THE BUGS ARE GONE, BUT YOU'RE STILL ITCHING?

Your skin is itching, but you can't seem to find any mosquito bites, prickly heat or poison ivy rashes - so what's going on? Well, you may have something called winter dry skin. As the days get colder, your mom or dad turns up the heat in your home. When you do this, the air becomes very dry - sometimes dryer than the Sahara desert! When the air is dry, the moisture in your skin also dries up, and this can lead to dry, itchy skin.

Humidity is the level of moisture in the air, and depending if it's high or low, it will keep your skin moist or cause it to dry out. For example, if you take a bath or shower, the steam in the air is the humidity. This humidity level is very high - so much so that water droplets may form on your skin. As the humidity is lowered, by either turning up the heat, burning wood in your fireplace/wood stove or just as a result of the natural cold, dry weather outside, skin can become very itchy from this dryness. Sometimes it will become red, flaky and very uncomfortable.

In fact, dry itchy skin in winter is more of a problem than any other cause of itch throughout the year (even more than mosquito bites!). A survey by the Lanacane Itch Information Center^SM on different causes of itching found:

So, while you may think it is the cold temperature that is making you itch, remember that it really is the lower indoor humidity, not the temperature. For example, when it snows outside, the temperature is very cold. So, this means that your skin will be very dry, right? Wrong! When it snows, the humidity is actually very high (just like when it is raining), and your skin actually benefits from this extra moisture. However, when it is snowing, you may stay inside to keep warm, and by turning the heat too high, you are lowering the indoor humidity and causing your skin to become very dry.

No matter where you live, whether in the cold weather of Minnesota or the milder winter weather of Florida or Texas, lower humidity will affect your skin. You can check out the daily "itch" map of the Lanacane Dry, Itchy Skin Index™, where you will find a list of the itchiest cities and a weekend forecast map.

*Important Note to Parents:
You may want to set up a humidifier in living or work quarters, or keep your thermostat at 68 degrees or lower, to lessen dry, itchy skin. Regular use of a moisturizer will help decrease dryness, but make sure not to scratch patches of dry skin, since it can lead to more itching and infection. Instead, apply Lanacane® Anti-Itch Medication to patches of dry skin to help stop the itch, prevent infection and allow the area to heal properly. Always follow the directions on the package. To learn more about dry, winter skin and Lanacane products, check out www.lanacane.com or visit our product section.