USA WEEKEND.COM, Dec. 4, 2005. - Winter brings with it dry, flaking skin. So we douse ourselves with lotions and creams that keep the skin feeling supple and looking better. After all, we want to prevent wrinkles, don't we? But what if I told you that you're paying attention to your skin during the wrong time of the year?

The fact is, when it comes to aging skin, old man winter can't hold a candle to summer's scorching sun. Here's the problem: In the winter, we pamper our skin, but once the temperature and humidity rise in the spring, so many of us neglect it because it's not dry and itchy anymore.

What can we do to promote healthy aging of our skin? There are risks we can reduce and others we can't. For example, aging itself changes the skin. The inner layer, or dermis, thins over time. The connective proteins, elastin and collagen, become disrupted, and the whole network of tissues becomes less pliable. The result: skin that's thinner, wrinkled and looser. As it loosens, skin droops more because of gravity.