Let me start out by telling you, I'm not a dermatologist. I'm not in the medical field at all, as a matter of fact. But due to the fact that I've lived with dry skin (eczema, psoriasis, call it what you will) for most of my 38 years, I feel somewhat qualified to talk about the subject of skin care. In this article, I'll be sharing with you the tips, tricks and hints that I've discovered through several years of trial and error.
If you're reading this, you or someone you know likely has some kind of dry skin condition. I know from experience how embarrassing, irritating, and painful those scaly red blotches can be. I still remember vividly my senior year in high school when my skin condition got serious, and went from a couple of dry, irritating patches to great red, blotchy, scaly flaky patches all over my body (including my face and scalp, oh joy). Take it from me, there is hope - don't despair! It takes some time, it takes changing some habits, maybe some diet changes, maybe some emotional changes - but you can make yourself better.
So, with that being said, the following is my small contribution of skin care tips to help you begin.
1. AVOID STRESS!
I listed this one first because I think it's very important - not only to the condition of your skin, but also to your overall well being as a person. In all the information I've read and heard about treating skin conditions, stress is rarely mentioned.
Yet I've found that without fail, every single time in my life when I allow stress to overwhelm me, an eczema outbreak is not far behind. I'm not saying stress necessarily causes dry skin, but I believe without a doubt that it exacerbates a dry skin condition.
TO AVOID STRESS AND PROLONG YOUR LIFE, FOLLOW THESE TIPS:
· Think back to the most painful, stressful thing to ever happen in your life. You survived it, didn't you? Wear that as a badge of honor. No matter how bad, awful, crazy or hopeless a situation may seem, you will survive it. And when you look back on it, in retrospect, it probably won't even seem that bad.
· Don't sweat the little stuff - and trust me, its all little stuff.
· Get right with God. Hey, after you got eternal salvation, everything else is cake, right?
2. DON'T SPEND AN HOUR IN THE HOT SHOWER
If you're like me, this is a hard one. I absolutely love to take long, hot, steamy showers (sometimes even while sipping an adult beverage). And, since life is short, I still do indulge myself periodically. But, overall I've cut way back.
If you can, take a shower or bath every other day (If your fortunate enough to have a cushy job like me, you don't get too sweaty anyway). If you must take bathe daily, keep it short - a three-minute shower is best and also helps conserve water.
3. KEEP IT WET BABY
OK, so you're being good. You skipped your shower yesterday; you took only a 3-minute shower today (lukewarm). Now, before you reach for that towel, while you're still dripping wet, take a nice big dollop of your favorite moisturizer / lotion (for me it's Aveeno, or any lotion from Burt's Bees) and rub it all over your body. Have your girlfriend / boyfriend / significant other get your back (What, you don't have anyone to get your back? That's a whole other book, friend).
Now, let that creamy goodness soak into your skin for 60 seconds. All right, now you can grab your towel. But wait! Before you dry off, read the next tip.
4. WIPE YOUR BUTT NOT YOUR SKIN
That title may be a bit graphic, but point taken. Wiping your skin is the absolute worst thing you can do! What you need to do is pat your skin dry. Yes, I know you're thinking "who will know if I wipe and don't pat", and "it won't make that much of a difference anyway". Which is exactly what I thought when the dermatologist told me to pat my skin and not wipe it dry. But I was only 16 at the time and didn't listen to anything anybody told me. What's your excuse?
5. OATMEAL BATHS
You've probably seen the oatmeal powder packets at your favorite drugstore. I've used the brand name ones (Aveeno) and the generic ones. Don't be cheap - buy the brand name ones. They have less filler material and are more effective.
Whenever I start to have a breakout of itchy, scaly skin the first thing I do is start filling the bath with warm water and pour out an oatmeal packet under the spigot, and mix it all up good. I then proceed to soak for a solid 30-60 minutes. If you get dry skin around your eyes like I do, wet a washcloth in the oatmeal water and lay it over your eyes while you're soaking. Oatmeal - it's not just for breakfast anymore!
6. DARN MY EYES!!
Like I said, when I do get a breakout I get that dry, flaky skin around my eyes. It is the absolute worst because it's a very sensitive area, and anything I put around my eyes tended to just make things worse. So - along with the oatmeal bath as listed above, I like to do the following to relieve the itchiness and dryness around my eyes: I cut two thin slices of cucumber and put over my eyes (ok, first I close my eyes). Then I put on my cool gel mask, which has been cooled in the refrigerator (you can get these at your drugstore). I then lay down and de-stress for about 30 minutes to an hour. Repeat as necessary.
When I do put lotion around my eyes, I like to use Burt's Bees honey and milk blend.
7. FISH OIL - YUM, YUM
A big part of my success in getting rid of my dry skin condition, I firmly believe, has been in my use of supplements. The two main ones I take are fish oil and vitamin E, as well as a multivitamin. I used to take the fish oil daily, but my skin actually started getting oily so I cutback to taking it a couple times per week. The vitamin E and multivitamin I take daily. And in case you're worried, no the fish oil capsules don't taste yucky (at least, I don't think they do - maybe I'm just used to them though).
8. WET THAT AIR!
I live in the desert, so a key to my beating the dry skin blues was getting a humidifier. In fact, I have two - one upstairs and one downstairs. They can be a hassle; you're always having to re-fill the water on the dang things. Then there are the filters you have to buy for them, which aren't cheap. That being said, you need one. Maybe two. They absolutely will help pump moisture into the air and into your dry skin.
OK, if you live on the Gulf Coast and the humidity is 120%, you don't need one. Otherwise, get one. Mine is a Kenmore unit from Sears; works great.
9. DRINK LOTS OF WATER - DUH
I know, everybody is always saying drink eight glasses of water a day. Your personal trainer, the doctor on the evening news, your mom - none of them will shut up, already.
But it's true - drink eight glasses of water per day and you will feel and look better. You'll lose weight. You're skin will clear up. You'll become rich and famous (Maybe). You'll get to spend a lot more time wondering why you haven't re-painted the bathroom.
So yes I know you already know this, and yes I know you're NOT doing it, so shut up and drink your water.
10. STEP AWAY FROM THE SODA, BEER, MARGARITA, ETC.
Now that you're drinking all that water, you shouldn't be tempted to indulge in your favorite soda or adult beverage. But if you are, forget about it! Caffeine and alcohol acts as a diuretic, making you lose all that water you've been making yourself drink.
OK, maybe you're not going to give up soda or margaritas (I hope you're of age, by the way). Which is fine. Just remember, as with all things, moderation is best.
11. DRINK YOU VEGETABLES
I hate vegetables. Really. Always have, since I was a little kid. And I wouldn't be surprised if a lack of vegetables and fruits didn't at least contribute to my skin condition.
A couple of months ago I stumbled across a vegetable supplement at my local Costco. It's called Drinkables Fruits and Vegetables. It's in liquid form and comes in a green bottle. It contains over 40 fruits and vegetables, some of which I swear I'd never even heard of. I've tried stuff like this in the past and always, it made me gag and so I would take if for a couple days then give up. This stuff is different; it actually tastes decent (my 10 year old son actually LIKES it - which contributed to my losing a bet and having to fork out fifty bucks for a game for his Wii, but that's a whole other story).
Anyway, this stuff has increased my energy, made me feel better and I believe really helped my skin. Maybe you're a good person who already eats all the fruits and vegetables recommended in your daily allowance (good for you). But if not, get some of this stuff, or something similar - you'll be glad you did.
12. MISCELLANEOUS
All right, here's all the stuff that I forgot to include above (hey, nobody's perfect). Don't scratch. Scratching is bad. Really bad. I used to scratch a lot, sometimes even in my sleep. I wish I could say I had a really cool cure I discovered to help me stop scratching, but the truth is I got married. Which led to me sleeping in a bed with my wife. Which in turn led to her slapping my hand every time I would start scratching. Viola, scratching problem solved. It took her a little while, but she eventually conditioned me (Pavlov was right). I have heard people saying they put socks on their hands to keep them from scratching. Try it, it might work. Or just get married.
Make sure the products you are trying are all hypoallergenic (which basically means non-irritating to your skin). Your skin is probably sensitive and even some of these so called hypoallergenic products will irritate it. But still, the stuff that isn't hypoallergenic will definitely irritate it.
Use liquid soap. Again, I'm an Aveeno kind of guy, but any kind of liquid soap is way better than the bar stuff.
13. SHAVING
I'm a guy, so I'm talking about shaving my face here (sorry ladies, I don't have any tips on leg shaving but maybe some of this will apply).
Guys, before you shave you have to clean and prep your skin. I like to use Nivea sensitive face wash. The Nivea for Men products are great - I have really sensitive skin, and I've been able to use the face wash and the sensitive post shave balm with great results. For the actual shaving part I use Gillette Fusion Hydragel Ultra-Sensitive and a 3-blade razor. To avoid irritating your skin, you need to shave twice - the first time you shave "with the grain", the second time "against the grain". Taking this extra step will greatly reduce irritation and skin bumps.
14. WEIRD AND FREAKY DRY SKIN REMEDIES
Now, from the files of the weird and freaky, here are my favorite weird remedies for treating dry skin. Be forewarned, I have not tried any of these myself (What do you think I am, crazy?)
Eat a shark liver. Or if you're somewhat less adventurous, perhaps there are shark liver oil capsules?
Use hair conditioner - all over your body. OK, I guess this ones not too weird, but still I've never tried it. If you try it and it makes hair grow all over your back, don't blame me.
Mash a banana into a paste and rub it over affected areas. Leave on 15 minutes and then rinse with warm water. Beware of monkeys.
Bathe in green tea. I'm not sure how many tea bags it takes to make a nice tub of green tea; you'll have to let me know. Bonus points if you actually drink out of the tub.
Mix whole milk and mustard into a paste. Apply to affected areas and leave on for 30 minutes. Rub off with the inside of a banana peel (There's the banana thing again - maybe the monkeys know something we don't?)
Drink Urine (No I didn't make that up). Popular lore says drinking urine will cure your dry skin, as well as colds, toothaches and baldness. Not sure if you're supposed to drink your own or someone else's? Yea Pee!
Drink castor oil. While you might be thinking this is a pleasant alternative to the urine option listed above, don't be so sure. I actually tried this one when I was young (my father heard from a friend of a friend that a spoonful of castor oil a day would cure my eczema). Well, I tried it. Once. Frankly words fail me in the description of the taste. Get a bottle and try it yourself.
The other oils: Emu oil, olive oil, and coconut oil are all supposed cures for dry skin. Try pouring all three into your next bath; maybe you'll invent something new that works...
Egg yolk. For a dry skin facial that is oh so yummy, mix an egg yolk with a tablespoon of mayonnaise or yogurt and a tablespoon of honey. Apply to skin, let dry and wash off with warm water. Beware of bears.
