Redness, flaking, cracks in the skin – all these phenomena can be manifestations of an allergy to cold.
January 26 2016
Facial skin
The bright red blush that appears from frost does not fade long after you are in a warm room. You feel an unpleasant fever, redness itches, and your skin is not as smooth to the touch. After a day or two, peeling sometimes begins.
What to do: apply a greasy cream one hour before going outside. Avoid moisturizers! They create conditions for the appearance of ice microcrystals that damage the skin. Before going outside, stand near an open window or on a balcony. In cold weather, you need a large warm tube scarf that will cover your face to the very eyes.
Arms and legs
After exposure to cold, the skin on the hands becomes bright scarlet, sometimes swelling. Insufficiently protected parts of the body also suffer: thighs, legs, forearms. Wearing tight tights or jeans on cold days is like going out naked. The manifestations can be different – redness, urticaria. They are almost always accompanied by severe itching or painful burning.
What to do: Dress very warmly, preferably in loose-fitting clothing made from modern soft fabrics. Ski pants and overalls are ideal for subzero temperatures. Rashes can last for a long time, up to a week. Try to soak them less often and not even expose them to a slight cold.
lips
With the onset of winter, you feel unpleasant dry skin, peeling, the border of the lips can be sore and red. Cracks appear in the corners of the mouth. Often, these manifestations signal a lack of certain vitamins in your diet – A, E and group B.
What to do: do not go outside without hygienic lipstick of the winter series. Do not eat or drink anything outside, cover your mouth with a scarf. Take a complex of vitamins.
Respiratory system
This reaction is most reminiscent of the symptoms of a cold or SARS, which appear individually or all at once: sneezing, nasal congestion, coughing, shortness of breath. All this you feel after spending some time in the fresh air. However, once you return to warmth, health is restored fairly quickly. This type of cold intolerance is especially unpleasant, as it can increase from year to year. As a result, patients have to decide to move.
What to do: exclude long walks in frosty weather. Breathe primarily through fabric. If the cough intensifies, this indicates a spasm of the bronchi. In this case, be sure to see a doctor.
Head
In cold weather, your forehead and temples ache, but the pain relieves in the warmth? It is likely that you are experiencing “cold migraine”, or pseudohemicrania. Sometimes the disease is accompanied by an unpleasant sensation of cramped jaws. Low temperatures cause vasospasm and a painful reaction of the facial nerves.
What to do: be sure to wear a warm Scandinavian-style hat with ears that securely cover the cheeks and tie under the chin.
To find out if you have a cold skin reaction, place an ice cube on the outside of your hand and hold it for 5-6 minutes. If itching, burning or even blisters appear at the site of contact, then the result is positive.