Dry Skin Care is Proper Skin Care

Dry skin is a very common condition. It presents as roughened, flaky or scaly skin that is often itchy and less flexible than normal and dry to the touch. Although dry skin is especially prevalent in the senior citizen, the reasons leading to dry skin varies considerably from person to person and can appear at any age. Some individuals will have always noticed a hereditary tendency to excessive dryness. This dryness may be a component of recurrent eczema where the skin develops a very persistent itchy rash that is made worse by improper skin care and scratching and/or rubbing.

Environmental factors are extremely important in producing dry skin. Repeated exposure to harsh cleansers and solvents, deodorant soaps and bubble baths in association with frequent hot bathing will remove skin oils and other natural moisturizing factors (NMF) from the skin increasing water loss up to seventy-five times normal. Thus, skin is not dry because it lacks ìskin oilsî but because it lacks water. However, the purpose of the skin oils and NMF is to hold the water in the skin.

Winter weather is the major cause of dry skin during the year. The outdoorsí low humidity, cold, and wind all contribute to removal of water from the skin. The indoor dry heat of most homes also removes skin water during the cold season.

Dry skin is itchy skin. If this itchy skin is repeatedly rubbed or scratched, it will produce a rash. The rash (eczema, winter itch) makes the skin itchier and you scratch more producing more rash. This starts a vicious usually progressive cycle.

People who have dry scaly skin disorders as heredity atopic eczema or hand eczema, psoriasis, usually have a worsening of their skin condition in winter unless proper dermatological care is continued as instructed by their dermatologist.

We, at Beauty thru Health, recommend care for your dry skin condition and for continued proper skin care, you should do the following:

Take a cool to lukewarm bath/shower every day. (If you are excessively dry or irritated you may not want to bathe at all initially but cleanse your skin with a waterless cleanser/lubricant as Beauty thru Health Sensitive Skin Cleansing Lotion, Cetaphil Sensitive Skin Cleanser.)
To maximally improve the health of your skin it is important to wash in ìHealthy Water. Installing a water filtration system will provide you with healthy water that actually helps to maintain and enhance your skin. It also provides healthy water that you can enjoy drinking.
Use mild soap or cleansing bar whenever washing (Purpose, White Dove, or Aveeno Bar). Aveeno Oilated Oatmeal Powder can be added to a tub of cool water to soothe, cleanse, and moisturize the skin. You can wash your whole body with the soothing water.

Note: You should minimize your use of strong deodorant soap and bubble bath. Perfumes can irritate skin and strong soaps remove natural skin oils.

After bathing, gently rinse off your skin with cool/lukewarm water to remove any residual debris from being in a tub of non-flowing ìdirtyî water.
After rinsing off, PAT your skin dry with a towel and then IMMEDIATELY apply a good lotion or moisturizer (as over-the-counter Elta The Melting Moisturizer or Elta Lite Lotion by Swiss American, Moisturel, or Lubriderm) all over your body to hold the water in your skin. (DO NOT let your skin dry off, then, much later, apply the lotion. REMEMBER your skin will be drier after a bath if no lotion is applied that it was before you took the bath!)
If your feet are especially dry and scaly apply Beauty thru Health Rejuvenating Glycolic Gel 15 sparingly to both feet after you bathe or shower. After several days of application, start gently rubbing the bottom of the feet with a pumice stone or Buf Puf after soaking to remove the loosened and softened dead skin. Then use the Gel 1 -2 times per week to maintain softer healthier feet.
Get a good home humidifier and use it as directed to increase the indoor moisture content, especially in the winter.

If a person has already started a vicious cycle of itching and scratching producing eczema, then the dry skin care program will help control their itch and may clear their eczema. However, many times special medications need to be used per your dermatologistís instructions to completely clear the skin of the eczema.

Your skin is your first line of defense between the outside world and you. You should always follow the dry skin care program (health) to assist in its normal protective function and to enhance its appearance (beauty).

BeautyThruHealth.com - Clarence L. Wiley, M.D.

Dry Skin Care is Proper Skin Care