HOLIDAY IN THE MOUNTAINS

Winter weather is hard on all types of skin, not just sensitive types. During the winter season a large number of people suffer from dry skin, not just on the face, but also on the hands, shins and feet. Furthermore, the change from hot to cold also has an effect. This causes the skin to feel tight and dry. Wearing ski goggles will protect a small area, but what about the rest of the body and particularly the face?

Pharmacy customer: Hallo.
PTA: Guten Tag.

Sorry, do you speak English?
No problem! How may I help you?

We’re going on a skiing holiday next week and I wanted to stock up on a few things such as elastic bandages, anti-inflammatory cream and painkillers.
That’s good. Here you are. This bandage should help until you get professional assistance. I hope you don’t have to use it! Here is the anti-inflammatory cream and the painkillers.

Thank you.
Have you considered skincare for the duration of your holiday, or even winter-time in general?

Not really, I thought I’d use the same cream that I’ve been using for years.
Well, when you go on summer holiday you take sunscreen with you, don’t you?

Yes, why?
A lot of people don’t realise that the reflected glare can do just as much harm to the skin as sunshine in the summer.

You’re right there. I didn’t think of that. Do you have a suitable sunscreen here?
Yes, this one here is our bestseller. You might also consider an oil-based moisturizer. An oil-based day cream will not freeze as a water-based cream would. It might be good idea to use a body lotion after showering and a good hand cream as well as a lotion for the feet.

Now that you mention it, yes, last year I had very dry patches of skin on my shins and my feet were really dry. My hands got quite chapped as well.
It’s not unusual. This is the time of year when we are most likely to take very hot baths and forget that peeling should be at a minimum. You should also avoid wearing damp gloves and socks which can irritate the skin.

Why should I avoid hot baths?
Very hot baths and even too long under a very hot shower can break down the lipid bar­riers of the skin. This leads to dry, irritated skin

Okay. What about cleansing and peeling?
If your face is very dry you should change to cleansing milk rather than a cleanser that is alcohol-based, depending on your skin-type of course. You can still treat your face to a peeling, but I wouldn’t do it too often at this time of year. Another thing that dries out the skin is heating, regardless of whether it’s central or gas heating or fires with wood. Especially when you come in from the cold, the sudden temperature change plays havoc with the moisture in your skin.

Thank you, you have been very helpful.
Bye, bye!

Vocabulary
cross-country skiing Skilanglauf
underestimate unterschätzen
glare Blendung
shins Schienbeine
ski goggles Skibrille
elastic bandages Elastikbinde
anti-inflammatory entzündungshemmend
considered überlegt
duration Dauer
moisturizer Feuchtigkeitscreme
patches Flecken
chapped rissig
damp feucht
gloves Handschuhe
irritate reizen
cleansing Reinigung
regardless of unabhängig davon
plays havoc with Schaden anrichten

Den Artikel finden Sie auch in Die PTA IN DER APOTHEKE 12/13 auf Seite 22.

Catherine Croghan, Lecturer in English and native speaker