Ah-CHOO!! ...it's that time of year again...

Fall & Winter bring a slew of nasal terrors and sinus-passage problems... whether allergies, the occasional cold, or that imp, the Flu, you want to be savvy throughout the sniffles.

Raw skin around your nose from blowing it 100 times a day?  

• Dermatologist Audrey Kunin says, "when you're constantly rubbing such a sensitive area, you create tiny cuts, which let bacteria invade and make the skin red and peely.  After you blow your nose gently (snot rockets are not the goal here), dab Polysporin ointment on the edges of your nostrils.  Things should heal up in a few days."

Chapped lips despite constantly reapplying lip balm?

• Francesca Fusco, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine says, "Do some CSI-worthy detective work and examine your formulas.  A waxy balm that comes in a stick is preventative; the wax acts as a barrier to keep moisture inside lips.  But when there isn't any moisture to retain and your lips start splitting, you need an ointment that can seep into the tears to heal them from the inside."

• try Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, $25 (for chapped, flaking, cracked all over lips)

• try Chapstick Fresh Effects, $3 (for tight and dry but not cracked open lips)

Other cold, flu, and allergy tips...

• Wet a washcloth with warm water and lay it across your nose and mouth to relieve a dry, stuffed up nose as well as chapped lips.  Then use the washcloth to slough off the dead skin cells loosened on your lips as they become moisturized.
• Plug in a humidifier at night to relieve dry air-induced stuffy noses, dry skin, and chapped lips.
• Eating local honey helps relieve seasonal allergies, as local bees will have gathered pollen from local buds.
• Licorice contains an anti-inflammatory will help relieve inflamed, chapped cheeks in the winter.  Not sure how much good it will do you to munch it, but you can purchase DDF Intensive Holistic Lightener, $22, and other licorice-infused health and beauty products as well.