the dynamic natural skin care: for

Home › Homemade treatments › Dry skin treatment

Treatment of dry skin condition is very important as, if neglected, it can lead to chronic dermatitis. For dry skin treatment, the basic problems in hydration of stratum corneum layer of epidermis and in the production of sebum have to be addressed.

The process of hydration makes the stratum corneum layer hold sufficient water to make the skin supple and healthy.

The sebum produced by the sebaceous glands also fills up the intercellular spaces within the stratum corneum and adds to the smoothness and glide of the epidermis. Any disturbance or damage to the above processes leads to dry conditions known as xeroderma requiring proper care and corrective measures.

Balanced food for dry skin treatment

When any nutritional deficiency is experienced by the body, sebum production, stratum corneum hydration and shedding of dead cells (desquamation) are affected.

Correction in sebum production and dehydration starts with eating nutritious food.

Eat food rich in proteins of both plant and animal origin.

Food must contain complete protein (containing all the essential amino acids).

This can be achieved by adding some quantities of animal sources of proteins like egg, fish, dairy products and lean meat to your diet.

Avoid taking excess of sugars, sugar preparations, soft drinks, sweets and other junk food.

Avoid saturated fats as much as possible.

Include polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats moderately.

Your food must contain essential fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acid and omega-3 fatty acid (olive oil, fish and fish oil) in required proportions and quantities.

Take lots of fibrous food to avoid constipation, as toxins released by constipated material in bowl can cause dry skin and other problems requiring treatment.

Eat food rich in micronutrients like dietary minerals and vitamins, as their deficiencies can cause dehydration and reduced sebum production.

Take supplements if necessary to bridge the nutritional deficiencies.

Drink plenty of water to keep the epidermal and body cells sufficiently hydrated.

Up to one liter of safe drinking water is recommended for every 20 kg of body weight per day.

Cut down on smoking and alcohol as both are found to aggravate the dry condition.

Nicotine and alcohol constrict capillaries in the skin and cut down its blood supply.

Caffeine and alcohol, having diuretic effect, remove water from the body and cause further problems.

Treat dry skin by protecting it from environmental factors

Protect yourself from long exposure to sun, strong winds, cold weather and rain as such exposures can further disturb your natural protective epidermis layer. Sun exposure for a long duration dehydrates the stratum corneum and causes oxidative damage to epidermis. Avoid exposure to strong winds, hot winds and cold climate for longer duration as the water in the stratum corneum is very quickly lost into the atmosphere.

If you are using air-conditioning or room heater, the enclosed air tends to become very dry. Install a room humidifier to protect your epidermis from further dehydration. Getting drenched in rain or swimming in a pool, though soaks up your skin initially, affects the lipid stacking holding the moisture in stratum corneum leading to dehydrated epidermal conditions. For treatment of xerosis of hands and restoration of moisture use of gloves in kitchen chores and washing will help.

Baths and showers

Take bath with lukewarm water; bathing with hot water or cold water further aggravates the dry skin condition.

Do not take bath more than once a day. Make the bath as short as possible.

Avoid using chlorinated water for bath as chlorine further removes moisture from epidermis.

Use only neutral pH bath soaps. Do not use alkaline soaps as they destroy the acid mantle of the epidermis.

Soon after bath apply moisturizers to hold back the moisture.

Harsh chemicals and cosmetics

May be your skin problem is due to cosmetics you use. Avoid cosmetics with chemicals as your problem may be due to some of the ingredients in them. Only go in for cosmetics specially made for dry conditions and prefer cosmetics containing natural products and herbal products. For treatment of dehydrated epidermis use cosmetics containing natural products like aloe vera, olive oil, honey, calendula, oatmeal, tea tree oil, beeswax, and almond oil, which are soothing and beneficial for the skin.

For dry skin treatment, exfoliate, cleanse and moisturize

Cleanse your face daily to remove makeup, grime, scales and cell debris. This may be preferably done before going to bed. For treatment of dry skin, moisturize your face every day before going to bed and also when you go out. Exfoliate at least once a week as skin desquamation process remains disturbed in dehydrated condition. Apply sunscreen to protect from further damage by UV rays in sunlight.

For treatment for dry skin change lifestyle

Have regular food habits as our body is naturally tuned for it. Erratic food habits not only lead to dehydration of epidermis but many other serious problems. Sleep sufficiently, as much of the cellular repair process takes place during sleep. Exercise regularly to tone up the muscles and increase blood circulation. Good blood flow repairs the damages to skin and increases the cell division for replacing the damaged stratum corneum with healthy and hydrated one.

Treatment of skin ailments and other diseases reduces dry conditions

Do not neglect ailments like itch without visible rash, eczema, dermatitis, contact dermatitis, seborrhea, open sores and cuts from scratching and psoriasis. Start immediate treatment by consulting a dermatologist to avoid further aggravation of dry condition. For treatment of dry skin due to hypothyroidism take hormone supplements only under the advice of qualified health care consultant.

Treatment for diabetes, cures the dry skin condition arising due to chronic diabetes. For treatment of dry conditions due to hereditary diseases like ichthyosis, consult a dermatologist who may prescribe medication to alleviate the condition. Do not neglect dry skin, as over a period the condition worsens with bleeding and infection of the skin requiring prolonged treatment.

Current topic: Dry skin treatment

Olive oil for dry skin → Beauty tips
Extra virgin olive oil is the best buy for treating dry skin (xeroderma) conditions.

Olive oil for dry outer skin (stratum corneum)

Xeroderma conditions are mostly caused by external environmental factors and defective nutrition. Xeroderma commonly occurs on legs, thighs, sides of abdomen, arms, knees, elbows, knuckles and scalp. Symptoms of xeroderma include scaling and peeling, cracking and itching in the skin. Olive oil, being an excellent emollient and moisturizer, soothes and softens the dry epidermis.

Mechanism of action of olive oil on the dry skin

As an emollient it has three basic actions of occlusion, humectation and lubrication on the dry epidermis.
Its Occlusive action of providing a fine layer of oil on the surface, makes skin air and water tight.
Occlusion slows down loss of moisture from the epidermis and helps in increasing the moisture content (hydration) of the outermost skin layer, stratum corneum.
Its humectation action is due to its hygroscopic (moisture absorbing) properties.
It penetrates deep into epidermis and increases its capacity of holding water.
Its lubrication action causes the dry skin to glide and slip, preventing 'chafing'. The above actions treat dry skin, improving its texture and tone.
Now let us look at its bio-chemical part of action on dry skin.
Extra virgin olive oil is rich in polyphenols, natural antioxidants.
Our skin, being exposed to sun and external elements continuously, is robbed of its natural sebum.
Further the free radicals formed due to exposure to sunlight cause damage to the stratum corneum and reduce the function of the sebaceous glands.
When olive oil is applied it penetrates the skin and the antioxidant polyphenols present in it neutralize the free-radicals; thus the sebaceous glands get reactivated and sebum production becomes normal.

Olive oil treatments for dry skin

Extra virgin olive oil is best applied as such on the dry skin to rehydrate it and also to lock in moisture.
Clean the affected area with warm water and mild neutral or low pH soap to remove dead debris and grime.
Dab it with soft towel and immediately rub the oil gently on to the skin.
The rubbing movement is to get it deeper into the skin and to stimulate the cells for their normal functions.
Do not rub hard as this may further damage the already delicate dry stratum corneum; further the pores may get closed causing more problems.
Alternatively you can make its cleanser with other ingredients. Blend one egg yolk, one table spoon of olive oil and a few drops of essential oil of your choice. After applying wait for 15 minutes and wash with warm water. After dabbing gently, take a few drops of extra virgin oil in your palm and rub gently on to the skin to lock in moisture.
You can also blend it with other well known moisturizers like shea butter in equal proportions for enhancing the hydration of the stratum corneum. The blend is applied after washing and dabbing the troubling dry skin.
This olive extract can also be blended with one fourth volume of castor oil.
Castor oil is known for its deep penetrating action due to its low molecular mass.
This blend delivers the olive oil deep into the epidermis and helps in its hydration.
The method of application is similar to the first mentioned one. You can also add a teaspoon of honey to the above blend, as honey, being highly hygroscopic, along with olive oil acts as an excellent humectant hydrating the skin.
Alternatively you can use commercial products of well known brands containing extra virgin olive oil, like shampoos, exfoliators, cleansers, toners, moisturizers, night creams, body butter and bathoil to improve the dry epidermis condition.

Olive oil is also known for helping speedy healing of inflammations and injuries of dry skin.

the dynamic natural skin care

Friday, August 27

Treatment for dry skin