You’ve gotten used to asking your personal care at home provider to make sure your loved one has sunscreen on before she heads outside in the summer. But while summer can damage the skin with its blazing sun, winter can wreak havoc on healthy skin as well, especially older skin.
Your loved one’s skin loses some of its elasticity and moisture as she ages, making it more prone to become damaged. That’s why taking precautions against damage is so important. Damaged skin can crack and bleed, not only causing discomfort but also opening up the opportunity for germs and bacteria to enter your loved one’s body and make her ill.
Let’s look at five ways you can help keep your loved one’s skin healthy through the winter months.
- Change moisturizers. Most likely, your loved one is already in a routine of applying moisturizer each day but with the drying effects of winter, now is the time to change moisturizers. Have her personal care at home provider assist your loved one in finding a deep moisturizer that will help her skin stay hydrated longer. Her personal care at home attendant may also want to help her apply a daily facial hydration mask to keep the sensitive skin on her face moisturized.
- Change soaps and cleansers as well. Winter is the time to use soaps and body washes that have moisturizers built into them to protect your loved one’s skin all over her body. Put those lighter soaps away and have her personal care at home provider put moisturizing soap at each sink in the house as well as the bath area.
- Invest in a humidifier. Heated homes dry up the air inside them, making it impossible for skin or hair to absorb any of the moisture from the air. A humidifier will add moisture back into the air, reducing the time it’ll take for the skin to dry out.
- Apply sunscreen. Did you think that was only for summer? While the sun’s rays are weaker in the winter, they can still cause skin damage if your loved one is going to spend a significant amount of time out in the sun. The good news is that more of her body will probably be covered in clothes, but make sure any exposed skin has adequate sunscreen to protect it from those damaging UVA rays that stay strong all winter long.
- Take cooler baths and showers. When it’s cold outside, the idea of stepping into a steaming bath can seem quite tempting. Unfortunately, a hot bath or shower will strip the skin of its lipid barrier and cause the skin to become itchy and tight once out of the water. A lukewarm bath or shower is a much better alternative.
Finally, we’ll add an additional tip for your loved one this winter – drink plenty of water. Keeping her body hydrated on the inside can help her skin to stay hydrated as well.
If you or someone you know needs personal care at home in Buffalo, MN, contact Adara Home Health. We provide quality and affordable home care services for many fragile or senior members in the communities we serve. Call us at (888) 660-5772 for more information.