| Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 78
|  Re: Dry skin | |
Complications
Dry skin that's not cared for can lead to:
Eczema. This condition causes redness, cracking and
inflammation.
Folliculitis. This is an inflammation of your hair
follicles.
Cellulitis. This is a potentially serious bacterial
infection of the skin's underlying tissues.
These complications are most likely to occur when your
skin's normal protective mechanisms are severely
compromised. For example, you might scratch an itchy
patch of skin until it cracks and bleeds, opening the
way for invading bacteria. But your skin can also
crack and bleed without you ever lifting a finger.
In that case, the process might work something like
this: You take a long, hot bath every evening, but
don't apply a moisturizer afterward. As a result, the
stratum corneum loses water and the cells shrink,
losing their normal plumpness. This stretches your
skin, decreasing its elasticity and eventually causing
severe cracks or fissures. Deep fissures rupture tiny
blood vessels in your skin, which leads to bleeding.
Meanwhile, loss of tone in the top layer of skin
creates fluid buildup in the dermis, putting
additional stress on the epidermis and setting the
stage for inflammation and infection.
In most cases, dry skin problems respond well to
self-care measures. If you have more serious diseases
such as ichthyosis or psoriasis, your doctor may
prescribe prescription creams and ointments or other
treatments in addition to home care.
Although it may not be possible to achieve flawless
skin, the following measures can help keep your skin
moist and healthy:
Wash 'n' go. For most people, a once-daily bath or
shower is enough to maintain good hygiene. If your
skin is very dry, bathing every other day may be best.
Keep in mind that the longer you're in water, the more
protective oils you lose. For that reason, and because
it takes just a few minutes to wash thoroughly, limit
baths and showers to 15 minutes or less. And use warm,
rather than hot, water. Less is more when it comes to
washing your face, too. Although it may be difficult
to break the habit of cleansing your face morning and
evening, once a day should be enough to remove dirt
and oil. If your skin doesn't feel fresh on this
abbreviated schedule, try rinsing with cool water in
the morning and using a cleanser only at night.
Avoid harsh, drying soaps. If you have dry skin, it's
best to use cleansing creams or gentle skin cleansers
and bath or shower gels with added moisturizers. These
don't have to be expensive, celebrity-endorsed brands.
Many dermatologists recommend Cetaphil and Aveeno
cleansers, for instance, which are reasonably priced
and available in most drugstores. Department store
cleansers are considerably pricier, but most cosmetics
companies offer free samples that you can try. If you
just don't feel clean without soap, choose mild soaps
that have added oils and fats, such as Neutrogena,
Basis or Dove. Avoid deodorant and antibacterial
detergents, which are especially harsh. You might want
to experiment with several brands until you find one
that works particularly well for you. A good rule of
thumb is that your skin should feel soft and smooth
after cleansing, never tight or dry. Try to use soaps
and cleansers of any type only on your face,
underarms, genital area, and your hands and feet.
Don't scrub, rub or soak in the tub. You've heard that
last one before, but it bears repeating. As for the
first two, it's best to use your hands or a cleansing
sponge on your face instead of a washcloth. Although a
cloth can help remove (exfoliate) dead cells, it may
be too irritating for very dry skin. After washing,
pat or blot your skin until it's just barely dry, then
moisturize immediately to help trap water in the
surface cells.
Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Nearly 9,000
cosmetic, hair, and skin care products were introduced
in the United States in 2003 alone. Many of these were
moisturizers of one sort or another. And it's not only
baby boomer women with lots of disposable income who
are driving this trend — men, teens and even children
account for an increasingly large share of the skin
care market. What's more, most contemporary
moisturizers bear little resemblance to your mother's
cold cream. Instead, they're highly sophisticated
products that tread the fine line between cosmetics
and drugs. Many contain ingredients that claim to
boost your body's production of collagen and elastin,
plump up wrinkles and fill in lines, paralyze muscles,
unblock pores, and exfoliate dead skin cells.
All about moisturizers
Given the array of products, the broad audience to
which they're targeted, and the even broader price
range — moisturizers can cost from less than $10 to
more than $500 — how do you choose the right one?
The best place to start may be to understand the
different types of moisturizing agents and what they
do. On the most basic level, moisturizers hold water
in the stratum corneum. They also act as a temporary
barrier, allowing damaged surface cells time to repair
themselves. Many moisturizers contain some combination
of humectants and emollients, as well as other
ingredients:
Humectants. These are substances such as urea and
glycerin that attract water when you apply them to
your skin. But humectants need high humidity levels to
be effective, and even then, any water added to the
surface of your skin tends to evaporate quickly.
Emollients. These fill in the spaces between the cells
in the stratum corneum, helping replace lipids and
thus smoothing and lubricating rough skin. Emollients
are water-in-oil emulsions, which means that a small
amount of water is dissolved in an occlusive oil, such
as petrolatum, mineral oil or natural plant oils. If
you have mature or very dry skin, your best choice may
be a water-in-oil moisturizer, which will be tend to
be heavier and richer than other moisturizers. Most
creams labeled night creams have water-in-oil
formulations. Oil-in-water moisturizers, on the other
hand, are primarily water and have a light, nongreasy
feel. These may be a better option if you are younger,
your skin tends to break out, or you have mild or
occasional dryness.
Vitamin A. Retinol and retinyl palmitate are forms of
vitamin A that may be converted in the skin into
retinoic acid, the active ingredient in the
prescription creams Retin-A, Renova and Tazorac.
Retinoic acid helps keep pores clear and has been
shown to improve some of the damage caused by sun
exposure.
Alpha hydroxy acids. These encourage skin cells to
exfoliate properly and have proved effective in
treating some forms of ichthyosis.
Antioxidants. Vitamins such as C and E can help
protect and repair skin exposed to pollutants and UV
rays.
Keep in mind that many of these ingredients can be
drying and irritating to your skin, and you may want
to talk to your dermatologist before trying products
that contain them. Preservatives and fragrances also
can dry and irritate sensitive skin, so it's best to
look for creams that are fragrance-free and contain as
few preservatives as possible. Preservatives that seem
to cause problems for many people include
quaternium-15, imidazolidinyl urea and propylene
glycol.
Many moisturizers also contain sunscreen, hydrating
your skin and protecting it from UVA and UVB radiation
in one easy step. But combination creams may not
always moisturize or protect against sun damage as
well as individual products do. In addition, some
companies make extra-rich moisturizers that claim to
shield you from the elements better than ordinary
creams do. With names like flight cream and
high-altitude cream, they may or may not offer extra
protection against cold, dry air.
Apply any moisturizer as often as needed, especially
after bathing, showering or washing your face, before
exercising outdoors in cold weather, and every time
you wash your hands. Although often ignored, your
hands are more exposed to the elements, to soaps and
to chemicals than is any other part of your body.
Over-the-counter wrinkle creams: Miracle or marketing
myth?
Tretinoin (Topical) |