Winter Skin Itching: Care Tips from a Dermatology Specialist

Hello.

I am Lee Won-shin, a dermatologist with 22 years of experience.

Recently, as the weather has become much colder and the air drier, more and more people have been visiting the dermatology clinic complaining of itchy skin.

In particular, many people say they are fine during the day but have trouble falling asleep at night because they feel itchy all over once they lie down.

Today, I will talk about the causes of winter skin itching and how to deal with it.

Table of Contents

1. Why skin itches in winter

2. Why it is especially itchy at night

3. Wrong shower habits that cause itching

4. The right way to shower to reduce itching

5. If the itching still does not go away

Why skin itches in winter

When winter comes, the air becomes dry and a lot of moisture is lost from the skin.

People with healthy skin have a well-formed protective barrier that prevents moisture loss,

and because they retain enough moisture in the skin, they do not become very dry even in winter.

However, people whose skin is inherently weaker, such as those with atopic dermatitis,

or those whose skin barrier function has weakened with age, lose more moisture from the skin in dry winter weather.

When the skin becomes suddenly very dry, even the smallest irritation can make it sensitive and trigger itching.

Why it is especially itchy at night

Many people do not notice itching much while being active during the day, but suddenly feel itchy when they lie down at night.

The reason is that during the day, your attention is focused on other things, so you are less sensitive to itching,

but at night, because your attention is fully focused on your body, you feel itching more strongly.

Also, in the evening, factors such as changes in body temperature can make itching feel worse.

Wrong shower habits that cause itching

To reduce itching in daily life, bathing habits are very important.

Taking a long shower with very hot water causes the skin’s protective barrier, that is, the oily component, to melt away.

If the skin is healthy, it can recover quickly, but if the skin is sensitive or weakened with age, the skin barrier becomes even weaker and itching is triggered.

Rubbing hard with an exfoliating washcloth during showering or lathering soap excessively,

and forcibly removing dead skin cells with exfoliating products also quickly damage the skin barrier and worsen itching.

The right way to shower to reduce itching

Here is the shower method I recommend for people who feel a lot of itching.

It is best to shower with moderately warm water that is not too hot, and to keep it light by using only water without any cleansing product.

These days, because many people shower almost every day, washing with water alone is usually enough to remove waste materials, so there is no need to use soap or scrub off dead skin.

After showering, it is important to gently pat off the moisture with a towel and then apply a generous amount of moisturizer right away.

If the itching still does not go away

If the skin dryness is not severe, itching can often be controlled sufficiently just by correcting shower habits and using moisturizer.

However, when the degree of dryness exceeds a certain level, these measures alone often do not solve the problem.

In such cases, it is a good idea to visit a dermatology clinic and receive a prescription for medications that help control itching, such as antihistamines,

and, if necessary, use a mild steroid medication in lotion form together with a moisturizer to control symptoms in a relatively short time.

However, even mild steroid medications should not be used continuously like a moisturizer; I recommend using them only for an appropriate period according to a dermatologist’s prescription.

If itching does not improve even with medication, allergy testing may also be an option.

In particular, many people in winter have allergies to house dust mites or pet hair.

In closing,

Let me summarize the ways to manage winter itching.

First, practice proper shower habits and apply moisturizer well.

Second, if that does not solve the problem, get appropriate oral and topical medications prescribed at a dermatology clinic.

Third, if it still does not improve, consider getting an allergy test.

Itching is a symptom that greatly reduces quality of life.

Please do not endure it for too long, and I recommend receiving proper care and treatment.

Thank you for reading this long post.

This has been Lee Won-shin from Wells Dermatology.

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