- Freezing temperatures can wreak havoc on people’s delicate complexions
- Icy weather causes blood vessels to change size in response to temperatures
- This can leave people’s skin looking red, flushed and weather beaten
- Eczema or psoriasis patients may particularly suffer with such extreme snow
- UK is battling unseasonable snow flurries, with some regions measuring -5°C
A dermatologist has revealed eight ways to protect your skin from the cold.
As the UK continues to be battered by extreme snow, people may have noticed these freezing temperatures are wreaking havoc on their complexions.
Icy downpours and gale-force winds cause the blood vessels in people’s skin to rapidly change size to adapt to fluctuating temperatures, which can leave it looking red, flushed and weather beaten.
This can be particularly obvious in those with pre-existing skin conditions, such as eczema or psoriasis.
The UK is battling extreme snow which has caused temperatures in parts of the country to plummet to as low as -5°C, making this past week the coldest since 1986.
Below, consultant dermatologist and British Skin Foundation Trustee Dr Bav Shergill outlines eight ways to keep skin looking in top condition during this unseasonably cold weather.
A dermatologist reveals eight ways to protect your skin from the Beast from the East (stock)
Image shows an abandoned vehicle in Saddleworth, Greater Manchester, this morning
Eight ways to protect your skin
In a piece for netdoctor, Dr Shergill recommends people:
- Moisturise regularly – keeping skin moist helps to prevent it cracking and becoming infected
- Be careful of the clothes they wear – materials such as lamb’s wool can irritate the skin and cause flare ups
- Apply lip salve – this replenishes lost moisture
- Avoid harsh, alcohol-based cleansers and soaps – also ditch cleaners that contain alcohol and go easy on exfoliation
- Protect skin with warm clothing – wear a scarf, hat and gloves while outside. Also, change damp clothing into something dry as soon as possible as these can cause irritation and chafing
- Try not to turn central heating too high – dry air in centrally-heated buildings suck moisture out of people’s skin
- Avoid long baths – these strip oils from the skin. Also, opt for warm water over hot and limit the time spent bathing
- Moisturise immediately after showering – do this while the skin is slightly damp. Pat skin dry with a towel rather than vigorously rubbing to avoid further damage
What is the Beast from the East?
The severe conditions hitting Britain have been described by the Met Office as a ‘cocktail of weather events’.
The cold spell dubbed the ‘the Beast from the East’, has been caused by a jump in temperatures high over the Arctic, which is known by meteorologists as ‘sudden stratospheric warming’.
Temperatures of minus 5C (23F) hit parts of Britain over last weekend, which were the lowest recorded in the week leading up to March 1 – the first day of spring – since 1986.
The wind chill, which could see parts of the UK feel as cold as minus 15C (5F), rivals the temperatures forecast for parts of northern Norway and Iceland.
The cold weather has been so severe in the Brecon Beacons that an entire waterfall has frozen solid.
Walkers in the Welsh national park looked on in fascination as the waterfall near Pen Y Fan mountain was turned into ice amid the cold snap.
The wintry blast of freezing temperatures, which is also affecting France, Italy, Spain and Croatia, has already claimed four lives across Europe and is endangering the homeless.