Most people are secretly a little pleased when the humid weather of summer finally bids adieu, but we know it is not so for our lovelies out there who are dealing with psoriasis. You’re probably already aware that cold weather can make your skin flare up into the dry and scaly patches so associated with the condition, but here’s a few facts on what’s going on and what you can do to fight it.

Less humidity means less moisture

That’s really all it comes down to. Because there’s less humidity in the air, your skin isn’t as good at maintaining its moisture. And that’s not just people with psoriasis, that’s everyone. But when you’ve got psoriasis, those tiny dry-weather cracks that easily occur on elbows, knees, scalp and other sensitive areas can lead to flare-ups.

Next we’re going to talk about three key steps you can take to help your body deal with this situation.

Step 1: switch to baths

You can still shower as a part of your routine, but once in a while treat yourself to a warm bath with a good bath oil. If you give your body time to relax in the bath oil, it will be able to penetrate the plaque of your psoriasis patches and help with that all-important process of moisturization.

Step 2: speaking of moisturizing

This is not a time when you want to skip the moisturizer. After any bath or shower, and also several times a day independent of that, you want to be applying a thick, greasy moisturizer to the affected areas, as well as over the rest of your body. Since losing moisture may be what caused the patches in the first place, you want to be able to combat that.

Step 3: treat

Dead Sea Premier’s Psoricalm is a soothing cream that will actually help slow down the overactive skin cell production that’s causing these patches to appear. It also works to reduce the redness and inflammation you’re experiencing, making it a 1-2 punch for controlling your skin condition.