Winter Dry Skin: Chapped Lips, Dry Hands, Cracked Heels

Winter in most of Pakistan is dry. Add gas heaters running all evening and long, hot showers once the geyser is on, and by December a lot of people have lips that split when they smile, hands that feel like sandpaper, and heels that catch on the bedsheet.

None of this needs expensive products. It needs the right habits, and a few products used at the right moment.

Why winter skin dries out

Cold air holds less moisture, and heaters dry indoor air out even further. Skin loses water to the air faster than it can replace it. Hot water makes it worse, because it strips the natural oils that slow that water loss. The fix is mostly about keeping water in, not adding more of it.

Three habits that do most of the work

• Turn the water down. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends warm, not hot, water for bathing. A short warm shower dries your skin out far less than a long hot one.
• Moisturise within a few minutes of washing. Damp skin holds onto moisture. Applying cream straight after a wash seals that water in.
• Choose creams over lotions. Thicker creams and ointments protect better and tend to irritate less than thin lotions.

If you sit next to a gas heater every evening, a humidifier, or even a bowl of water near the heater, helps the room stay less dry.

Chapped lips

The single most useful thing is to stop licking them. Saliva evaporates quickly and leaves lips drier than before.

• Apply lip balm throughout the day and a thicker layer at bedtime.
• If your lips are already cracked and sore, avoid balms that tingle or sting. Dermatologists warn that ingredients such as menthol, camphor, eucalyptus and strong flavourings can irritate broken skin. Plain petroleum jelly is a good fix until they heal.
• Save lip scrubs for lips that are dry and flaky but not split. Scrubbing a raw crack makes it worse. Two or three times a week is plenty.
• Outdoors, use a lip balm with sun protection, because winter sun chaps lips too.

If your lips have not improved after two or three weeks of this, see a dermatologist. Persistent cracking can have other causes.

Dry, rough hands

Hands get the worst of winter: cold air outside, hot water and dish soap inside. Keep a hand cream next to the sink and use it every time you wash. Wear gloves for washing dishes if you can. At night, a thick layer of cream under cotton gloves or socks works surprisingly well, and your hands feel different by morning.

Cracked heels

Cracked heels happen when the skin on the heel thickens and dries until it splits. A simple routine, adapted from Mayo Clinic's advice:

1. Soak your feet in warm water for about 10 minutes.
2. Gently rub the thickened skin with a pumice stone or foot scrubber. Don't try to remove it all in one go.
3. Pat dry and apply a thick foot cream or petroleum jelly.
4. Put on cotton socks and sleep in them.

Creams that contain urea or salicylic acid soften thick heel skin well, but they can sting on open cracks, so apply them to the thickened areas rather than into the splits.

Please see a doctor if your cracks are deep, bleeding or painful, look infected, or if you have diabetes. Foot problems in people with diabetes need professional care rather than home treatment.

Your face

If your face feels tight by midday, the routine needs a moisturising layer, not more products. A hydrating serum such as hyaluronic acid, applied to slightly damp skin and sealed with a cream on top, helps. Without the cream, hyaluronic acid has less water to hold onto in dry air. Keep sunscreen in the morning too. Our winter sunscreen guide explains why it still matters.

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