Beauty
Quarantine Could Be The Reason For Your Dry Skin, According To Experts
Everything you need to know about adding some much-needed moisture to your routine.
Over the past few months, much of the world has turned to social-distancing, following recommended guidelines intended to help slow the spread of COVID-19. While the practice of staying indoors is helping in slowing the spread, there are skin impacts associated with spending much of your time indoors. Thankfully, these issues can be easily remedied with the right skincare routine and tools.
Board certified dermatologist, Dr. Elyse Love, explained to NYLON how seasonal humidity impacts our skin. As she noted, indoor air is often drier than outdoor air. "In the winter, humidity — a measure of the air's water content — is naturally lower and heaters add air but not typically humidity. In the summer, air conditioners partly work by removing humidity from the naturally humid air," she said.
It's usually in winter, when humidity is lower, that you'll experience more dry skin, but with much of us spending more time indoors, and not reaping the complete benefits of high humidity air, your skin is being exposed to a drier environment. For this reason, you might have noticed that you skin is lacking in a normally dewy, fresh summer glow.
To combat the dry indoor air, Dr. Love suggested spending socially distant time outdoors, or opening your windows to allow moisture-rich air in, as opposed to the constant run of an air conditioner. If you find that it's simply too hot to open the windows, or your skin is still lacking in hydration, she also suggested the occasional use of a humidifier.
Beyond getting some fresh air, Dr. Love recommended examining your skincare routine, and consider adding multipurpose products to your regimen. "Use gentle cleansers to cleanse the face, and use an oil-free, but still hydrating moisturizer," she said.
Whether a product will work for you comes down to your individual skin type, but you can try combatting dry skin caused by staying indoors with some of the products, below.
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