Five More Things To Keep Your Skin From Drying Out

By Dima Ali, MD

Part Two

Last month I provided you with five tips to help keep your skin from drying out. Here is a list of five more suggestions that will definitely make a difference in your skin.

1. Don't Over-Moisturize. Constantly slathering on a thick, creamy moisturizer that promises to keep your skin “youthful, soft and hydrated” is analogous to trying to fill a balloon with a hole at the bottomyou'll never get it full, even if you continue to fill it because it's leaking at the bottom.

We wrap food in saran wrap so it doesn't dry out. So apply a “sealant” to moist skin to help it retain its suppleness. Ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and glycerin are humectants and help attract and retain water.

2. Stop the Hand-Sanitizer Epidemic. The main antiseptic ingredient in anti-bacterial hand sanitizers is 70 percent, or more, ethyl alcohol, which can dry and irritate skin. Many people don't even wash their hands anymore, opting instead to squirt sanitizer. At a minimum, choose one that also contains glycerin and aloe.

3. Wear Gloves When Washing the Dishes Or Cleaning. Severely dry and even infected skin is common amongst those employed as cooks, housekeepers, and bartenders.

Constant exposure of your hands to detergents or chemicals traumatizes the top protective layer of the skin (the stratum corneum). This can lead to extreme irritation and cracking, resulting in exposure to bacteria and possible infection.

4. Use Sunblock Everyday All Year Round. UVA and UVB rays are always there. They don't disappear as the seasons change or when daylight savings time kicks in.

In fact, snow reflects 85 percent of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) compared to two percent from grass (known as the albedo effect) so applying a 30 SPF sunblock is essential to protect your skin from oxidative stress.

Exposure to UVR leads to an inflammatory response in the skin resulting in more wrinkles and

drier skin.

5. Limit Stress. I know it's easier said than done but when we get stressed, our cortisol (stress hormone) levels rise, triggering an inflammatory cascade in the skin which disrupts the stratum corneum (upper, protective skin barrier). Water evaporates more readily, leading to dryness, sensitive skin, rashes, and other breakouts.

Take these suggestions seriously and do them consistently throughout your life and you will see the difference they make.