The dilemma of individuals affected by hyperpigmentation problems lies not only in choosing a good product, but the proper way to lighten skin. A successful skin whitening or lightening regimen does not rely on the products alone. Let me tell you why.

Skin lightening products have grown in demand as the answer for uneven pigmentation such as melasma, age spots, freckles, dark underarms, knees, elbows, acne scars or inner thighs. Regardless of race or skin color, it concerns a lot of people caused by the skin’s melanin content. Melanin, in its simplest definition, defines the color of our skin.

Skin-care expert Tisha Lugliani provides recipes that can aide in caring for skin during those cold winter months.

Skin Wrap

Apply skin lotion immediately after you bathe or shower, while the skin is still damp. Then wrap the skin with plastic wrap. This will trap heat and allow the lotion to better penetrate the skin.

Hydrating Mask

Ingredients:

4 Tbs. chickpea flour
1 mashed, ripe banana
1 egg, beaten

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While autumn brings piles of red-orange leaves and coats are dusted off for the upcoming winter weather, thoughts of sunscreen and bathing suits are quickly forgotten.

And so is skin cancer.

Health Education Coordinator Kathryn Steward said the chances of developing skin damage or skin cancer can still exist during colder months.

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Winter can make dry skin especially irritating. The December issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter offers tips to relieve winter itch.

Soak in the tub: Keep the water lukewarm. The temperature shouldn’t be above 90 F. Adding bath oil to the water may help retain and replenish the oil in your skin.

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Dry skin very commonly produces itching, which can be severe and interfere with sleep and other daily activities. Repeated rubbing and scratching can produce areas of thickened, rough skin (lichenification). Dry, thickened skin can crack, especially in areas subject to chronic trauma (e.g., hands and feet), causing painful cracks in the skin (fissures). Dry skin and scratching may result in a dermatitis when the skin becomes red (inflamed) in addition to dry and scaly. Round, scaly, itchy, red patches scattered over the legs, arms and trunk (nummular eczema) may also appear. The appearance of yellow crusts or pus in these areas indicates that a bacterial infection is developing. This would require specific antibiotic therapy from your dermatologist or family physician.

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The low humidity common in many parts of the United States during winter can cause dry, irritated skin. When skin becomes dry and irritated, eczema can flare. Here are some tips to help skin feel more comfortable during winter or anytime the air is dry:

1. Use a humidifier. With the heat on and the windows closed, the air inside can become very dry in the winter, making the dryness and itching of eczema even worse. Use a humidifier to place moisture in the air. If you don’t want to invest in an expensive humidifying system, smaller, relatively inexpensive humidifiers can be obtained at a local drug store. Placing two or three of these around your home will help to humidify the dry air. This can keep skin from drying and becoming cracked and itchy.

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Regardless of individual skin type, it is critical to moisturize our skin on a daily basis. A wide selection of moisturizers on the market provides us with a great opportunity to choose the product with the best ingredients for our skin’s particular needs. Choosing the best moisturizer for our own skin type elevates the benefits a moisturizer delivers to thirsty skin.

Mature skin may benefit best from moisturizer products containing alpha-hydroxy acid, a wrinkle fighter also present in milk and fruit. Special lines of anti-aging products may also contain selenium and Tropoelastin, a precursor to human elastin that prevents the onset and appearance of wrinkles.

Those who reside in four season countries are more prone to skin damage than those living in the tropics. This is because people of two seasonal climates only need to adjust to two kinds of weather patterns, the summer and the rainy season. This is not the case with those who had to experience summer, winter, spring and fall. Since their skin is exposed to more weather changes, and abrupt changes too seeing as how climate change has altered the standard passing of seasons nowadays, a more intensive skin regimen would be required of them. Hydration is the key for these individuals, as well as sun protection, so that translates to moisturizer and sunblock. During the winter season, people are still advised to wear both because the dry cold could actually burn our skin. For these instances, it is advised that one wears a sunblock mixed with a moisturizer to survive the cold dry months. Without this, skin will peel off from the dry cold and you will also develop mild ice burns.

It starts around November. Winds pick up, temperatures creep down. Furnaces kick on making the inside of our homes crackle with dry air.

That’s when the itching begins. Some people live with dry, scratchy skin all winter, until spring when the furnace clicks off. For others, it’s a year-round penance of living in a desert.

“Dry skin is worse in winter. Here, (there’s) no humidity,” said Dr. Julia Ai of Bella Dermatology in Sparks. “It’s worse in winter here because homes have dry heat.”

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You may already have a moisturizer that works well for you during the spring and summer, but your skin care routine should change with the weather. For the winter, it’s better for you to use an oil-based, ointment moisturizer rather than a water-based one. The oil creates a protective layer on the skin which will retain more moisture than lotions or creams.
However, do be careful when choosing oil-based moisturizers as some of these may not be appropriate for your face. Shea or butter oil, for instance, may be great for the rest of your body but not for your face because they clog up our pores. When choosing a facial moisturizer, look for one that contains oils that are non-comodogenic, such as mineral oil, avocado oil, or almond oil.