Ski instructor Andi Broom knows a thing or two about caring for skin in the cold.
Each winter weekend, Broom, her husband, Scott, and two daughters, Molly, 10, and Taylor, 9, hit the slopes armed with sunscreen, lip balm and moisturizers. Broom teaches skiing at Whitetail Mountain Resort in Mercersburg, Pa., while her husband volunteers to help his daughters' downhill race team.
The Brooms spend hundreds of hours in the brisk winter air. "We have to be even more careful in the winter than in the summer," says Andi, who lives in Towson.
Dermatologists agree. The harsh winter months are no time to slack off on skin care. The cold air outside robs skin of much-needed moisture, and the sun's rays can be even more hazardous because people are not as likely to apply protective sunscreens.
What's more, people working inside may find their skin tightening and drying, too. Indoor heat dries out the air, leaving little moisture for skin to absorb. Long hours inside also can mean increased exposure to pollutants, such as cigarette and cigar smoke, speeding up the skin's aging process, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
And about 5 percent of Americans will develop eczema this winter -- a red, scaly, itchy rash of unknown cause that usually requires a doctor's visit and treatment with prescription steroid ointments.
Skin-care experts suggest a number of tips for winter skin care, everything from adding a few drops of oil to your bath water to slathering your skin with moisturizer within seconds of stepping from the tub. The best advice: Use a moisturizer.
Still, deciding on a moisturizing product can be a dizzying experience.
Skin-care companies market nearly 1,000 different lotions and moisturizers in the United States, ranging from Bag Balm, a lanolin-based ointment developed in the 1890s for use on cow udders, to new, high-tech "cosmeceuticals" such as Avon's Anew line, which promises to reverse aging by stimulating the regrowth of skin cells.
The global market for cosmetics, fragrances and toiletries is roughly $141 billion, says Linda Weiser, an analyst with Oppenheimer & Co. in New York. Of that, skin-care products account for about $30 billion in annual spending.
In the last decade, medical researchers have made great strides in understanding the rejuvenation of the skin, which is the body's physical barrier against infections.
