Treatments for Dry Skin

Dry skin can present as a problem at any time of life and does not discriminate against age or background. Of course there are certain situations that may cause dry skin to be more severe such as the nature of your environment either at home or more commonly at work, during extremes of weather and often because of hormonal changes within the body.Some people find having dry skin non-problematic whilst others can find they are very troubled by it and cannot seem to find a treatment that is long lasting or works at all.

Medical Treatments For Dry Skin.

If your dry skin is an on-going problem or is worsening, it may be necessary to see your doctor.It is likely that your GP will ask you a series of questions such as where the dry skin is worse, treatments that you have tried already, if you are female, whether it flares up during certain times of your cycle, questions relating to your diet and lifestyle and whether you are taking any medicines, either prescription or otherwise.He or she will also make a close inspection of the area and may well take a sample to send off for analysis (though this is not common practice for everyone).

For the majority of people, dry skin is caused because of dehydration and should be solved by ensuring you take an adequate supply of clear fluids on board each day. Most people are aware that they do not drink enough and in fact many of us could benefit from drinking more fresh water every day. Not only does this help eliminate dry skin, but it also helps to flush out toxins and keep the tissues and organs healthy.

If your doctor feels that there is a hidden cause for your dry skin, you may be referred to a skin specialist for further investigation.If it is suspected that the dry skin is due to an allergy, you will most likely be asked what substances your skin is exposed to, how often and whether it is possible to isolate your skin from these substances to assess whether this is the cause.

Lots of people may find that they are told they have either eczema of a form of dermatitis in which case your doctor may prescribe a steroid cream to use that can be used to reduce the initial symptoms and a plain thick moisturiser to be used during the less symptomatic times as long term use of steroid creams should be avoided where possible.

Dry Skin Preparations.

Apart from ensuring that we are drinking enough every day, dry skin can often be solved by using a good quality skin moisturiser everyday, often twice a day on the affected areas.Moisturisers and lotions that work best for problem areas are usually thick and easily absorbed. Any creams that are perfumed or heavily coloured may actually affected the skin in a negative way due to the added chemicals and really it is best that these are avoided.

Old-Fashioned Remedies.

Most of us will be able to provide our own dry skin care regimes at home with relative ease and in fact many of the old-fashioned remedies for dry skin complaints still work today. Making sure the bath or shower water is not too hot can help the skin retain moisture and require creams and lotions to a lesser degree. Equally a soft towel should be used to pat the skin (not rub) as this also helps the skin stay hydrated, fresh and soft.When cleansing the skin, a non-perfumed and mild soap should be used (baby soap is ideal) and those containing chemicals and colours should be avoided.

Harsh and abrasive materials can also aggravate dry skin and make symptoms worse so bedding should be clean, soft and fresh and washed with a non-biological powder or liquid and also a fabric softener.

Dry skin is a common condition and affects most of us at some point. As with most complaints, prevention is always better than cure so we should all be using a good all-round moisturiser everyday in order to prevent symptoms of dry skin from becoming a problem.In the event that a medical opinion is sought, there are a range of dry skin treatments that can be explored.