Dry Skin Care

Dehydration is the loss of water in the body, sometimes severe enough to cause shock since the human body is composed of seventy five percent water. To address this problem you first need to know its main cause. Several factors like the environment, weather, health situation, or lifestyle is making the skin dry. Some of them are easily remedied and others will take more time and effort.

To avoid dehydration, you should drink at least eight glasses of water a day, approximately 64 ounces of water, more in really hot weather. If you do not get enough water in the body, dehydration may set in. The eight glasses do not include other beverages you drink during the day, such as tea, coffee, milk, soda or juice. These beverages should be limited in intake since some of them may further dehydrate your skin and contribute to other skin conditions, such as acne.

Unnatural air conditioning from home or office heating and cooling systems keeps the air dry by removes moisture from your skin. Room humidifiers can be employed to keep air moist. Humidifiers can also be installed on the home furnace to help retain moisture in the atmosphere of the home. Installing such can be a bit expensive but helpful in avoiding dry skin especially in places with dry climate such as the Midwest states. A helpful tip in keeping the house humid is to fill several pots with water and place it in strategic places in the house. They need to be refilled when the level of water becomes low.

Living in a dry climate, such as Colorado, Alaska, Utah, Arizona, and elsewhere. You can't make the air outside more humid, but you can use humidifiers indoors. Fill a pottery crock with water and place several around your house. Refill when the water has evaporated.

Excessive use of exfoliants can also dry out the skin, making it reddish and rough. Treatment is just to decrease the frequency of use of the exfoliant. Use scrub exfoliants with polyurethane beads or cornmeal since this does not dry out the skin. Also, the excessive use of topical medications prescribed for the skin like Retin-A and hydroquinone can also cause inflammation of the skin. Use should be cut down to every three days until the skin becomes normal.

Overuse of topical prescription medications for skin, such as Retin-A, benzoyl peroxide, or hydroquinone. They can make the skin dry, red, and inflamed. Cut back on use to every other day or every third day until your skin normalizes and redness is healed.

Before using any skin care product on yourself, you should try to consult a skin expert or a certified skin technician. Since there are a lot of skin care products in the market today, you should always test what will work best on your skin. If it feels too dry or flaking occurs, then it probably isn't the best product for you. Foundations used either powder or fluid, should nourish the skin, and not cause it to dry up. It will help to know the type of facial skin you have, if either oily or dry, to be able to choose the right foundation for your skin type.

Using foundation or powder that is too drying for your skin. If your skin feels tight at midday, consider switching your foundation or powder to one with more moisture and less oil absorption.

Salon treatments are a delight to indulge in. But too much of a good thing can lead to its destruction. Treatments at a salon should be done every six weeks, at the least, especially for skin peels. Consult your aesthetician for suggestions on the proper skin regimen for you.

There are several medications that can lead to dehydration. If these medications are not really necessary for your body, like if it is just a supplement and not for the cure of an underlying illness, then stop using it. If this is not possible, then just try to avoid other causes of skin dehydration.

Some illnesses can also lead to skin dehydration like flu, and cancer. Flu discourages water retention thus leading to dehydration. Cancer treatments, like chemotherapy and radiation treatments can also dehydrate the skin. The best thing to do is to keep your skin hydrated even when sick by drinking lots of fluids.

Travel by plane can also cause your skin to get dehydrated. Since the cabin air is drier, especially at a height of thirty thousand feet, moisturizer should be applied before the plane takes off. Spritzing your face with a toner solution that contains humectant or much simpler, purified water, can help moisturize your skin during flights.

Pollution also plays a role in skin dehydration. You can either opt to stop pollution or just take care of your own skin by following the proper and prescribed skin regimen for you regularly.

Drinking alcohol also leads to dehydration since alcohol is a diuretic. Diuretics draw water from the body, and lower the water level in the body. A hang over is usually the result of dehydration of the body. If you are prone to dry skin, alcoholic drinks should be avoided. Smoking also produces the same effect on the body. Even if you are just the recipient of second hand smoke, it can still cause dehydration. Therefore to avoid dehydration, stop smoking.

Smoking. Smoking dries out the body both internally and externally. This affects both smokers and people subject to second hand smoke. The only solution is to stop smoking.

Drinking sodas, either the regular kind or the diet ones can result in dehydration. These types of drinks have sodium as their ingredient which causes acidity. Avoid sodas and increase your intake of purified water. Carbonated water has dissolved carbon dioxide in its composition, which is also highly acidic, so avoid other bubbly drinks as well.

A good sleep during the night helps greatly in maintaining moisture in the skin. At least six to eight hours of sleep is needed for the body to function at its peak. Avoid eating starches, white sugar, junk food, french fries, and potato chips since this may also lead to skin dehydration.

There are still several causes that may lead to skin dehydration, all of them seen in our daily routine. If only people are aware of this, then complaints of dry skin can be avoided. Our modern and carefree lifestyle contributes to this skin condition. It is only by changing our regular habits that we can avoid having dry skin. After changing our lifestyle and environment, here are several tips on how to take care of your skin.

Dry Skin Treatment

After you go to work on the lifestyle and environmental changes suggested, it's time to go to work on your skin. Follow these suggestions:

Correcting dehydrated skin begins with faithfully completing your daily skin care ritual. Be sure to cleanse, tone, and moisturize twice a day- morning and evening.

Exfoliate gently and regularly using mild alpha hydroxyl acids to dissolve dead skin cells that buildup in the skin because of its dryness and keratinization. Improvement of the skin's natural moisturizing factor can be achieved by the use of lactic acid, squalene, glycerine, and urea treatments. For special treatment for your skin, a hydrating mask can be applied to make the skin remain moist but make sure that it will not unintentionally dry the skin.

For a special skin treatment, apply a hydrating mask that stays moist on the skin. Be sure your mask isn't intended to actually dry while on the skin.

Use sunscreen with the right sun protection factor and moisturizer when going outdoors. Select a foundation that keeps moisture in place like those that contain glyconucleopeptides, silicone, or silica. Drink fish oil capsules that contain essential fatty acids, or flax seed oil, every day. They will make your skin soft and supple. A dosage of 10 capsules or 2 tablespoons can suffice. Eating five to ten servings of vegetables and fruits daily with each meal also helps in hydrating the skin.

Choose a foundation that seals in moisture, such as one that contains silicone, silica, or glyconucleopeptides.

Take essential fatty acids, those found in fish oil capsules or flax seed oil, every day. Take about 10 capsules or 2 tablespoons. They will make your skin soft and supple. Eat 5 to 10 servings of vegetables and fruits dailt, or at least 2 with each meal.

Electrolytes should also be balanced to help regulate the hydration levels of the body. These can be found in fruits like bananas and oranges instead of so called energy drinks like Gatorade since it is composed of a lot of sugar and artificial ingredients.