Learn why humidifiers are a dermatologist-recommended winter skin solution.
Do I really need a humidifier in my bedroom? I’ve often wondered this, especially during the cold winter months when I’m guilty of cranking up the thermostat on the reg. So, I asked a few of New York City’s top dermatologists and an allergy specialist to weigh in on all things humidifiers. What I didn’t realize is that in addition to helping relieve sinus pressure when you’ve got a cold, using a humidifier also has some serious skin health benefits.
What’s the purpose of a humidifier?
“A humidifier allows us to control the environment, which is a great way to control the skin,” explains New York City dermatologist Paul Jarrod Frank. “Skin is our largest organ, and heat is naturally very drying, so it’s important to keep air hydrated.”
And the best way to keep indoor air hydrated is — you guessed it — by using a humidifier. Very simply, humidifiers help increase air hydration levels by forcing moisture into the environment. Humidity is the measure of how much water vapor is actually in the air. If you want to get scientific, a humidifier “raises the relative humidity of an indoor space, which is the actual [amount of] moisture in the air compared to the highest amount of moisture that air can hold without raining,” explains William Reisacher, an allergist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City.
So, how does a humidifier benefit skin?
They’re especially helpful during the colder months of the year because winter is basically a one-two punch to air humidity levels: artificial heat makes indoor air extremely dry, and seasonally frigid temps make the outdoor air really dry, too. This alternating of dry hot and cold air can strip the skin of its natural oils, says dermatologist Gary Goldenberg of Goldenberg Dermatology, who regularly recommends the use of humidifiers to patients suffering from eczema, psoriasis, and dry skin. Similar to your hair, when skin loses enough of its natural oils, things start to go haywire.