People who suffer from dry skin seasonally or have chronic dry skin are in luck; the treatment of dry skin is actually the same as the prevention of dry skin. So, by incorporating some changes in your lifestyle and eating habits, and taking daily supplements, you can not only treat dry skin, but also prevent it from happening again.
Bathing Habits
Your bathing habits could be contributing to your chronic dry skin and be holding you back from curing flaky dry skin. It is not necessary for all of us to take full showers every single day. Unless you work in an extremely dirty condition, you can get by with taking a shower every other day. Bathing strips the skin of essential oils that the skin needs to remain moist. A sponge bath is appropriate.
You also want to ward off hot showers. A hot shower can dehydrate your skin quickly, and thus lead to or exacerbate flaky, dry skin. It is important that the water temperature you bathe in is very warm, but not hot.
Towel dry only to the point of leaving your skin slightly damp, allow your body to then air dry. This is also a good time to apply moisturizer lotions.
Eating Habits
Drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water per day is important for all kinds of reasons including the treatment for dry skin and the prevention of dry skin. The 8 glasses of water for the treatment of dry skin must be pure water; carbonated drinks, juices and other fluids do not count.
Some good foods that help to treat dry skin as well as help to prevent chronic dry skin include:
- Low fat dairy products
- Fruits and Vegetables that are high in Vitamin A
- Essential fatty acids (omega 3, etc. These can be found in fish products such as salmon as well as walnuts, canola oil and flax seed)
Daily Intake of Supplements
Foods that are high in Vitamin A, C, E and K are important as are essential fatty acids. However, when it comes to dry skin treatment, especially for those with chronic dry skin, taking supplements is important in treating the dry skin. These can be both oral supplements of vitamins and minerals, as well as topical treatments for dry skin.
- Vitamin E, daily, 400mg to improve skin texture and tone
- Vitamin A is incredibly important in the treatment of dry skin
- Vitamin B complex is important in hydrating the skin and can be taken orally or be topical
- Zinc is important in repairing damaged tissues and skin and will boost the treatment for dry skin
By simply changing some activities in your daily life, like limiting the time spent in the shower, lowering the temperature of your bathing water, applying a good moisturizer several times a day, drinking plenty of pure water, eating a well balance diet, and incorporating some skin healthy supplements orally or topically are effective treatments for dry skin, and will lead to the prevention of dry skin in the future. Not only are these changes good for you dry skin, but are good for your overall health.
