When I was a child, I used to sit beside my grandma and rub on her skin. It was smooth as silk and so soft. I thought that all women's skin, no matter how old they become, would be the same way. As I grew older I realized that is not so. In my line of work I see women in their thirties with skin dry as an autumn leaf and women in their seventies with skin like my grandmother's used to be. As I grew older my own skin started drying off faster than usual. So I asked my mother, whose skin was soft and smooth as honey, how she manages it. She told me two rules of thumb for soft skin : moisturizer and water.
There are plenty of moisturizers in the market that boast about their ability to keep your skin smooth and soft. But a real moisturizer will conceal the moisture in the top two layers of the skin so it would not become dry. There are several reasons for having dry skin:
a. Not drinking enough water: We are water based beings; we need to get water in order to replenish the lost nutrients and moisture in our bodies. But in our daily routines most of the times we forget to drink water. Most people replace water with coffee, soft drinks or milk products. When my children were young, one of my sons used to think he needed to drink milk because he was thirsty. I had to literally force upon them to drink water. When water content is low our skin dries considerably because it loses moisture in the air, during exercise or just by urination. As we lose water from the body we need to replace it with some more.
b. Environmental factors: In this day and age where air conditioners and heaters are a way of daily life during summer or winter our skin loses its nourishment of moisture. Air conditioners take off all the moisture from the environment and so do the heaters. We need to replenish water that is lost from these sources.
c. Food: Most people are so prone to eating foods rich in sugars and starches in their diets . They lose the foods rich in oils that provide natural moisturizers to the skin. Foods that are rich in sugar and starches tend to absorb the moisture in the body and create dehydration. Most people avoid oil rich foods in order to prevent other health risks.
d. Lotions and moisturizers: Most of the lotions that we use do advertise themselves as moisture rich. But once we use them they tend to dry up very easily because they do not contain enough water content in the lotion.
e. Showers and baths: People tend to take longer periods of time in the showers and baths. They tend to use higher temperature water that dries up the body very fast. When in hot showers the top layers of the skin lose their natural oils and become extremely dry. Most people do not use body lotions after they shower especially men.
There are ways to avoid the loss of oils from our bodies for a silky and smooth skin:
a. Drink six to eight glasses of water every day in order to replenish the moisture in the body.
b. When in an air conditioned or heated environment use electric moisturizers that run on water.
c. Take foods or supplements that are rich in fish oils. Eating less starchy or sugary foods will help in preventing dry skin.
d. Look for moisture rich lotions along with more oils. Try to apply lotion on pat dried skin immediately after the shower to retain moisture.
e. Do not take long showers in real hot water. Taking a warm water bath is always helpful.
Using all these tips could help keep our skin moisturized, smooth, silky and healthy because, OUR LIFE MATTERS.