Article Surfing Archive

The skin on our bodies acts as a protector against disease and infections along with protecting our internal organs from injuries. The importance of our skin is to prevent fluid loss, remove excess water and most importantly to regulate body temperature.

We all want to have beautiful and healthy skin, but not everyone knows exactly how to treat their skin. Since the skin has more exposure than any other organ in our body, the climate we live in and the personal choices we make can attribute to the condition of our skin.

Our skin can become dehydrated due to consistent exposure to dry, hot inside air along with dry, cold outside air. If moisture is not restored, our skin can become cracked, flakey and in some cases, bleed. Conditions that can attribute to dehydrated skin are age, sex and exposure to sunlight.

As we grow older, our oil producing glands are less active making our skin appear rough and dull and can even cause the skin cells to become flakey and clump together. Our gender also plays a role in how our skin reacts. In the aging process, men are known to have more moisture in their skin than women do. The decrease of oil production occurs in men around the age of 80 while the majority of women start to see a decrease after menopause.

Frequent showering or bathing, especially if you like the water hot and your showers long, breaks down the lipid barriers in your skin. One thing to stay away from is certain type of soaps and detergents. Antibacterial and deodorant soaps are damaging since they diminish your skin protecting cells and remove water at the same time. Always choose soaps that are labeled as 'moisturizing'. When you are done bathing, it is recommended to always use an appropriate moisturizer. When choosing a product, always look at the labels and do some of your own research to find which one is best suited for you.

As mentioned earlier, climate conditions are another cause for skin irritations. Exposure to sunlight is probably one of the most damaging for your skin. Not only does the heat from the sun dry out the skin but the ultraviolet (UV) radiation penetrates beyond the first layer of skin. The most significant damage occurs below the first layer of skin, where fibers break down much more quickly than they should, leading to deep wrinkles and loose, sagging skin.

Dry and damaged skin can not only diminish the look of your skin but may also lead to more harmful conditions. Skin conditions such as Dermatitis, also referred to as Eczema, causes redness, inflammation and cracking. These conditions can be harmful, even deadly, if the skin has open sores which can allow bacteria in. In some cases, a small skin infection has lead to the amputation of limbs! If you are experiencing severe dry skin conditions, you should consult with your doctor.

Dehydrated skin is not something to take lightly and there are many ways you can effectively protect your skin. Drinking lots of water is one of the first ways to improve the hydration in your skin. When your body is dehydrated not only the skin feels the effect. Your whole body becomes drained and sluggish and it is screaming for some fluids. t is recommended by many doctors and nutritionists to drink 6 ' 8 glasses of water each day. In doing so it not only hydrates your skin but it also cleanses out many of the toxins your body has.

Skin care should be important to everyone and although I mentioned some of the harmful conditions dry skin can cause, most of these can be avoided by practicing basic nutritional diets and practical solutions. The simplest ways to maintain healthy hydrated skin is to drink the recommended amount of water each day, use a healthy skin moisturizer, wear sunscreen while out in the sun (minimum SPF 30) and eat fruits and vegetables containing a high amount of antioxidants are.