5 Relevant Tips On How To Take Care of Your Dry Skin
Posted on July 13 2020
It’s been seventeen weeks of washing our hands and using hand sanitizer, how does your skin feel? What have been your biggest takeaways about dry skin after having done all of that hand washing for more than 5 months? Are you experiencing dry skin on areas other than your hands?
Let’s try and tackle these questions by reviewing what could be causing your dry skin, as well as possible solutions.
5 Relevant Tips On Dry Skin
1. The Thing About Water
Let’s start by talking about water. Dr. Steven Deliduka, a board-certified dermatologist with Forefront Dermatology, has this to say on the topic, “I’ve found that water can have a significant impact on skin health. Without adequate water intake, skin appears duller, and wrinkles and pores more prominent.” This isn’t new information.
We’ve known that healthy skin means moisturized skin, and a dermatologist doesn’t necessarily have to be the one who says it. Nonetheless, she also said, “Proper hydration levels help the skin to become plump and improves its elasticity meaning it’s less likely to crack and have irritations and blemishes.”
What else does water do?
Water can help alleviate bladder infections, headaches, as well as help with food cravings that are hurting your diet goals. In other words, remember that time at 2 pm when you ate a bag of Doritos because you thought you were hungry? You might have just been thirsty.
Does this mean that water will help alleviate all of your dry skin problems? Let’s explore.
Most people think that dry skin is caused by dehydration, but specifically, how is it related to dry skin? One thing to consider is that dehydration and dry skin are not synonyms, i.e., they’re actually quite different. Having dry skin is having a certain skin type, while dehydration is a condition that is caused by lack of water. While dehydration might cause dry skin is not the only reason dry skin can develop. That said, you can’t rely on water alone to cure your dry skin. Repairing your dry skin means sampling products that might help, like moisturizers - this one is my favorite. The biggest thing to consider is that every time you wash your hands with soap the moisture leaves your skin and needs to be replenished, from internally and topically.
2. Let’s Talk About The Role Of Tradition and Our Dry Skin
Most American’s shower for up to 15 minutes, while the Japanese traditionally bathe nightly for up to 30 minutes. What are the biggest differences between our American shower-habit and the Japanese tradition of bathing before bed?
The Japanese tradition is one of relaxation and self-care that American’s would benefit greatly from adoption. While researching Japanese culture you’ll find that the Japanese bathe after washing and scrubbing before entering the bath. What an amazing concept! In this way, bathing becomes the last step of self-care that the Japanese do for themselves that has nothing to do with general maintenance.
Not only would nightly bathing serve to rest and relax us before bed, but it might also help us by propelling our nighttime skincare routine into the next level. It would do that by giving us time! Imagine those extra fifteen minutes in the bath wearing this skincare mask by LuLuLun.
Not that we need any more convincing in regards to bathing vs. showering, but let’s consider that your shower could be what is causing your dry skin. The thing about the temperature of your shower is this, every time your body experiences temperature changes your core body temperature uses energy (and yes, water) to regulate itself to a functioning degree.
That means that the longer you're in extreme heat, or extreme cold, your body's working overtime and pulling water resources to do it. This can cause dry skin. While taking a long shower might make you feel great in the short term, it might be adding to your dehydration and dry skin problems.
While self-care is ultra-important at the moment, taking shorter showers will help you retain the natural moisture in your skin and help you manage your dry skin areas. What else could be causing your dry skin?
3. Find the Bad Agent in Your Shower
Now that you know why long showers are bad, and that bathing is best, let’s consider that the products you use in the shower might also be causing dry skin. It would be interesting to remember when you first started seeing the areas of your dry skin develop, and then recalling if you started using any new products around the same time.
Did that new shampoo cause you to have a skin reaction or dry skin patches? How about that bar of soap, is that causing dry skin? More expensive products aren’t necessarily the answer, although your reaction might be to spend more money. Here are body washes that will help alleviate your dry skin and save you money.
4. “It Was The Best of Times" - Said, Dry Skin
No one wants to think about aging, but it happens. One of the signs that it is happening to you is that you develop dry skin more often. Aging can mean developing brown spots in certain places, wrinkles, and yes dry skin patches through your body. This has to do with the production of collagen as we age.
Collagen makes up 80% of your skin and as you age you make less of it. The degree to which you are affected by this is somewhat dependent on genetics, but there are things we can do to slow the process down. Taking collagen supplement is one of them. See your doctor for a complete list of vitamin deficiencies you might experience as you age.
Here’s a quick review; the causes of your dry skin have to do with constant hand washing, long showers (or extended periods of time in extreme temperatures), harsh body washes or soaps, and aging. Fortunately, you can do something about each of these. Aren’t you excited to try a bath?! I am!
What happens if you’ve tried everything and you still experience dry skin? Consider that your dry skin might only be a symptom of a much bigger problem.
5. Is My Dry Skin a Warning Sign?
If you’ve tried several different products and lotions to alleviate your dry skin, and nothing seems to be working, it might be because your dry skin is being caused by something other than dehydration, or that the dehydration is being caused by something much bigger, like diabetes.
A great way to be certain is to visit your dermatologist or your family doctor for a clear picture of what your dry skin is actually made of. They might suggest a new skincare regiment, or test you for a disease like diabetes.
Diabetes affects your entire life, but especially your skin. If you suspect that you might have diabetes, consult with your doctor, and learn about the disease. There are great resources online with meal plans and overall health guidelines that can manage the day-to-day stress of being diagnosed. One of the things that everyone will tell you when you discuss diabetes is that preventing dehydration is paramount.
There’s that word again, dehydration! We’ve come full circle.
The biggest causes of dehydration are the following; coffee, alcohol, lack of sleep, and poor diet. Not surprisingly, these are also the things your doctor will discuss with you when/if you learn that you have diabetes. While causation does not equal correlation, it is safe to say that drinking more water, drinking less coffee and alcohol, having healthy habits in the kitchen and sleeping more will not only help us have restful, moisturized skin, but it will also help us maintain our overall health as a priority.
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Olga Rosales Salinas
She writes about her passions; health, fitness, family and skincare. She loves Japanese products specifically because they promote holistic health and beauty lifestyles.
