Itchy skin due to central heating: How to solve it?
It is one of the cosiest feelings to curl up into your blanket, snuggling into your bed while the weather is drizzly cold. We often turn up the heat and keep melting until Spring awakes us from our “hibernation” (waking up for a short while on Christmas, obviously). But as great as it feels, your central heating system might be causing and aggravating all kinds of irritations to your skin, such as psoriasis or eczema. So, How can you solve your itchy skin due to central heating?
Why is this happening?
Experts conclude central heating has one of the foremost factors that cause dry skin during the winter season. The primary symptom of this is when you often feel an irritation, mostly itchy skin, due to central heating. While we humans adapt our lifestyle to the recurring seasons, our skin fails to follow suit.
What are the symptoms?
Just like air-conditioning, central heating decreases the moisture content in the air, turning the skin dry and tight. Central heating makes it additionally stressful and challenging in taking care of dry skin. Besides, dry skin is particularly aggravating if you possess a pre-existing skin disorder such as psoriasis or eczema. A few cautionary signs indicate your skin is too dry, like when it feels coarse to touch, appears scaly, or starts to flake. Aside from being responsible for causing the dry conditions inside, central heating also causes problems due to the severe disparity in temperatures from outside. The stark contrast in temperatures, i.e., from chilly outside to warm and cosy inside, additionally cause blood vessels to expand, worsening the redness of rosacea and acne by a problematic extent.
Water and natural oils in the skin provide moisture and strengthen your skin’s protective functions. Winter rash is an occurrence due to too much loss of moisture from the skin during cold seasons. Chilly, moisture-free air and central heating can absorb the water and oils from your skin. Besides lifestyle aspects, few environmental factors and specific medical conditions can also give dry skin and rashes.
Winter weather can also spawn quite a few skin irritational disorders, such as:
- Dermatitis. This occurs due to any inflammation of the skin. Dermatitis brings about dry, itchy patches developing on your skin. It may occur due to poor circulation or your skin being exposed to an allergen or harsh chemicals, resulting in an infection.
- Rosacea. Rosacea is an infection caused by bacteria that develops small, red bumps and rashes upon your skin.
- Cold urticaria. This infrequent skin disorder results in itchy, swollen bumps called hives that form after cold temperature exposure. Few people develop hives due to swimming in cold water, whereas others are sensitive to cold air. The rash, although temporary, about one to two hours after exposing your skin to cold temperatures.
- Psoriasis. Dry and cold weather can result in psoriasis flares. Other triggers comprise stress, smoking, and specific infections.
What to do?
Instead of sitting idle at home shivering, there are some helpful solutions and alternatives which are proven to alleviate and reduce the skin irritations from central heating. To begin with, the most effective and obvious solution to this issue is to turn off your central heating at night. Turning the heat off at night is an excellent way to prevent skin dryness (especially if you possess skin disorders such as eczema or other inflammatory diseases), as well as cutting off your expenses due to electrical bills.
How to know what’s best for you?
Furthermore, you can also try and replenish the moisture content in the air. If you possess dry skin, you should benefit from a humidifier, particularly in the winter months when the air has little moisture in it. A humidifier is a simple device that enables you to regulate the moisture levels within the air around it. Conventional humidifiers make use of a tank of water that boils to release steam into the air. In contrast, more advanced humidifiers employ ultrasonic vibrations to create water vapour, a considerably more hygienic and safer method.
Moreover, it is necessary and beneficial for your skin to avoid exposure to either too hot or too cold water. The mixture of hot water and cold temperatures can make your skin feel raw and exposed. Try and shorten your showers with a lower temperature and avail warm baths to let your skin relax and stay moisturized, especially if you use nourishing bath oils.
Lastly, if your skin is very dry, the thicker the cream, the better, if moisturizers are too thin, they are prone to quick evaporation, leaving your skin drier.
What to use?
Now that you are aware of the issue, let’s focus on the best available solution at hand:
E45 Itch Relief Cream provides dual action treatment for both skin irritations and itching due to central heating.
The E45 Itch Relief Cream prevents:
- Psoriasis
- Eczema
- Dry skin conditions
- Scaling skin conditions
- Itchy dermatitis
- Pruritus
Free of perfumes and dermatologically tested, the E45 Itch Relief Cream constitutes an anti-itch ingredient, Lauromacrogols, that provides treatment and soothes the itch resulting from eczema, dermatitis, pruritus, and most dry skin irritations. Contrived from Urea, an organic moisturizer produced naturally within our skin, E45 Itch Relief Cream is grease-free, moisturizes greatly, and will alleviate your skin, leaving it soft, smooth, and itch-free. This ultra-moisturizing cream is applicable for adults, the elderly, children, and infants over the age of 1 month.
To Sum it Up
A counter-stimulant such as the aforementioned E45 Itch Relief Cream soothes the skin and relieves you from itching. It is also important to note that this is a recurring condition. Itch symptoms are prone to re-emerge without regular care.
Effective treatment of itchy skin due to central heating needs daily maintenance. If your skin does not stop itching with general measures, you should consult your dermatologist, as itchy skin is often a beginning sign or onset of other medical conditions.
