Our skin is a real barometer. While the air is moist, it feels great, but it's worth to burst frost - it starts to blush and peel off. And often not even the face, always open to the cold and the wind, but "packaged", seemingly secure feet, as well as hands, often suffers. In winter, they need special attention and care. Why and which one? Let's try to understand.
The skin of the hands and feet has a number of features. Rough outer layer and almost complete absence of sebaceous glands, hence the tendency to dryness, peeling and cracking. But there are a lot of sweat glands, so in a very warm mittens or shoes instantly formed a "swamp". The comfortable warmth of hands in winter is hardly an achievable ideal. In light gloves, they immediately freeze, because in the cold body throws the weight of the force on the heating of the internal organs. In mittens - preyut. Then we uncover them to find some small thing in the purse or dial the number on the mobile phone, and the damp skin in the cold crackes no worse than the wet wood. Since its surface is broken, it freezes deeper and also gets a shock due to a sharp drop in humidity and temperatures. It is necessary to constantly moisturize the skin of hands and feet before going out on the street in the winter season.
Footsteps constantly sweat in winter . After all, not everyone has the opportunity to change shoes into light shoes in the office. And if also shoes made of artificial materials, and synthetic socks that do not allow the skin to breathe! The skin of the foot becomes wet and softens, as in the preparation for a pedicure, its protection weakens. This can provoke fungal diseases. Or, at least, lead to dehydration and peeling. Considering the fact that the feet have a very thick outer layer, cracks are easily formed here, which capture not only the layer of dead cells, but also the living skin beneath it - the wound turns painful and heals for a long time.
Winter skin care is not so complicated. The main thing is to implement it systematically. First, get the "right" mittens. Best of all - woolen with a natural silk lining. Silk perfectly absorbs moisture and evaporates it just as well, so the hands do not remain wet, and the mittens are always dry from inside. Pay attention to the Finnish gloves of Merino sheep wool. Perhaps they are not as bright as fashion synthetics, but certainly more useful: the wool is not allergenic and has a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect on the irritated skin. It is better to abandon the usual alkaline soap. Instead, use children's, the most gentle, for example, soap for children with atopic dermatitis "Atoderm" from Bioderma. After morning washing, apply a special hand cream. Ideally, it will include: moisturizing components that help restore the integrity of the upper layer of skin and its hydro-lipid film, as well as moisture-retaining substances: hyaluronic acid, collagen, a vaseline-glycerine complex, etc .; nutritional components: amino acids, unsaturated fatty acids, etc .; cryoprotectants are special molecules that protect the skin from frost.
To the hands and feet less frozen in the cold, you need to improve blood microcirculation. Train the vessels with the help of contrasting trays. Alternately, for 5-7 minutes, immerse your hands / feet in cold or hot water. Continue for 30-40 minutes, and then rub the limbs and wrap them in a towel. Include in your diet foods rich in vitamins A, C, E, D and essential fatty acids (cod liver, fatty fish) - these foods improve the condition of blood vessels. I also would recommend taking ginseng or radiolucent preparations 15-20 drops a day on a daily basis. They have a toning effect on the vessels.
Do not obstruct blood circulation with tight shoes and gloves. Wet feet lose heat more quickly, so do not allow sweating, use antiperspirants. Since starting to freeze, we always get cold from the tips of our fingers, dress warmer.
If hypothermia does happen, you can warm your fingers in warm (no more than 30 ° C) water, and then rub them with camphor or mustard oil, which cause flushing, blood flow.
If your hands and feet are chilled all the time, be sure to consult a doctor: this may be a signal of endocrine disease or problems with the spine: the muscles are spasming, the blood vessels are squeezed ... If there is osteochondrosis and changes in the cervical region - hands become cold, if in the lumbar - stops .
The cream is not a fur coat. To protect the skin from frost, it does not have to be on top of it with a thick layer. Japanese scientists from the University of Tohoku found that colds cause mild inflammation of the skin, which is manifested by increased sensitivity and redness, and proved: this inflammation is best removed by an easy moisturizer.
More fat cream save for the evening. Apply it on the hands, put on flannel mittens (you can sew yourself in the form of two bags) and leave for 30-40 minutes. Two or three times a week, treat the skin with a scrub - this will reduce peeling and improve the penetration of nutrients. The simplest and most effective emollient for hands can be prepared at home: mix 1 tbsp. l. calendula flowers and about 100 g of vegetable oil, boil, let cool and strain. Use the mixture and under the flannel mittens.