Xerosis is the medical term for ‘dry skin’. In order for your skin to remain supple and healthy, it needs to maintain moisture. Due to age and environmental factors, the skin can lose the natural oily layer which keeps the moisture in the skin which when depleted leaves the the skin dry and vulnerable. This leads to irritation, cracking and flaking and can cause the skin to become infected. This is why you should learn how to choose the right dry skin treatment to remedy your problems.
Simple environmental and daily habits can lead to dry skin. For example, showering in hot water and excessive drying using a towel can remove the oily layer and the wrong choice of moisturizer can also cause problems. Oil-based creams are better at keeping the moisture in the skin than water-based creams.
Here are some skin treatment tips for dry skin.
- Limit your bathing or shower time to no more than ten minutes. Make sure you use lukewarm water only as hot water can dry out the skin. Also, don’t bathe too often as this can also remove the natural oils from the skin.
- Use mild bath products only and discontinue those that irritate your skin. Use mild cleansers only and don’t use them frequently if they dry your skin out too much.
- Look after your skin by treating it gently. This means patting it dry after a shower rather than vigorously rubbing it dry.
- Apply the moisturizer to moist skin after a shower. This helps to trap the moisture in the skin. If you have really dry skin then use an oil based cream.
- Use a daily sun cream to avoid sun damage to those areas that are exposed to the sun.
- When washing your clothes, use detergents that are gentle on the skin. There are plenty available. Also avoid using fabric softeners. Finally, don’t wear itchy clothing that can irritate the skin and use soft, cotton sheet for the bed at night.
- Humidifiers should be used during winter. Central heating systems dry out the air and humidifiers will helps replace the moisture so that your home can be both warm and comfortable.
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