Humidifiers: The Latest Solution for Beautiful Skin?
Most of us can already feel the onset of winter skin woes. While slathering on moisturizer helps, keeping a humidifier in your home, to put moisture back in the air, is another popular way to protect your skin. But be careful: You can't just turn it on for the winter and forget it.
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Dermatologist, Dr. Neal Shultz, says that cold air in the fall and winter doesn't hold much moisture, causing humidity levels to drop. This can cause your skin and your mucuous membranes to dry, which can become quite uncomfortable. While humidifers are inexpensive and effective, many people are unaware of the health risks posed by uncleaned ones.
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According to Dr. Shultz, whether a humidifer is hot (uses steam) or cold (evaporative, ultrasonic or an impeller) it's water chamber needs to be emptied and cleaned and dried every day! If not, bacteria and fungi can grow in them (yuck!) and be dispersed into the air through the water droplets the humidifer lets out into the air. These droplets attach to your skin and you breathe them in.
Try these skin-saving tips:
Slather on the moisturizer as soon as you hop out of the shower - it stays on your skin better.
If you're going to ward off germs with anti-bacterial hand gels, look for one with moisturizing properties like aloe or Vitamin E.
Clean that humidifier!
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