Winter Tips

Winter Tips

About 1 in 10 people have had to deal with it: red or purple spots or swellings and pain in toes and hands after you have returned from the cold. What causes winter hands? And what can you do against winter toes? Answers to 6 frequently asked questions.

How do you recognize winter hands and winter toes?

Winter toes and winter hands, also known as perniones, can be recognized by redness, swelling, pain and itching. You will suffer if it is wet and cold outside. Red or purple patches or swellings may appear on your toes and hands. The spots itch or hurt. The itching and pain increase as soon as you enter a warm room. The spots appear mainly on the upper side of the fingers and toes. But the feet, legs, hips, arms and ears can also be affected.

How do winter hands and winter toes develop?

If you go from outside to inside in the winter, the blood vessels dilate so that more (warm) blood can flow through the vessels: you heat up. If you suffer from winter toes and winter hands, some of the blood vessels in the skin do not respond quickly enough to that temperature difference. There is a supply of extra blood, but the flow stops, so that an accumulation of blood occurs. This can damage the walls of the blood vessels. The tissue around it can also be damaged.

Which people are particularly bothered by it?

Young people more often than the elderly. And people who already have a disease of the veins, such as atherosclerosis. Even if you use beta blockers, you are more likely to suffer from complaints. This also applies if you are considerably overweight or underweight.

Can I do something about it myself?

Rubbing the painful areas relieves the itching and pain. Be careful though, because the skin in those areas is extra sensitive to irritation. A painkiller such as aspirin can relieve pain. A swap bath sometimes helps: keep your hands or feet in warm water for 3 minutes, then in cold water for half a minute and then in warm water for 3 minutes. Never scratch, because that way you run the risk of wounds. And because of the moderate blood flow in those places, they can start to burn faster.

How can I best protect myself against cold and moisture?

A change-over bath - as described in the paragraph above - not only helps to reduce symptoms but also has a preventive effect. If you go in the cold, wear spacious and warm shoes and gloves. Avoid tight clothes. Try to move as much as possible, do not stand still or sit still for too long.

When should I go to the doctor?

If the places spread from the hands and toes to other places, and if you also have symptoms without having been outside. Even if you have a lot of complaints and if you use beta-blockers, it is best to make an appointment with your doctor.

Summer tips

Can I also stay in the sun 15 times as long with protection factor 15?

No, that's not a good idea. Normally you can stay in the sun for five to twenty minutes without protection factor without burning. This depends on your skin type. With a protection factor of 15 you can theoretically sunbathe up to 15 times longer. However, it is not recommended because your skin is stressed by the sun. In addition, the sun makes changes to the DNA in the skin without you noticing. Keep this in mind by staying in the sun for a maximum of 60% of the time allowed, depending on your skin type.



Do sun creams provide immediate protection after lubrication?

Because the modern sun creams can be very well distributed over the skin, the protective effect can quickly be taken advantage of. However, it is much wiser to lubricate on time (20-30 minutes before sunbathing), so that your skin has time to properly absorb the sunscreen.

Does the skin have to be covered with a fair amount of sun cream, or does this close the skin?

To be effective, the skin must be covered with 2 mg of sun cream per square cm. For an adult this means approximately ¨ ÷ coffee cup with cream. When putting together a sunscreen, make sure that it does not contain mineral oils, so that the sunscreens and antioxidants in the cream have the opportunity to penetrate the skin sufficiently to do their protective effect. Despite the UV protection, wear a sun hat as much as possible to protect the face, especially when you also use products to lift the skin.