What should you pay attention to when taking a bath in winter? How to prevent skin itching

Many people are afraid that they cannot wash thoroughly every time they take a bath, especially some ladies with obsessive-compulsive disorder. They often take a bath for more than half an hour, and some even for an hour. Washing for too long will inevitably wash away more of the sebum film on the surface of the human body. The skin lacking the protection of the sebum film will appear dry and flaky, and it will be followed by constant itching.

What should you pay attention to when taking a bath when your skin itches in winter?

1. Do not use hot water for washing, the water temperature should be 40℃

Thermal stimulation can suppress the feeling of itching, so most patients with itching like to wash with hot water, and some elderly people even use salt water or pepper water for washing. Doing this will make you feel very comfortable and relieve itching at the time, but as you may not know, overheated water is an adverse stimulus to the skin. It will dissolve the protective film on the skin surface, making the skin drier and more likely to aggravate the itching. The best water temperature for bathing is 40℃.

2. Bathing time should not be too long, about 10 minutes is enough

Many people are afraid that they cannot wash thoroughly every time they take a bath, especially some ladies with obsessive-compulsive disorder. They often take a bath for more than half an hour, and some even for an hour. Washing for too long will inevitably wash away more of the sebum film on the surface of the human body. The skin lacking the protection of the sebum film will appear dry and flaky, and it will be followed by constant itching.

3. Do not take a bath too frequently

Since the sebum film is crucial to protecting the skin, and the skin of the elderly appears very dry due to aging, it is enough for the elderly to take a bath once a week. Some people who are more particular and have the habit of bathing every day can take a bath every day, but they should not wash "thoroughly" every time. If they use a lot of bath gel, soap or even soap to smear the skin all over the body every time they take a bath, and then "carefully" scrub each part, the excessive use of these cleansing products will inevitably remove the skin's already scarce sebum film in winter even more "cleanly". The skin that loses the protection of the sebum film will naturally become dry and itchy.

How to prevent itchy skin

Method 1: Enhance skin moisturizing

In addition to the necessary moisturizing after bathing, you should apply a moisturizer containing anti-itching ingredients to the itchy areas 1 to 2 times a day according to the degree of dryness of your skin to keep your skin moisturized. Apply lotion or cream after bathing and on a regular basis to replenish skin oil. Apply lotion or cream to maintain your skin. It is best to apply lotion within three minutes of drying your body in the bathroom.

Method 2: Scientific bathing

Due to physiological degeneration, the skin of middle-aged and elderly people lacks sufficient sebum protection on the skin surface, and the skin is dry and dehydrated. Bathing too frequently will take away the already small amount of sebum protection layer, making the skin even drier. If the bath water is too hot, alkaline soap is used, or the body is scrubbed hard, it will undoubtedly aggravate the dryness and itching of the skin. Therefore, the elderly should reduce the number of baths they take in winter, once a week is enough. The water temperature should not be too high, and the bathing time should not be too long. Try to use less bath gel and soap when taking a bath. Do not leave soap on your body for too long and rinse it off promptly. After taking a bath, you can apply some cream that can prevent moisture evaporation to lock in skin moisture.

Method 3: Dress carefully

It is best to choose natural fabrics when wearing underwear, such as pure cotton, silk, cotton and linen, cotton and silk, silk and linen, etc., to reduce irritation to the skin. Newly bought underwear, especially those that have been shrink-proofed, must be washed before wearing to avoid possible damage to the skin by residual harmful substances and symptoms such as itching. After washing winter underwear, try to expose it to the sun instead of drying it in the shade.

Method 4: Don’t warm and moisturize

The elderly should dress appropriately in winter, neither too cold nor too hot to sweat. Wearing too thick clothes will cause excessive evaporation of sweat in the body and reduce the moisture content of the skin. Dry skin will aggravate the occurrence of itching. Excessive indoor heating or air-conditioning temperature will also cause the same problem. Generally speaking, the indoor temperature should be between 24℃ and 25℃. At the same time, in order to avoid the evaporation of skin moisture caused by dry indoor air, efforts should be made to increase the indoor humidity. Placing a few basins of water indoors can play a certain humidification role.

Method 5: Pay attention to your diet

In normal times, you should pay more attention to drinking plenty of water to replenish the water lost by the body and increase the moisture supply to the skin. Pay attention to balanced nutrition, eat a light diet, eat less high-fat foods, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, and foods rich in water and vitamins such as milk and soy milk. You can also eat sesame oil, soybeans, peanuts and other foods frequently. Drink less strong tea and coffee, and eat less beef, mutton, onions, garlic and other spicy foods and seafood.