BU students know the feeling. Dry, chapped, brittle and sometimes itchy skin ‘ courtesy of this cruel Southern Tier climate.
Your hands, feet and face are all fair game for skin irritation, but because you can protect your hands with gloves and feet with socks, most often it’s your face that experiences the impact of dry air and bitter gusts of wind. Just ask Tenille Faria, a Binghamton University freshman and political science major, who experienced an unexpected facial breakout.
‘I honestly didn’t know where it came from,’ she said. ‘I had just finished eating chicken fingers and thought I’d had an allergic reaction.’
But Faria’s condition was not a reaction to food, it was a reaction to the weather.
‘I got really worried because it wasn’t aesthetically pleasing and I had never experienced anything like it before,’ Faria said.
She decided to see a dermatologist once the breakout became a raised, itchy rash along her neck, lasting for more than a week.
‘My dermatologist explained how the breakout was caused by dry air and cold temperatures my skin wasn’t used to,’ she said.
Faria is not the only one discovering how Binghamton weather can have negative effects on the skin. Brandi Vaughan, a junior Spanish major, feels it most on her legs. ‘I didn’t realize I had sensitive skin until I came to Binghamton [and] started experiencing the skin on my calves cracking to the point where they would bleed,’ she said. Vaughn now uses Nivea Moisturizing Lotion, which she said helps when applied before going outside.
However some BU students attribute their dry skin to more than just the weather. ‘I can’t take the water here,’ said junior Taris Burgess. ‘It’s so harsh that after showering I usually have to double up on Vaseline [just] to keep my skin moisturized.’
While it’s apparent that BU students are fighting a veritable war on their skin, some have already found their own remedies for the ailments of harsh weather.
‘I know people who do suffer from dry, irritated skin here at BU,’ said Ralph Amurao, a senior nursing major, ‘but I use Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion after towel-drying my skin, [and] that keeps me from being affected.’ As a nursing major he says he’s also learned how important it is to stay hydrated in order to maintain proper skin care. ‘I drink a lot of water [and] that seems to helps a lot,’ he said.
Advice from a dermatologist:
Dr. John R. Ashley, a dermatologist and assistant clinical professor at the University of Oklahoma said that several things can cause dry, irritable skin during the winter months.
‘If [students] are using soaps that are not mild enough, the skin will become excessively dry,’ he said.
He also said that during the winter months we don’t receive as much vitamin D, which is provided by sunlight, as we do during the summer months, which contributes to skin irritation. He advises against long, hot showers and suggests that students opt for lukewarm showers with mild soaps like Dove. So while it may seem appealing to melt in a hot shower before running to an 8:30 class, you’re actually doing more harm than good to your skin.
‘You want to use moisturizers and creams that have ammonium lactate and urea in them [because] they hold moisture,’ Dr. Ashley said.
However, if you have eczema, products with urea are not advised as they will cause burning sensations. ‘My patients say they really like AM-Lactin and Cetaphil,’ he said. These are the products he recommends.
And for the ladies, Faria recommends MAC Studio Moisture Cr√É®me available at MAC stores for about $25.
So the next time you find yourself on a Walmart run, be sure to invest in some moisture-rich lotions and soaps as they may be your only hope in warding off the unpleasant skin conditions Binghamton winters can cause.