Women's and Men's Dry Skincare Tips to Prevent Dry Skin | Moisturizers, AHAs and Humectants

Prevent Dry Skin

The key to preventing dry skin is to keep your skin soft and supple. The way to do that is to keep it moist. You can help your skin in two ways, by avoiding the things that will dry it out and by adding moisture.

Causes of dry skin

Oil helps hold water in the skin. As we get older, we are more likely to suffer from dry skin because we produce less oil for our skin to hold water in. Some people just have drier skin to begin with.

Dry air often means dry skin. That's why during the winter months, when there is lower humidity because of heating, many people develop winter dry skin.

Things to Avoid to Prevent Dry Skin

Some things to avoid include:

• Too much sun - The sun dries out the skin via evaporation and does other damage to your skin. If you must be out in the sun, you should wear sun protective clothing, a hat and sunscreen.
• Harsh soaps - Use a gentle soap as much as you can. Liquid soaps can also be even harsher than regular soap according to the American Academy of Dermatologists. Moisturizing soaps such as Basis for Dry Skin or Neutrogena Dry Skin aren't as harsh. You may also want to consider other products that do not contain soap such as Cetaphil, Phisoderm or a generic version of those products.

Here are some other suggestions:

• Very hot or cold water - Warm water is better for bathing or washing your hands. Heavily chlorinated pools are also tough on your skin.
• Rubbing - Rubbing your skin with a rough wash cloth while bathing or with a towel while drying will tend to dry the skin more. Pat yourself dry instead.
• Steam baths and saunas - Sweating in a steam bath or a sauna tends to remove natural skin oils.

Things to do to Prevent Dry Skin

There are also things you can be proactive about to prevent dry skin. They include:

• Apply moisturizing creams or lotions - after bathing or washing your hands apply moisturizers to help seal in moisture. There are many different moisturizing ingredients. Humectants are ingredients that attract water. In humid weather, they draw moisture from the air to the skin. Emollients help soften and smooth skin, and they also seal in the moisture. Examples include mineral oil and petroleum. Many moisturizers also contain exfoliants such as alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) or salicylic acids, which cause the topmost layers of dead skin cells to shed. This can help to leave the skin looking fresher.
• Use lip balm - during dry spells, in both the winter and the summer, our lips will often chap. Using a lip balm with an SPF of at least 15 will help.
• Use a humidifier - When the air is dry use a humidifier to raise the humidity in your house. It will help keep your skin from drying out as much.

Following these suggestions year round can even help you avoid the seasonal dry skin that happens in summer and winter.

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Updated May 2008

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