Thursday, April 21, 2011

SheClick

SheClick


Useful Tips To Get Rid of Dry Skin: You Must Know That

Posted: 20 Apr 2011 10:46 PM PDT

The beauty of the skin is reflected by its glow, radiance, and moisture level. Dry skin appears to be dull and rough. If you want to enhance the skin's beauty, it is compulsory to maintain appropriate moisture level of the skin.

What Causes Dry Itchy Skin?

What really causes dry itchy skin? You need to identify these before even trying to treat dry itchy skin. In some cases, it causes itchiness and swelling. Some may not sleep well. Your skin condition is a good indicator of your over all health status. It even reveals a lot about you to a trained eye. Knowing its causes will help you identify truly effective solutions. As I was implying earlier, though dry itchy skin is not a relatively serious ailment, believe me, it is so bothersome. So take these pieces of information seriously.

The technical term for dry itchy skin is xeroderma. It is a condition of the integumentary system that is responsible for the body's protection against damages, among many other functions. dry itchy skin mostly occurs on lower legs, scalp, knuckles, thighs and sides of the abdomen. Usually, red rashes develop, accompanied sometimes with scaling, itching and cracks on your skin. Scaling refers to the visible peel on the outer layer of your skin. This outer layer is called stratum corneum. It is also referred to as horny layer.

Tips To Get Rid of Dry Skin

1. Invest in a Humidifier

Ever notice how older people in desert climates look like leather? The moisture in the air is actually good for skin. If you live in a low-humidity climate or you are around furnaces in the winter, invest in a humidifier.

I once read that your skin needs more than 30 percent humidity to stay properly moisturized. A room heated by a furnace can have as little as 10 percent moisture. In the winter, consider sleeping with a humidifier in your bedroom. Keep doors closed so the moist air doesn’t escape the room.

2. Drink a Lot of Water

You need to drink at least eight glasses of water every day. This may include natural juice extracts. Do not count in your soda and coffee. In fact, these two beverages contribute to gradual loss of moisture on your skin. During hotter weather, you may add more glasses of water.

3. Eat lots of Fruits and Vegetables

Our body needs essential nutrients and elements for its optimum performance. Fluid retention is significantly improved if your body retains substantial amount of these helpful nutrients. Foremost is the critical role played by vitamin E on your skin's health.

4. Don’t Forget Your Lips

Licking your lips will not moisturize them and instead will help dry them out. Lips retain less moisture than other parts of the body, so they tend to dry out more quickly. A simple lip balm helps, as does my all-time favorite lip trick learned in high school from “Seventeen” magazine: moisturize your lips with Vaseline. Take a toothbrush and “brush” your lips in a circular motion. This will remove dead flakes and leave your lips soft and supple.

5. Do Not Smoke

Smoking and caffeine largely contributes to dry itchy skin. They inhibit your skin from retaining moisture.

6. Avoid Hot Baths

Warm and hot baths are known to easily wash away the essential nutrients on your skin. It may be soothing to your senses, especially for people who have problems getting sleep easily. It may help you get rid of the dirty skin cells and other dirt, but hot baths only exacerbate your dry itchy skin condition.

7. Use Moisturizers

These are very effective in combating the early signs of dry itchy skin. They are applied topically on the affected areas. Look for brands that are suited to your skin type. They must be gentle and should not contain chemicals, some being known to cause cancer. A good and highly effective moisturizer is one made of natural ingredients, notably plant extracts.

8. Avoid Harsh Soap

Body soaps contain harmful chemicals that dry your skin further. Instead, use bath gels, moisture rich facial cleaners and hand wash. Just make sure they do not contain those chemicals too.

9. Stay Hydrated But Don’t Go Overboard

Many people believe if they drink more water, they’ll hydrate skin. But I’ve read time and time again that this is a myth and you simply cannot moisturize skin from the inside out.

That said, a small study recently published by the University of Hamburg (and reported in Allure magazine), suggests people who drink relatively little water could see a significant benefit in skin hydration if they started drinking nine eight-ounce glasses of water per day. What does this mean? Probably that dehydration does affect skin, but a normally hydrated person isn’t going to see major benefits by drinking even more water.

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