So many of us work vigilantly to protect our skin from the scorching summer sun, only to neglect our skincare once the weather turns cold, figuring a good lip balm is all we need to brave the winter chill.

But when the outside temperature drops, so does your skin’s moisture level. Combine cold temperatures and wind with the dry heat of being indoors, and your skin is under major cold-weather duress.

“If you don’t take care of your skin during winter, it can turn ashy and not look ‘plump’ and youthful,” says Francesca Fusco, M.D., a New York-based dermatologist.

Allow your skin to get dry enough and Fusco says you could develop asteatotic eczema, a condition that results in dull skin that may itch, crack or ooze, depending on how severe it is.

It’s a common misconception that dry skin needs a heavy moisturizer. While this will “pat down” dry flakes, it won’t eliminate them. If your skin is dry, stick to your everyday moisturizer and follow these steps from Denise Meyer, senior instructor at the International Dermal Institute in New York.

• Use an exfoliant containing lactic or salicylic acid twice a week to remove build-up of dull, congested cells.
• Follow with a gel mask (again, twice a week) on your face and lips that contains orange flower or hyaluronic acid.
• Tone daily with a hydrating spray toner containing aloe vera.
• Finish with an oil-free daily moisturizer with silk proteins (also known as amino acids) to create an invisible barrier against moisture loss.

• Exfoliate morning and night with a skin-renewal booster containing lactic acid (too much may slow your muscles down, but it’s also a natural exfoliant) or hibiscus extracts. Both ingredients exfoliate and hydrate as well as accelerate cell renewal.
• Moisturize with an organic silicone (such as dimethicone or cyclopentasiloxane) gel to help protect the “glue” (otherwise known as the “natural moisturizing factor”) that holds skin together and prevents it from breaking down.
• Consider professional exfoliating treatments on a weekly basis for six weeks to help remove rough flaky patches.

• Apply a cream or gel cleanser with your hands. To remove, use a soft, damp washcloth.
• Use a booster that contains red raspberry extracts to help prevent dilated capillaries from worsening.
• Use a toner daily that contains Canadian willow-herb extract, which helps protect skin and manage irritation.
• Moisturize daily with an organic-based silicone moisturizer.
• Use an oatmeal or vitamin-based mask two to three times per week.

Snow bums, listen up. Just riding the chairlift increases your UVB radiation by 10 percent for every 1,000 feet of elevation, according to a study published in the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology. So protecting yourself with sunscreen while schussing down the hills is a must.

“Snow reflects sunlight very harshly and the result can be a sunburn that’s just as bad as one from a day at the beach,” Fusco says.

And don’t forget about windburn. Use a moisturizer labeled “non-comedogenic” (meaning it won’t clog pores) or a “cold-weather” cream. Wear goggles and a scarf around your face to minimize the amount of skin exposed to wind.

Lips should be protected as carefully as the rest of your skin. Remember that licking chapped lips offers only temporary relief since saliva evaporates quickly. Keep your lips covered with a balm that includes at least SPF 15.

If your lips are often severely chapped, check your toothpaste. “Toothpaste with too many chemicals such as flavoring or whitening agents can cause chapped lips too. Use good ol’ regular toothpaste,” advises Fusco.

A long, hot shower may feel relaxing, but it will strip the natural oils from your skin and leave it dry and itchy. Take a warm shower and don’t soak too long (you’ll save your skin and water).

Keep the following in mind when showering to avoid a winter dry-out:

• Exfoliate your body so your moisturizer will penetrate the skin and not just sit on top. For sensitive skin use a walnut seed scrub, and if you’re extra-dry use a Dead Sea salt scrub a few times a week.
• To double up on moisture, use an in-shower moisturizing wash.
• Apply a toner and body moisturizer while your skin is still damp, which allows them to penetrate better.
• Use a rich moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, and rinse with cold water, which helps promote healthy hair and scalp.
• Indulge in a milk or oatmeal bath to soothe dry skin.