Cold Weather Skin Issues and How To Fix Them FAST...
We all want to look our best this holiday season, but with demanding schedules, hectic shopping and, let’s face it, stress that comes with plenty of family time, last-minute skin emergencies have a way of arriving at the most inconvenient moment. From sudden breakouts before your holiday office party, to embarrassing cold sores before reuniting with old friends, Dr. Kaplan is sharing the most common last-minute skin dilemmas, and tricks on how to solve them:
Skin Emergency #1: Cold Sores
“Cold sores are especially prevalent during the winter, as dry, cold air can cause breaks in the skin around the mouth, increasing the risk of HSV. Holiday stress, along with colds, flu and sunburn can trigger cold sores as well.”
How To Treat:
“For fast relief, visit your dermatologist to get an injection of dilute cortisone directly into the cold sore to help relieve inflammation. It usually flattens and shrinks the cold sore within 24-48 hours. Protect lips with a hydrating balm with SPF, as 80% of UV rays still filter through clouds and overcast.”
Skin Emergency #2: Nail Infection
“When getting your holiday manicure, cuticles are often pushed back too far into the skin or even cut. Damaging the cuticle allows bacteria to collect under the skin at the base of the nail, and can cause infections (called paronychia.) “
How To Treat:
“You will need a dose of antibiotics to relive the infection, as well as a topical medication to relieve pain. Do get your nails done, but leave your cuticles alone! “
Skin Emergency #4: Sudden Breakouts
“ Do not try to squeeze pimples or cysts yourself. Often, more fluid is pushed back into your skin, causing more pimples to pop back up. “
How To Treat:
“If you can, see your dermatologist, who can sterilely lance the cyst, and inject a drop of dilute cortisione to resolve the inflammation. The pimple usually flattens out within 24-48 hours.”
Skin Emergency #5: Excessive Sweating
“In winter, we tend to pile on heavy fabrics, but when you get indoors and peel off the extra layers of clothing, you end up revealing embarrassing sweat marks. Underarm deodorants often cake up in your armpit creases, or worse, cause your skin to crack due to the dry weather. “
How To Treat:
“Botox is so great solution for treating underarm sweating in winter. It eliminates the sweats for 4-6 months.”
