The big chill; Save your skin and face the elements fearlessly with a new, ultrarich extreme cream.

Whether it's jockeying for a place on the waiting list for Balenciaga's fur-lined, swashbuckling winter boots or pulling grandma's beloved fox stole out of cold storage, chances are you started prepping for winter's arrival long before flip-flop season had worn out its welcome. Though battening down the hatches, sartorially speaking, is certainly a necessity, with the season's long, annual assault-plunging temperatures, blistering winds, and dehydrating indoor heat-about to march straight across your face, shoring up your skin-care reserves is just as critical.

While you can get away with the dermatologic minimum in the summer-sunscreen, a dash of bronzer, a slick of gloss-winter skin requires more elaborate protection. After all, everything is exacerbated when the mercury drops: Dry skin gets drier; eczema comes out of hiding; conditions like rosacea can flare up. "Really dry skin can't do its job as a protective covering," explains Jane Wurwand, cofounder of the International Dermal Institute and the clinical skin-care company Dermalogica. "For many people, it doesn't just itch. It hurts and it burns."

moisture management

Manhattan dermatologist Bradford Katchen, M.D., sums up the reason for most winter-skin woes in two words: barrier function. As our bodies' first line of defense, the moisture barrier works to seal water in and keep irritants out of the stratum corneum (skin's uppermost layer). Complexion-drying culprits, particularly American forced-air indoor heating (as opposed to Europe's water-based heating systems), upset the skin's lipid/water balance, enabling moisture to evaporate more rapidly from the skin. Santa Monica-based dermatologist Karyn Grossman, M.D.,-whose own eczema tends to act up at this time of year-advises investing in a humidifier armed with new UV-light technology to eradicate germs.

To cut the deep freeze off at the pass, Katchen tells patients to engage in a merciless reevaluation of the contents of their medicine chests. "Because dry skin is more sensitive to fragrances and colorants, suddenly even something you've used forever can cause a reaction," he says. His advice: Swap deep cleansers designed to strip away summer's grime for gentle, low-foaming washes (like the derm favorite, Cetaphil), which leave insulating natural oils intact. Keep steaming-hot showers to a minimum and apply moisturizer (Grossman loves Aveeno's rich Daily Moisturizing Lotion) to damp post-