Learn To Psoriasis Free For Life!!!
Click Here
Psoriasis Skin Disease Pictures
Combating Winter Dry Skin
With winter weather just around the corner in many parts of the country (wow, I'm happy to live in Southern California), I thought I would touch on the subject of "Winter Dry Skin". What got me started on this subject was with the Santa Anna winds blowing off the desert here in SoCal in combination with very low humidity, almost zero humidity many of my personal training clients were complaining about dry skin.
So I started doing some research to expand my knowledge on this subject and the following is a result of what I've learned. Please keep in mind that chronic or severe skin problems require a medical professionals (Dermatologist) assessment but if the problem isn't that serious, I've learned there are a lot of things you can do on your own to improve your winter dry skin condition.
Using quality moisturizers a few times a day, especially in trouble spots and staying away from the use or over-use of harsh and drying soaps will prove to be helpful. Also avoid excessive bathing, especially in hot water since hot water can actually worsen the problem of dry skin by removing the normal protective and natural skin oils. Researchers say within three minute of bathing its best to apply an application of oil such as "moisturizers" (also known as an emollient or lubricate) which will provide excellent benefits to the (dry) skin by trapping and sealing water in, making skin softer, smoother and less likely to become dry, cracked and itchy.
Also keeping your body "well hydrated" (drink lots of water) will really help your skin to remain looking healthy all year long. Ordinary dry skin (xerosis) in most cases isn't that serious. However it usually is uncomfortable (itchy) and can affect the way your healthy skin looks. With a winter dry skin condition, you may experience flaking, scaling, peeling, a feeling of skin tightness, and redness. The skin may appear dehydrated, rough instead of smooth to the touch, and kind of cracked in appearance. If your skin becomes very itchy do your best to void continued scratching as it may result in "dermatitis" (your skin will become red and inflamed), easier said then done I know.
Most dry skin conditions in winter, are the direct result of several "environmental" factors. Some of these common factors include the exposure to cold temperatures and wind, as well as low humidity and the exposure to indoor heating.
Factors other then environmental ones, can also affect the appearance and feel of your skin. These include such health conditions as "Psoriasis and Thyroid disorders". The use or over-use of "Alcohol and Drugs" are determining factor. (A quick note on alcohol and drugs; caffeine and alcohol can visibly dry your skin, as well as some prescription drugs like diuretics, antihistamines, these in some cases will have skin-drying effects). As I mentioned earlier, not drinking enough water can cause mild to serious dehydration, one of the warning signs of dehydration is that skin appears dry and loses its elasticity. Effects of illness that may cause diarrhea, vomiting, high fever, and excessive sweating during workouts without replacing the lost fluids can also lead to dehydration and affect the healthy appearance of your skin.
Most cases of (winter) dry skin will respond well to basic self-care without worry, but if your skin doesn't improve in spite of your self-care efforts, and if dryness and itching starts interfering with your daily routines and sleep, if you start noticing larger patches of scaling, peeling skin with redness and if you develop open sores or infections from continued scratching, well then it's time to quickly seek the attention of medical professional. At this point the problem is serious and why wait for it to get worse.
While conducting my research on this subject, I found an excellent medical explanation and want to share it with you since I found it so interesting and very easy to understand;
What causes dry skin?
Healthy skin can be pictured as a multi-layer cake covered by a single sheet of clear plastic food wrap to keep it fresh. The plastic food wrap prevents the frosting and underlying layers of the cake from drying out by preventing loss (evaporation) of the water from the cake into the air. It is the moisture in the cake that gives it its freshness. The outermost layer of the skin, which acts like the plastic food wrap and is about the same thickness, is called the stratum corneum. (This is the layer that peels off after a sunburn). The stratum corneum consists of dead skin cells embedded in a mixture of natural oils (lipids) that are made by underlying living skin cells. These natural skin oils keep the water inside our body from escaping into the air and also keep irritating substances and germs from entering the body. Both the skin oils and the dead skin cells hold a certain amount of water in the stratum corneum and it is this stratum corneum water that helps keep the skin soft, pliable and smooth.Dry skin results when there is not enough water in the stratum corneum for it to function properly. One way this can happen is when protective oils in the stratum corneum are lost and the water that is normally present in the skin is allowed to escape. Too much soapy water, exposure to harsh chemicals, the normal aging process and certain types of skin diseases are some of the causes of decreased amounts of protective skin oils. As the stratum corneum dries out it shrinks and, as it shrinks, small cracks can occur. This exposes the underlying living cells to irritating substances and germs in the environment.
Well I hope you found this article to be informative. Remember take care of your skin and it will take care of you!
About the Author
Markus B. is the Co-Founder of The Fitness Underground-Los Angeles. He has drawn off his years of experience as a Certified Personal Trainer, A Professional Athlete and an accomplished Martial Artist to help create with his partner Texas (an elite Yoga Instructor & Certified Personal Trainer) a “New and Innovative” approach to Health, Fitness and Well Being that not only Enhances the Body but also Enriches the Mind. With an increasing following in the Los Angeles area his powerful message of Good Health, Clean Living and the importance of Exercise, Markus is changing people’s lives. Helping people achieve and experience the "enlightenment" of good health and a higher level of fitness is his passion, his life’s work and a personal goal that he takes very seriously. His belief is that health, fitness and well-being is the greatest gift of all. It's the ultimate gift that someone could give their family and more importantly themselves. It's a supreme gift we should always be mindful of and be grateful for. Markus is often heard saying that having the opportunity to help people make important changes in their lives, and in some cases "life saving" changes is an awesome feeling as well as extremely rewarding. Come join Markus and experience the difference first hand, start enjoying and living a healthier, happier, fuller and more active life. Life is too short not to!
Is Your Skin Getting These Benefits From The Sun?
To sun or not to sun, that is the question. You hear people talking about skin cancer and the incredibly harmful rays that it extends to the earth. These rays encourage growth in trees, plants, animals, and humans. How do you know what is truth? Are the suns rays good for your skin or are they bad for it? Actually, these rays are both.
The rays which are emitted from the sun are called the broad spectrum of Ultraviolet (UV) rays. Many of them are very intense and can be harmful to your skin through over exposure. This harm to you skin can result in a number of things: slower healing, accelerated aging, hyper pigmentation, and skin cancer, to name a few.
To protect your skin from the full spectrum of UV rays, you need to use a good sunscreen. This does not have to be expensive; the protective factor listed on the packaging determines how well you will be protected. I recommend that you purchase an organic sunscreen because you will not be adding even further toxins to your skin.
Now that we have discussed the bad part of sun exposure, let us talk about the good, because there is a lot of good that comes from sunshine. Of course, this is not a constant sun exposure, nor is it sun exposure between 11:00am and 3:00pm. These times of the day are when the suns rays are the strongest, which means that you are more apt to suffer the damaging effects of the UV rays on your skin. What we are talking about is a moderate amount of sun exposure on a daily basis.
Sunlight helps remove toxins from your body. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of good effects of the sun is my son. When he was born, he was bruised all over, I jokingly say that he looked like a prize fighter that did not do so well in his last fight. The truth is that he had jaundice which is a condition where your liver is not properly removing toxins from your body.
The doctors sent us home on a Friday with instructions to keep him in sunlight with a lot of skin exposed as much as I could. It rained all weekend, which made it impossible to keep him in sunlight and he got worse instead of better. By Monday his skin was yellow in color, we returned to the doctor and he was immediately sent to the hospital and admitted.
To cure his jaundice, he was given lots of water and kept under a UV light with only a diaper on. By helping the liver to work better, toxins are more easily removed from your entire body, including your skin. With the removal of toxins, your skin can perform much better and will look younger.
Studies have shown that sunlight has a tremendous impact on many patients depression. This is very easily seen by looking into seasonal suicide rates. I have seen it in myself, friends, and family. When winter hits and the sunlight fades with it, spirits fall.
As spring comes and summer steps into the picture, moods lighten and everyone has more fun with each other. Emotional strain affects your skin in a number of ways, from triggering psoriasis to triggering skin breakouts.
The third major way that sun can help your skin is by giving your body much needed vitamin D. Among other things, vitamin D gives a serious boost to you immune system, encouraging the production of cells that fight toxins and disease in your body. When your skin has less toxins, it not only looks more youthful, but performs better.
The other thing that vitamin D will do that affects how your skin looks is help keep your muscles from breaking down. By keeping your muscles from wasting, your skin has a better foundation and does not sag as easily.
While you hear all kinds of things about sun damage and the horrors of what the sun can cause, but there are not enough people who are telling us the advantages.
These advantages can be gained with moderate sun exposure, not over exposure because too much sun does create the bad effects on the skin that you have heard so much about. Keep a bit of sunshine in your life (with sunscreen) and you will reap tremendous benefits.
About the Author
Keep yourself looking great with these skin care tips from http://www.NaturalElements.co.uk You can now get the very latest information on
Natural Skin Care
by subscribing with RSS
