Anti Wrinkle Skin Care Tips For Dry Skin

Anti-Aging Dry Skin Care

A contributing factor to dry, flaky, skin in winter is a drop in temperature. Although winter sometimes feels damp, there is usually less water in the air than on your skin and that creates a moisture vapour loss from the skin. As skin becomes drier, its surface layer stops producing the natural lipids which prevent moisture loss, and water cannot be retained so easily. Dry skin will also show wrinkles more easliy and contribute to an aging appearance.

As a result of all these factors, sometimes skin on the face and body tends to be in worse condition in the winter months than at other times of the year. In extreme cases, a constant drying effect can even lead to cracking, flaking and redness.

These four tips for helping to keep dry skin at bay during the colder months come from Dr. Kucy Pon, Olay dermatologist.

1. A moisturizer is essential – A moisturizer performs several important functions, including replacing lost water. Water-binding ingredients, such as glycerin, help keep it in the skin.

2. Create an oasis – Put some moisture back into the air by using a humidifier in your home or office. It will counteract the drying effects of indoor heat.

3. Drink lots of water – Increase your body’s natural moisture level by staying hydrated throughout the day.

4. Keep wrapped up – Dress for the season and try to limit your skin’s exposure to harsh temperatures and damaging winds.

Winter Dry Skin Care

If you have dry skin, then you probably already know it can be really difficult to care for. When you don’t look after it properly, it can become flaky, and if it gets really bad, may even become irritated and red. Although it’s possible to find plenty of products that claim to be able to solve dry skin problems, unfortunately most of their claims are sales hype.

Although most over the counter products don’t do much to combat dry skin, there are a number of things you can do to improve the condition of your skin. It’s mostly a question of making some basic changes to your daily skincare routine. It won’t take long for your skin to appear more healthy and vibrant.

With dry skin, you have completely the opposite problem to someone with oily skin. Basically, your skin is suffering from a lack of sebum, the oil that helps to keep the skin moist and supple. People with oily skin produce far too much sebum. Sebum is actually made from skin cells, and is an essential ingredient in healthy, supple skin. Because dry skin has insufficient oil, you need to replace it from both inside and outside.

One of the best things you can do for your skin is to use a good quality moisturizer. Choose a cream that is rich, but not heavy. Consider choosing a natural cream with aloe vera and chamomile. Both these ingredients are very soothing, as well as helping to reduce dryness and improve the skin’s healing abilities.

You also need to look at the type of foods you eat. It’s important to choose healthy foods, because the healthier your body, the healthier your skin will be. You may not realize this, but your skin is actually the largest organ of your body. So it needs to be nourished just like all the other organs in your body. Depending on the types of food you already eat, you might need to consider taking a supplement, such as Vitamin E, Omega-3 oils and B-Complex vitamins. Making sure you get enough of these important nutrients is a great way to improve the condition of your skin.

By nourishing your skin in both these ways, you should soon a marked reduction in the level of dryness. Helping your skin to be more supple and moist also helps to slow down the process of aging, so you’re the winner in two ways.

By Tom Turner

The Miracle of Skin

skin layers

Your skin is the largest organ in your body. If you stretched it out, it would cover about 20 square feet. It weights about 15% of our total body weight. Just like your heart and lungs, it’s a living, breathing part of your body to perform specific tasks. While the obvious reason for skin is to make us look more appealing then a giant sac of organs, it has many functions. Your skin protects your inner workings from the sun’s rays and infection. It insulates your body from heat and cold, repairs itself, and is aware of potential danger through the senses your sense of touch. It is the breeding ground for your blood vessels, sweat glands, and hair follicles. Trust us, your skin does a lot.

Your skin is made up of three layers: The lowest layer of skin is a layer of fatty material known as the subcutaneous layer. On top of that rests the dermis, which contains your nerves, hair follicles (when blocked, are the primary causes of acne), sweat glands, blood vessels. Finally, on top of the dermis is the epidermis, which is the outside layer of your skin that you can touch and feel.
layers of skin, dermis epidermis hair

The Layers of human skin

Now, most people do not know that epidermis is made up of three layers too! The outer layer of the epidermis is actually made up of dead skin cells. We lose around 30,000 dead skin cells per minute! There is a middle layer, and finally, an inner layer where new skin cells are produced. Your body is always regenerating itself. That’s why we heal when we get cuts. As your skin cells age, they move their way to the top layer. They begin to die out on this journey. What they lose in functionality as a cell, they make up for in toughness. The trip from a new cell to a dead skin cell takes about 2-4 weeks.

SKIN BIOLOGY 101

The top layer of the skin, called the epidermis, is made up of four distinct layers. When you look at someone’s skin, you see the very top layer, made up of cells that reflect light. When that top layer is smooth, it reflects light evenly so that the skin looks more uniform and radiant than it does when the surface is rougher. Read more