By Meghan McGowan
Read time: 4 mins.
Summer is about more than just sun, and summer skincare is about more than just sunburn. Heat and humidity bring their own set of challenges, particularly for elderly patients in long term care.
Skin is the body’s largest organ, and protecting it in the summertime can be a challenge. Understanding how heat and humidity change the skin, even when the sun isn’t directly involved, helps caregivers support healthy skin in the ways that matter most.
Dynarex skin care products help caregivers protect their patients’ skin.
Where Skin Breakdown Risk Begins
A patient’s overall risk of developing skin problems depends on several factors. These can include:
- Age: Skin naturally gets thinner with age, and thin skin is easier to damage.
- Poor Diet: Fats, proteins, vitamins A, C, and E, and zinc are all vital to strong skin and proper healing. When the body doesn’t have these nutrients in ample supply, it lacks the necessary tools to maintain healthy skin.
- Incontinence: Prolonged contact with urine or fecal matter can lead to moisture associated skin damage, a common issue among long-term care patients.
- Dehydration: Insufficient water intake can cause dry, fragile skin that is more vulnerable to damage.
- Low Sensory Perception: Patients who lack sensation can’t alert their caregivers to the early stages of pressure wounds or damaged skin, making it more likely for skin issues to develop and worsen.
- Limited Mobility: Bed- or wheelchair-bound patients can spend long stretches of time spent in one position, creating the perfect conditions for skin damage.
Summer and Skin: The Impact of Heat and Humidity
The basic risk factors for developing skin issues remain consistent throughout the year. However, summertime weather ramps some of these issues up to greater levels, increasing the likelihood of serious damage.
Hot, humid summers where sweat builds up quickly and evaporates slowly create major risks for patients in long-term care. Trapped moisture, increased friction, and high surface temperature on the skin are all commonplace in summer and can aggravate existing skin infections and make new ones more likely. Dehydration is also quicker to occur in hot weather, compounding dry, fragile skin. Some studies even indicate that heat itself can make pressure injuries more likely, adding a new layer to how dangerous summer can be for skin health.
When Moisture Becomes the Enemy
Moisture exposure is another serious problem that summer weather can trigger. Maceration occurs when the skin is in contact with liquid or a damp surface for too long. In small amounts, it’s temporary and harmless, like pruned fingertips after bathing or the soft wrinkled skin under a bandage. However, in long-term, serious cases, the skin becomes fragile and its defenses weaken, making tears and pressure wounds more likely. When high heat and humidity causes sweat to form more readily and linger on the body for longer, major skin breakdowns are likely to occur.
Shifting Skincare Routines for Summer
Normal skincare routines of regular checks, bathing, incontinence care, and pressure management may not be enough to keep patients’ skin healthy in the summer. Caregivers can incorporate these additional steps when temperatures are high:
- Maintain Cool, Dry Environments: Air conditioning and dehumidifiers can help to prevent issues before they start.
- Protect Against Moisture: Barrier creams or ointments with zinc oxide can help to prevent maceration in high-moisture areas like underarms, skin folds, and the groin
- Ease Friction: Baby powders can absorb excess moisture and reduce friction, helping to soothe irritation and keep patients comfortable.
- Increase Skin Check Frequency: Examining patients’ skin more often helps identify problems early and prevent them from escalating.
- Choose Appropriate Materials: Natural fabrics like cotton or bamboo wick moisture better than synthetics, making them ideal for clothing and bed linens in the summer.
- Change Clothes and Linens Often: Prolonged contact with damp, sweaty fabric increases the risk of moisture associated skin damage, so changing them frequently is crucial.
The Skin They’re In
Hot and humid conditions present unique challenges for skin health in long-term care, but the right routine can help to keep these issues at bay. A few simple adjustments can help caregivers protect their patients’ skin during the dog days of summer!
Explore Dynarex skin care products today!