Believe it or not, your skin is the biggest organ of the human body. The principle purpose of your skin is to protect your body from foreign agents. The skin is the first line of defense against disease and infection. It is also the skin that gives us protection against the sun, and this is why is so important!
However, it is also the skin that first betrays the effects of aging. Skin ailments such as psoriasis or dermatitis can be irritating and make our lives miserable. While we never needed things like wrinkle creams or moisturizers when we were younger and our skin more resilient, the fact is that some degree of skin care is inevitable as we age.
But skin care treatment is also necessary because of factors unrelated to our aging skin. Dry skin is caused by a number of conditions and therefore its treatment options will depend on the actual cause. Here are some causes of dry skin:
Medication Side Effects
As a society, we have increasingly become dependent on medication for things like high blood pressure, tension headaches, and even depression. Skin care treatment for dryness may very well be necessary due to some side effect of your medication for a completely unrelated condition. For this reason, you always want to monitor any potential skin irritation immediately after starting any new medication. If you already have dry skin and can't remember whether or not it was a problem before starting your medication, you may need to consult with your physician and discuss an alternative medication in order to rule out side effects as the cause of your dry skin.
Poor Nutrition
Skin care problems are often the result of poor nutrition. Our bodies require a delicate balance of nutrients in order to keep everything functioning properly, especially the skin. Vegetarians and vegans often run into dry skin issues as a result of not consuming enough animal fats in their diet. A vitamin B12 deficiency will cause your oil glands (sebaceous glands) to function improperly, generally leading to acne.
Basically, any attempt to address a skin care issue (be it oily, dry, or even itchy skin) should begin with a close look at diet. Dermatologists can best assess potential diet-related skin care problems and recommend corrective measures to naturally restore skin vitality. However, here are some foods to avoid where possible in order to keep your skin as healthy as possible:
?fried foods (chicken, French fries) ?processed sugars ?caffeine, coffee, tea, soft drinks ?high fat dairy products like milk or cheese (consuming low fat varieties of milk and cheese may not be great, but they are better for your skin!)
Now the best thing that you can ingest for improved skin care is water. That's right, water. Water naturally removes toxins from your body'so the more you drink of it, the purer your body will be. Drinking lots of water is especially good for people with acne problems and it will also help reduce the onset of wrinkles.
Skin Care Problems Due to Sebaceous Gland Problems
If you have ever been to a dermatologist because of acne problems then you are probably very familiar with sebaceous glands. Because the skin needs to be lubricated, it is covered with oil secreting glands known as sebaceous glands. If these glands become clogged with dirt, then bacteria begin growing inside and a pimple is the result. However, sebaceous glands can either become clogged and dry skin is caused or they can produce too much and cause oily skin. More often than not, problems with the sebaceous glands are due to poor diet and can usually be corrected rather easily.
Skin Care Problems Due to Diabetes
Believe it or not, even diabetes can cause you serious skin care problems. A person with diabetes has trouble regulating the blood sugar levels. When there is an excess of blood sugar in the body, the excess must be absorbed. To do this, the body uses a lot more water than normal and that can lead to dry skin.
Skin Care Treatment for Dryness
While diet must always be part of any skin care treatment regimen, it is just a simple fact that our bodies will need more help as we age. For this reason, a moisturizer of some sort will ultimately be needed. To this end, it is HIGHLY recommended that you use a natural skin moisturizer.
Moisturizers using natural ingredients are far less likely to cause the irritating side effects mentioned earlier. Synthetic ingredients are often less expensive to use in moisturizers but they are not the best skin care option because the body is less receptive to them. Natural ingredients, on average, cause fewer side effects and are therefore better where skin moisturizers are concerned.
Skin Care for Wrinkles
Wrinkles are probably the biggest cause of all skin care treatments in the United States. As a person ages, the skin naturally becomes less elastic. As a result, fine lines begin to form on the face which ultimately become the wrinkles we hate so much. There are two main skin care strategies when it comes to wrinkles: affect the muscles that reveal the wrinkles or fill in the skin so the wrinkles are less noticeable. The first strategy involves Botox and the second Collagen injections.
Botox Skin Care
A person is actually having a strain of Botulism injected in their face when they opt for Botox skin care treatment. Botox actually interrupts the transmission of nerve impulses to the muscles that reveal our wrinkles. It may sound radical, but these injections do actually reduce the appearance of wrinkles on the face for a significant period of time. Now these injections can be costly and they must be repeated?but they are generally affective.
Collagen Injection Skin Care
Many people have a serious misperception about collagen injections. The perception is that collagen is a form of fat that is injected into your face to fill in the lines caused by wrinkles. Actually, collagen is an effective form of skin care treatment for wrinkles not because it is fat?but because it is protein. In fact, collagen is a special protein that helps cells and blood vessels connect to one another. When this happens, the wrinkles fade because the collagen helps the skin to ?rebuild? in areas where wrinkles form and actually fill in the lines. Again, collagen treatments tend to work but they also are expensive and need to be repeated.
Natural Anti-Wrinkle Creams
A cheaper, but slower, alternative to expensive skin care treatments for wrinkles is a simple cream. Anti-wrinkle creams work to rebuild the skin texture and helps with the elasticity over time. However, unlike Collagen or Botox injections, anti-wrinkle cream skin care treatment is only applied to the skin surface. This is why it takes so much longer. Still, an anti-wrinkle cream is a cost-effective and non-invasive treatment for wrinkles that does work if given enough time. Again, in order to reduce possible side effects, stick with creams that use natural ingredients as they will react better with your skin.
For an all natural product, try SkinSoSilky at http://www.skinsosilky.com/ today to help manage any of your anti aging, acne, or dry skin care needs.
Finding the best natural treatment for your dry skin can be a discouraging process. But knowing the facts and what has worked for others can be a big help and usually some simple cheap natural treatments quickly take care of the problem dry skin. Diligent application of a home remedy or two and/or a dietary approach may result in ending your dry skin problems forever.
The symptoms we most usually see associated with dry skin are scaling, which is the visible peeling of the outer skin layer, itching and cracks in the skin. As we age, our skin produces less of our natural oils that help retain its moisture.
Skin is one of the most important parts of our body; it's one of the organs of elimination and it's our largest organ. Our skin has many nerve endings that provide for a sense of touch and heat. We have the epidermis the outermost layer and the dermis the inner layer. The dermis is structurally divided into two important areas: a superficial area adjacent to the epidermis, called the papillary region, and a deep thicker area known as the reticular region.
Serious skin complications, including some dry skin conditions, can arise for people with type 2 diabetes. When the skin loses moisture it can crack and peel, or become irritated and inflamed. Forced-air furnaces may make the dry skin even drier than it is.
Environmental factors, such as exposure to the sun, wind, cold, chemicals, or cosmetics, or excessive bathing with harsh soaps, can also cause dry skin. When the oil glands do not supply enough lubrication to the skin, the skin becomes very dehydrated. Dry skin happens most often in winter when the cold air outside and heated air inside cause low humidity.
For dietary measures use olive oil or olive oil combined with fresh flaxseed oil in big, dark green salads every day to help your skin and immune system. Drink fresh raw organic carrot juice that you extract or juice, if you can, every day. Organic raw carrot juice is an excellent cleanser for the liver, great for the skin and contains a great deal of nutrients. This is all beneficial for dry skin, eczema, acne, zits, pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, and other breakouts. You get the side benefit of a glowing tan. Also I can't stress enough the importance of drinking plenty of pure, filtered water - at least a quart a day.
And take fewer baths or showers because they will dry out your skin even more. Apply cool compresses to any itchy areas that you have. Try using a humidifier if the air is very dry and your skin condition is severe.
You can use a very thin layer of virgin coconut oil under your make-up, if you wear it, to moisturize and soften your skin throughout the day. To see what coconut oil can do for your skin fast, apply a little coconut oil throughout the day and a lot at bedtime. Use virgin coconut oil to remove your make-up at night, like I do. It leaves a fine layer of oil to nourish and heal your skin all night long.
Coconut oil is very inexpensive - a great, cheap home remedy for all types of skin conditions. I always buy coconut oil by the gallon. It's a lot cheaper for a whole gallon of virgin coconut oil than a small jar of department store, name-brand dry skin cream or skin moisturizers.
The skin is subject to a constant attack from without and can be affected by many conditions, diseases and ailments. Sunlight, water and air do play an important role in keeping your skin healthy and glowing.
See your skin doctor or naturopathic doctor if your skin doesn't improve in spite of all your best efforts. If you're still worried about your skin, or the problems just won't seem to go away then see your dermatologist. It's time to call your doctor for an appointment when all your home remedies and dry skin natural treatments do not relieve the dryness and itching.
Both John Davis & are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
John Davis has sinced written about articles on various topics from Team Building, Health and Recreation and Sports. John Davis writes for Trusted Health Products; http://www.trustedhealthproducts.com provides 100% guaranteed, all natural health care products for customers worldwide.. John Davis's top article generates over 1600 views. to your Favourites.
has sinced written about articles on various topics from . . 's top article . to your Favourites.