How To Prevent And Treat Windburn, Winter's Overlooked Skin Condition (Huffington Post)

You don't have to hike up mountains to get windburn. Learn how it happens and what you can do about it.
How To Prevent And Treat Windburn, Winter's Overlooked Skin Condition

If you’ve ever experienced windburn, you’re familiar with the stinging, burning sensation that can result from a fun-filled winter adventure (or sometimes just a walk to the store). When my skin is windburned — often on my face — it can develop a reddened appearance, taking the “rosy winter cheeks” thing to the extreme. It’s not a look I’m very fond of.

For about a day afterward, my skin also feels extremely dry, slightly warm and somewhat painful — not a sharp pain but an overall tenderness that I try to combat with moisturizer (which is usually moderately successful). Though there have been times when the burning sensation has been pretty intense, most often I’d liken it to what a mild sunburn feels like.

According to the experts I talked to, windburn is pretty common. As little as 15 minutes of exposure can lead to the condition, said Dr. Adam Friedman, a professor and the chair of dermatology at the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences. It turns out that skin, especially on the face, is quite tender.

 

Read the full article on HuffPost.com

Latest News

The GW Medical Faculty Associates is pleased to announce that Steven W. Boyce, MD, will serve as Chief of the Division of Cardiac Surgery. He also serves as a Professor of Surgery. The division, which is part of the larger Department of Surgery, is home to a broad group of nationally and…
Air quality in the Washington, D.C. area is unusually poor, and while it may be invisible some days, the threat is still there. Daniel Baram, MD, associate professor of medicine at the George Washington (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) and division Director of Pulmonary Medicine…
The George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) is pleased to announce the selection of Karen A. Fagan, MD, to serve as the Chair of the GW Department of Medicine.