Cold weather also triggers skin diseases

Dermatology and Venereal Diseases Specialist Elif Irmak Yazıcı emphasized that infections such as colds and flu, which are common in cold weather, trigger skin diseases. She stated that skin diseases can be avoided by drinking plenty of water or preventing skin moisture loss. Elif Irmak Yazıcı, Dermatology and Venereal Diseases Specialist at Bursa City Hospital, made statements regarding skin diseases seen in winter months. Dr. Yazıcı, who stated that cold weather, low humidity, wind-induced factors, or decreased water consumption cause skin diseases to be more common in winter months, said, “This increase becomes inevitable when diseases such as flu, cold, and flu, which increase with cold weather, are added to this situation.” She said that if skin diseases developing in such situations are not treated, they can lead to negative results. Dr. Yazıcı drew attention to the fact that our skin acts as a barrier function between our body and external factors and can be affected by its structure environmental factors. She said, “Especially in winter months, cold weather, low humidity, inadequate utilization of the beneficial effects of ultraviolet radiation, wind, indoor heaters further dry the rooms, change the structure of the skin. Frequent infections in winter months also contribute to this. Skin loses water and dries, pH value changes, cellular characteristics that make up the skin change. As a result, the barrier function of the skin is impaired. Thus, some skin diseases appear more frequently or more severely.”

“Moisturize your skin and drink plenty of water” Dr. Yazıcı emphasized the need for patients with skin diseases to listen to the recommendations of doctors for treatment. She said, “The most common condition we see with the effect of cold weather is dry skin and itching. Besides that, atopic eczema, contact eczema, oily eczemas, psoriasis, cold urticaria, chilblains, Raynaud’s disease, and other skin diseases are more common than other seasons. For the treatment of these diseases, which increase in frequency and severity in winter months, you should first follow your doctor’s recommendations. However, there are also some things we can do personally. The most important of these is to drink plenty of water, prevent skin moisture loss, and moisturize the skin. We do not recommend taking frequent showers and washing hands very often. While doing these, we recommend using moisturizing hand washing products and shower gels. Especially after each washing, we recommend using medical moisturizers intermittently in our daily routine without drying our skin at all.”

“Avoid cologne and wet wipes” Dr. Yazıcı stated that chemical products such as cologne, wet wipes, and detergents, which are frequently used in daily life and disrupt the skin barrier function, should be avoided absolutely. She said, “We should avoid chemicals such as cologne, wet wipes, detergents that disrupt the skin barrier function and wear gloves habitually in some household chores. In the area where we can intervene in environmental factors, especially adjusting the room temperature and humidity will help us. In cold urticaria, which is in a different disease group, an allergic reaction develops against contact with cold. The basic principle here is to avoid cold and use allergy medications recommended by your doctor.”