10 Tips To Keep Your Skin From Drying Out Part 1

By Dima Ali, MD

Part 1

“The key to keeping your skin from drying out is to retain moisture rather than replenish moisture.”

The main cause of dry skin (xerosis) is exposure to factors that strip away essential, protective lipids from our skin. There are also medical reasons for dry skin such as certain drugs, hypothyroidism, or diabetes, which should be evaluated and treated by your doctor. But for the 100 million of us that suffer from the other common causes of dry skin, here are some tips to help protect the largest organ of our body.

Hydrate daily with at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water.

If you drink a cup of coffee or have a caffeinated soda, supplement with an additional eight ounces of water as caffeine dehydrates you. However, if you're already a very well hydrated person, drinking more water will probably not result in a visible difference in your skin.

Take a soothing warm bath to relax but don't use bubble bath.

The main ingredient in conventional bubble bath is sodium lauryl sulfate – a detergent that strips skin of its natural oils. These oils are naturally protective and help our skin hold onto water, keeping it well hydrated. Try making your own, natural, self-foaming bubble bath using soapwort root powder, olive, cottonseed (or apricot kernel) oil, lavender, glycerin, aloe, oatmeal and vitamin E. The same applies to the use of soaps and cleansers.

Don't Linger In A Hot Shower Or Bath.

Hot water strips the skin of its natural moisture. Take tepid showers and limit showering time to 2-3 minutes. Pat skin dry and apply a “sealant” to hold the moisture in.

You are what you eat.

Eating foods rich in vitamin E and F such as green leafy vegetables, nuts and salmon or taking omega rich supplements will result in a visible difference to your dry skin within six weeks. A high carb, high sugar diet, on the other hand, will increase your cortisol or stress hormone levels triggering the inflammatory response that leads to dry, sensitive skin.

Use a humidifier.

Our skin is never more stressed than during the cold weather months. The cold harsh winds and low humidity outside coupled with turning up the heat inside just dries our skin out even more. A portable humidifier can add moisture back into the air and your skin will love you for it.

In the next edition of Your Health Magazine, I will discuss five more tips to keep your skin from drying out this winter.