Your May Be Inadvertently Drying Out Your Skin

You’d be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t want a healthy, glowing complexion. However, while most of us go through the daily rituals of washing our face, slathering on the moisturizer, and carefully applying sunscreen, what you might not realize is that our daily routine is actually severely dehydrating our skin.

The battle to maintain beautiful, radiant skin involves a constant fight against our daily habits. Activities like:

• drinking alcohol
• intense periods of exercise
• and even your daily mocha latte

can all damage your skin. Expert dermatologists advise that even merely being in a dry environment can wreak havoc upon your complexion. For some, the necessary habits of your morning shower and washing your hands can strip skin of its valuable moisture, making your skin look and feel drier.

Dermatology relief from excessive dry skin

Luckily, unlike other medical conditions, it’s relatively easy to tell when skin is starting to dry out. If you start to see increased fine wrinkle lines, sallow and dull skin, or even just a lack of vibrancy, it may be time to consider the impact of your daily routine on your skin’s health. While these changes are often temporary, they can contribute to the long term health of your skin, even indicating other underlying dietary or genetic problems.

What do you do when you can’t change your lifestyle? Thankfully, there’s a few noteworthy ways to prevent your skin from drying out even further, helping to keep you looking radiant year after year:

1. Try not to use alcohol based hand sanitizer and harsh soaps. These can strip your hands of the natural oils that help to keep your body moisturized.
2. Always moisturize using a lotion or cream after you’re done with a shower. This helps to replenish any moisture that may have been lost while showering.
3. Focus on getting enough healthy foods that have moisturizing fats in them, such as the fats omega-3 and omega-6. Foods high in these fats include tuna, flax seed, and many types of fish and grains.
4. Using hot water is a sure way to dry out your skin. Try using lukewarm water the next time you’re in the shower in order to avoid losing moisture.
5. When exfoliating your body, instead of scrubbing down while in the shower, scrub with a dry brush outside of the shower. Use oil or salt based scrubs to ensure that moisture is locked in, protecting your skin from pre-mature aging issues.