Why Your Psoriasis Flares Up in the Winter

By lacey / 18 December 2023

Why Your Psoriasis Flares Up in the Winter
Our bodies behave differently in different climates, which is why you may feel invincible in the summer but more mellow in the winter. Weather patterns when the climate or season changes often align with skin behavior. If you use a lightweight moisturizer in the summer but double up with a heavy cream in the winter, you’re already aware of the connection between skin and season. You know your skin behaviors better than anyone, so if you have psoriasis, it’s likely that your skin condition requires a little extra attention as temperatures drop. If your psoriasis flares up in the winter, here’s why and what you can do about it.

Does Dry Weather Mean Dry Skin?

The moisture level in skin has a lot to do with the moisture level in the atmosphere. This seems like common sense because skin doesn’t just produce its own water content — it comes from the water that’s around you, whether by humidity level or what you drink. When external moisture is low or unavailable, skin quickly uses up what’s left of the available hydration deep in the layers. Since this last-ditch effort is unsustainable, skin quickly becomes dehydrated depending on the humidity level. Adding a pre-existing skin condition to the mix doesn’t make matters any better, especially since psoriasis is an autoimmune skin disorder that causes healthy skin cells to be attacked. Essentially, autoimmune disorders send inflammatory signals to the inflicted parts of the body. In the case of psoriasis, this can result redness and scaly patches of skin that are exacerbated by dryness and roughness in dry climates. [Read more: Want Healthy Skin? Start With Hydration]

Break Up Dryness With Skincare

The official treatment options for psoriasis include topical creams and oral medications, but skincare can be a skin-saver for day-to-day relief. You don’t have to suffer alone from uncomfortable, overly sensitive skin with Pour Moi, which means “for me” in French — that includes you. Pour Moi climate smart skincare accounts the external factors that may be causing your psoriasis flare ups, and the formulations are safe for really sensitive skin. Depending on your location, your skin may face a winter that has cold temperatures and low humidity (a.k.a. polar climate) or mild temperatures and normal humidity (a.k.a. temperate climate). Fortunately, the Polar Day Cream is formulated with Shea Butter to protect and soothe skin from the extreme frost and dryness, and the Temperate Day Cream delivers the right amount of moisture to the skin in the particular climate you’re in. Skincare may not be the cure for psoriasis, but it's a manageable alternative to ease the pesky symptoms. 

 

Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize!

Moisturizing your sensitive skin is one of the easiest and most effective yet overlooked methods of treating psoriasis on a daily basis. Delivering hydrating and nourishing ingredients to the affected skin promotes the organ to heal itself in a natural way, often resulting in reduced symptoms for psoriasis. Pour Moi wants to ensure that everyone can experience the skin-changing results of our climate smart Day Creams, and that includes those affected by psoriasis. This winter, you don’t have to suffer from the cold, dry air exacerbating pre-existing skin problems.