How To Cope With Extreme Dry Skin
If you have extremely dry skin, you may be concerned about what you can do or cannot do about it. The fact is that as we get on in years, we are going to add to the problems, rather than solve them.
The first is that we produce less and less sebum which is the basic lubricating oil for our skin. We could say that sebum is a sort of skin oil. As our cells replicate less and less, we cannot hold the moisture in the skin as we once used to and we are producing less sebum.
In a strange way, people with oily skin are better off in this regards as they have fewer wrinkles because their supply of sebum is more than enough. It also means that they are producing a little more collagen which helps to keep the skin supple and more elastic. The downside for them is that they suffer from more blemishes and acne-related problems.
It was well known that Winston Churchill suffered from extremely dry skin and had a lot of problems with itchy skin as a result. He refused to give up his hot baths as that was one of his life’s pleasures but that was one of the causes of his dry skin. When you expose the skin to such a high temperature, it tends to open the pores and you lose some of your vital moisture supply.
As regards taking a shower or bath, it is always better to take a warm bath as it can give the skin a chance to absorb more water. Some people actually put oil in their bath thinking it will help but actually that acts as a sort of film and the skin will not get the full benefit of the water.
We should always pat dry after a shower or bath because that will help the skin to keep some of the moisture it has acquired. Compare that to the vigorous rubbing with a towel which will dry out the skin far too much and also strip it of some of the vital oil that you need.
It is at this point that we need to apply a safe, natural moisturizer. Here are some of the things that the moisturizer must not contain:–
- no mineral oils at all.
- no alcohol in the preparation
- no SLS or sodium lauryl sulphate.
- no propylene glycol as that may cause kidney or liver damage.
The safest ingredients to look for are those such as shea butter which are much closer to our skin’s composition. It contains Vitamins C, A and E too. Other natural moisturizers that should be on the label are grape seed oil, jojoba oil and also aloe. These are the best ways to combat extremely dry skin without spending a fortune.
William Colbert has written on skincare for many years. Check out his blog for more details of how natural skincare is a much safer solution all round.
