To Your Health: Dry Skin

It's amazing how some hand lotions make dry skin more dry. For years, I thought I was imagining it. At some point, I began to look up the ingredients to see what they contributed to the lotion. Wow! What a shock. I guess it's just like MSG in food. Or the perpetuation of an illness with a drug that's supposed to fix the problem. The manufacturers can't sell more of the product if it actually fixed the problem.

A home remedy and what to look out for in commercially made hand lotions will aid in treating most dry skin conditions.

Repairing most dry skin conditions involves both external and internal practices. Contributing factors to dry skin is often a combination of external/environmental elements, diet and exercise, and genetic predisposition. Picking the best moisturizing regimen and attempting good dietetic and exercise routine is a good start to repairing dry skin issues.

Environmental catalysts for dry skin may include cleaning agents, ozone and uv exposure, long hot showers and too much or the wrong kind of moisturizer. Knowing what to look for in moisturizers may help one avoid pitfalls.

SOME BASIC CAUSES FOR DRY SKIN:

These can be broken down into Internal and External. Internal can be an illness to a poor diet lacking in balance, enzymes (in fresh foods mostly), or proper amounts. External factors, elements or influences introduce reactions internally. All of which influences aging and the deterioration of the body.

DIET AND EXERCISE:

Diet and exercise play a role in helping the body to repair and maintain itself. Circulation and hydration with absorption of nutrients is key. It's true that we need at least eight 8 ounce glasses of water per day or up to one half gallon on most days. But the body can only absorb so much of any one thing at any one time. So, for minimal absorption, both water and nutrients need to be taken in small doses throughout the day rather than all at once.

Other measures can insure maximum absorption. Some of those include a good balance of vitamins from both diet and supplementation. A multivitamin, 15 minutes of sun exposure, regular intake of water, some raw vegetables and fruits, MSM capsules, and a good balance of carbs to protein per day is useful.

MOISTURIZERS:

Shea Butter: is produced by a tree in Africa (vitellaria paradoxa) which takes around 20 years to become available for harvesting with full production at about 45 years old. The older, more refined or diluted it is, the less effective it becomes. It is considered to be better than cocoa butter or other vegetable butters. Mostly, it's added in very small amounts and is used as a marketing gimmick to sell products that contain it.

Olive oil: Is cheaper and more readily available. The cold pressed extra virgin variety is the best choice. 'Light' olive oils should be avoided since they have been chemically altered. (recipe follows below).

RECIPES AND DIRECTIONS FOR OLIVE OIL USAGE:

Sample quantities: Two 400 IU capsules of food grade vitamin E squeezed into 4 oz of extra virgin olive oil with 4 to 6 drops of an essential oil. Use as an after bath oil. It is also best to use before bedtime.

Additives: food grade vitamin E capsules (squeezed from a gel cap) and pure essential oils (fragrances are not essential oils). Suggested oils are tea tree, bergamot, jasmine or lavender.

Pat on extra virgin (cold pressed) olive oil after a shower when the skin is already moist. Keep in a glass jar in the refrigerator.

Warnings: Don't use 'light' olive oil. Don't leave the oil exposed to sunlight.

For poison ivy, stings, hives and acne: Wash first with soap and water. Follow that up with olive oil that has been mixed with lavender. A paste made with baking soda and white vinegar is also useful for poison ivy.

Face mask: mix mashed avocado and olive oil together to make a paste.

Nail treatment: soak nails in warm olive oil once a month or so.

Bath oil: add 2 Tablespoons to a full tub of warm to hot water.

Ointment: combine 1.5 oz of beeswax (NOT canning or candle wax) melted with 1 pint of olive oil. Then one or two drops of pure essential oil can be added. NO Fragrance oils.

Benefits: anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. Helps eczema, dandruff, and psoriasis. Is also good as a lip balm and a nail soak. The polyphenols in olive oil act as anti-oxidants.

INGREDIENTS TO AVOID OR SUSPECT:

Mineral oil: is a petrochemical. Our skin is a filtering organ. In addition, this chemical clogs pores and steals fat soluble vitamins from the body. So, naturally, this additive will make dry skin worse. It is used in lotions because it is a cheap way of disposing otherwise unusable waste products of gasoline derivatives. It's a cheap filler that doesn't spoil easily.

When inhaled or regurgitated, mineral oil can cause a lung disease called Lipoid Pneumonia. It is sometimes found in laxatives and reflux treatments.

Thyme and Rosemary herbs tend to cause dry skin.

Cetyl Alcohol: is also derived from petroleum. It originally came from a sperm whale (hence it's name). But, it can also be derived from pal or coconut oil. Thus, depending on its source, it may also be called Palmityl alcohol, palmitate or palmitic acid. It's function is to thicken the lotion and acts as a lubricant.

SUNSCREEN CHEMICALS IN HAND LOTIONS TO AVOID:

Octocrylene: this tends to increase free radicals and reproductive toxicity.

Oxybenzone: attacks DNA and can result in melanoma and may be linked to vitamin D deficiency.

Octinoxate: is unstable in sunlight, alters DNA and is not to be used by children or pregnant women.

Octyl Methozycinnamate: is also toxic and unstable in sunlight. An odd trait for a sunscreen.

SUNSCREEN ADDITIVES & CONDITIONS FOUND TO BE BENEFICIAL ARE:

Phlebodium aureum: This is a fern which is a rainforest plant.

Titarium dioxide, zinc oxide and avobenzone are said to protect against some types of UV rays.

Look for greasy feeling lotion that is thick and lacks perfume.

DNA, OZONE AND UV INFLUENCES:

There are different types of UV radiation that penetrate our atmosphere. Some of them, at least, can accelerate aging of the skin and can be a catalyst for skin cancer. Other types can be beneficial.

The primary difference in UV rays is that some only affect the outer valence or orbit of electrons in an atom while others primarily affect the nucleus.

DNA is something in the body that is programmed with information about how your body is supposed to be. Our bodies are in a constant rebuilding or repairing mode. DNA tells the body how to repair or rebuild each part. So, if DNA is damaged by lesions or alterations, then it rebuilds the body or it's parts based on that changed DNA information. Free radicals, UV radiation, etc... are things that damage DNA. This is why we age.

The sunscreens in lotions are meant to handle some types of Ultraviolet rays for very short periods of time. Interestingly, one doesn't have to get a sunburn to have DNA damage. Even some heat lamps can be carcinogenic or can accelerate aging.

Our bodies need some sunlight to produce vitamin D naturally. The right amount of the right kind of UV is good for calcium metabolism, immunity, blood pressure and insulin secretion. UV is also used to treat psoriasis and vitiligo.

Most sources recommend 15 minutes of unprotected sunlight exposure per day. Those sources, however, don't say if direct sunlight or whether a cloudy day makes a difference. Different UV rays penetrate clouds than what reaches the earth on a clear day. So, whether ambient sunlight or direct exposure makes a difference is unclear.

All in all, natural moisturizers applied to damp skin, a good diet and exercise routine, reduction of exposure to harmful UV rays and avoidance of chemicals that aggravates the skin are methods of maintaining healthy skin. These measures will also assist in the repair of damaged and aged skin as well. Specific skin diseases and conditions may require additional treatment and diagnosis by a medical care professional.

REFERENCES:

dna:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_repair

TV show on the national geographic channel about how the body works. (From memory.)

olive oil:

http://www.thefrugallife.com/oliveoil

http://www.dhccare.com

http://www.wrinkle-free-skin-tips.com/olive-oil-moisturizer

http://zenmed.com/products/productPages/HSeriesMoisturizer

http://www.healthy-skincare.com/olive-oil-skin-care

http://www.oliveoilsource.com/oliveoildr-skin

shea butter: