 Re: Dry skin | |
These other measures may also help keep your skin
healthy:
Moisturize your house. With your home thermostat set
high and your central heat blasting, your home may
stay warm and cozy. But hot, dry indoor air can parch
sensitive skin and worsen itching and flaking. As a
rule of thumb, keep your house between 68 and 75 F and
use a humidifier to maintain moisture levels at 40
percent to 50 percent. Tabletop humidifiers usually
moisturize the air in a single room and require
frequent fillings, sometimes several times a day. They
also need careful cleaning to prevent the growth of
bacteria and fungi in the tank. The bedroom may be the
best place for this type of humidifier — your skin is
hydrated as you sleep. Although it's a more costly
option, you may want to consider a humidifier that's
built into your forced air heating and cooling system,
especially if you have severely dehydrated skin or
live in a climate that's dry year-round.
Choose fabrics your skin loves. Natural fibers such as
cotton and silk feel wonderful and allow your skin to
breathe. But wool, although it certainly qualifies as
natural, can irritate even normal skin. If your skin
is already sensitive and dry, you may need to forgo
cashmere sweaters and pashmina scarves and choose
other fabrics for winter. And when you wash your
clothes, try to use detergents without dyes or
perfumes, both of which can irritate your skin. Look
for these products in the grocery store or choose
fragrance-free detergents in natural foods stores.
Get your omega-3s (essential fatty acids). Low-fat
diets may help your waistline, but they do nothing for
your skin, which needs the right kinds of lipids,
especially omega-3 fatty acids, to function properly.
Your body doesn't produce omega-3s — instead you
obtain them from food or supplements. The best dietary
sources are fatty fish or fish oil capsules —
particularly salmon and salmon oil — flaxseeds and
flaxseed oil, walnuts, and soybean and canola oils.
Some dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale
and broccoli contain modest amounts of omega-3s.
Incorporating these foods into your diet helps keep
skin soft and supple, but it does even more for your
overall health. Omega-3s significantly lower
triglyceride levels and reduce your risk of heart
attack and stroke. They also lower blood pressure and
may reduce the pain and inflammation of rheumatoid
arthritis.
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