How Winter Affects Your Skin
For most people with eczema, winter is the most difficult time of year. The combination of cold outdoor air and dry indoor air caused by heating literally draws moisture out of the skin. The skin becomes drier, tighter, and more prone to cracks in the skin barrier.
But there’s more. Scientific research shows that the diversity of the skin microbiome decreases in the winter. There are fewer beneficial bacteria present to protect the skin. This not only makes the skin drier, but also more vulnerable to the harmful bacteria that trigger eczema.
At the same time, we spend more time indoors during the winter. We wear more clothes—preferably warm, synthetic ones—which don’t allow the skin to breathe as well. We shower more often and with hotter water, which further damages the skin’s protective barrier. And we rarely get any sun, which has a soothing effect on skin inflammation.
Why Summer Isn’t Always Better Either
For some people, eczema improves in the summer. The sun has a mild anti-inflammatory effect, and warmth can sometimes help relax the skin barrier. But for others, summer brings its own set of problems.
Sweating is one of the biggest triggers for summer eczema. Sweat contains substances that irritate the skin, especially if that skin is already prone to inflammation. Heat increases blood vessel dilation in the skin, which intensifies redness and itching. And the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors—air conditioning versus the blazing sun—challenges the skin barrier in a different way.
Chlorine in swimming pools is another summer challenge. It kills bacteria, including the good bacteria on the skin. After a day of swimming, the microbiome of a child with eczema is significantly less diverse than it was before. This explains the flare-ups after swimming competitions and vacation days spent at the pool.
And then there are allergens. Pollen in the spring and early summer, and grasses later in the season. In people with atopic dermatitis, the immune system is already overactive. Allergens in the air put an extra strain on the body, and the skin pays the price.
Same cause, different triggers
What winter and summer have in common is that they both put stress on the skin microbiome. However, they do so in different ways. In winter, this is due to dryness and a reduced diversity of good bacteria. In summer, it is due to sweat, heat, chlorine, and allergens.
In people with a healthy microbiome, the skin copes relatively well with seasonal changes. In people with atopic dermatitis, where the microbiome is already chronically out of balance, there is less of a buffer. Any additional stress can trigger a flare-up.
That is also why an approach that structurally strengthens the microbiome is relevant in all seasons—not just as a response to a flare-up, but as daily support that makes the skin more resilient to whatever the season brings.
How to Prepare Your Skin for the Season
In the winter, moisturizing is more important than ever, but the type of moisturizer makes all the difference. Products that strengthen the skin barrier and support the microbiome work more effectively than regular moisturizers. Apply your skincare immediately after showering, while your skin is still slightly damp, so the active ingredients are better absorbed.
Take lukewarm showers, never hot ones. Hot showers are tempting in the winter, but they strip the skin of the protective layer it so desperately needs. Wear cotton or bamboo clothing next to your skin, especially at night.
In the summer, the priority is different. After swimming, rinse off immediately with lukewarm water and then apply your recovery cream. Wear lightweight clothing that wicks away sweat rather than trapping it. And avoid perfumes and sunscreens with harsh chemical filters if you know they irritate your skin.
The most beneficial thing you can do in any season is to actively support your microbiome. The YUN ATO Probiotic Repair Cream contains live lactobacilli that help restore the disrupted microbiome, no matter what the weather is like outside.
Your skin has a memory
One thing many people don’t know is that the microbiome follows a certain seasonal rhythm. Just as plants and animals adapt to the seasons, the skin microbiome adapts as well. In healthy skin, this adaptation occurs smoothly. In skin affected by atopic dermatitis, this flexibility is reduced.
The more consistently you support the microbiome, the better your skin learns to cope with seasonal changes—not by ignoring them, but by being better equipped to handle them.
That’s not a promise of perfect skin in all weather conditions. But it’s an approach that’s much more realistic and sustainable than switching creams with every change of season and hoping for the best.
