spent outdoors.
Take note of any new or changing spots, moles, or lesions. Pay particular attention to spots that change in size, shape, color, or texture, as well as areas that itch, bleed, crust, or don’t seem to heal. If something looks different or concerns you, don’t wait for your next annual exam to have it evaluated.
Healthy Skin Through Every Montana Season
Your skin’s needs can change with the seasons, and small adjustments to your routine can make a big difference as colder weather arrives.
If dry, itchy, irritated, or changing skin is bothering you this fall, our team is here to help. Dermatology Associates has been serving Northwest Montana since 1990, with locations in Kalispell, Whitefish, Libby, and Polson.
Find a Dermatology Associates location or contact our team to schedule an appointment.
Healthy skin shouldn’t be seasonal. Let us help you care for yours all year long.
