However, it is also the skin that first betrays the effects of aging. Skin ailments such as psoriasis or dermatitis can be irritating and make our lives miserable. While we never needed things like wrinkle creams or moisturizers when we were younger and our skin more resilient, the fact is that some degree of skin care is inevitable as we age.
But skin care treatment is also necessary because of factors unrelated to our aging skin. Dry skin is caused by a number of conditions and therefore its treatment options will depend on the actual cause. Here are some causes of dry skin:
Medication Side Effects
As a society, we have increasingly become dependent on medication for things like high blood pressure, tension headaches, and even depression. Skin care treatment for dryness may very well be necessary due to some side effect of your medication for a completely unrelated condition. For this reason, you always want to monitor any potential skin irritation immediately after starting any new medication. If you already have dry skin and can’t remember whether or not it was a problem before starting your medication, you may need to consult with your physician and discuss an alternative medication in order to rule out side effects as the cause of your dry skin.
Poor Nutrition
Skin care problems are often the result of poor nutrition. Our bodies require a delicate balance of nutrients in order to keep everything functioning properly, especially the skin. Vegetarians and vegans often run into dry skin issues as a result of not consuming enough animal fats in their diet. A vitamin B12 deficiency will cause your oil glands (sebaceous glands) to function improperly, generally leading to acne.
Basically, any attempt to address a skin care issue (be it oily, dry, or even itchy skin) should begin with a close look at diet. Dermatologists can best assess potential diet-related skin care problems and recommend corrective measures to naturally restore skin vitality. However, here are some foods to avoid where possible in order to keep your skin as healthy as possible:
• fried foods (chicken, French fries)
• processed sugars
• caffeine, coffee, tea, soft drinks
• high fat dairy products like milk or cheese (consuming low fat varieties of milk and cheese may not be great, but they are better for your skin!)
Now the best thing that you can ingest for improved skin care is water. That’s right, water. Water naturally removes toxins from your body—so the more you drink of it, the purer your body will be. Drinking lots of water is especially good for people with acne problems and it will also help reduce the onset of wrinkles.
Skin Care Problems Due to Sebaceous Gland Problems
If you have ever been to a dermatologist because of acne problems then you are probably very familiar with sebaceous glands. Because the skin needs to be lubricated, it is covered with oil secreting glands known as sebaceous glands. If these glands become clogged with dirt, then bacteria begin growing inside and a pimple is the result. However, sebaceous glands can either become clogged and dry skin is caused or they can produce too much and cause oily skin. More often than not, problems with the sebaceous glands are due to poor diet and can usually be corrected rather easily.
Skin Care Problems Due to Diabetes
Believe it or not, even diabetes can cause you serious skin care problems. A person with diabetes has trouble regulating the blood sugar levels. When there is an excess of blood sugar in the body, the excess must be absorbed. To do this, the body uses a lot more water than normal and that can lead to dry skin.
Skin Care Treatment for Dryness
While diet must always be part of any skin care treatment regimen, it is just a simple fact that our bodies will need more help as we age. For this reason, a moisturizer of some sort will ultimately be needed. To this end, it is HIGHLY recommended that you use a natural skin moisturizer.
Moisturizers using natural ingredients are far less likely to cause the irritating side effects mentioned earlier. Synthetic ingredients are often less expensive to use in moisturizers but they are not the best skin care option because the body is less receptive to them. Natural ingredients, on average, cause fewer side effects and are therefore better where skin moisturizers are concerned.
Skin Care for Wrinkles
Wrinkles are probably the biggest cause of all skin care treatments in the United States. As a person ages, the skin naturally becomes less elastic. As a result, fine lines begin to form on the face which ultimately become the wrinkles we hate so much. There are two main skin care strategies when it comes to wrinkles: affect the muscles that reveal the wrinkles or fill in the skin so the wrinkles are less noticeable. The first strategy involves Botox and the second Collagen injections.
Botox Skin Care
A person is actually having a strain of Botulism injected in their face when they opt for Botox skin care treatment. Botox actually interrupts the transmission of nerve impulses to the muscles that reveal our wrinkles. It may sound radical, but these injections do actually reduce the appearance of wrinkles on the face for a significant period of time. Now these injections can be costly and they must be repeated—but they are generally affective.
Collagen Injection Skin Care
Many people have a serious misperception about collagen injections. The perception is that collagen is a form of fat that is injected into your face to fill in the lines caused by wrinkles. Actually, collagen is an effective form of skin care treatment for wrinkles not because it is fat—but because it is protein. In fact, collagen is a special protein that helps cells and blood vessels connect to one another. When this happens, the wrinkles fade because the collagen helps the skin to “rebuild” in areas where wrinkles form and actually fill in the lines. Again, collagen treatments tend to work but they also are expensive and need to be repeated.
Natural Anti-Wrinkle Creams
A cheaper, but slower, alternative to expensive skin care treatments for wrinkles is a simple cream. Anti-wrinkle creams work to rebuild the skin texture and helps with the elasticity over time. However, unlike Collagen or Botox injections, anti-wrinkle cream skin care treatment is only applied to the skin surface. This is why it takes so much longer. Still, an anti-wrinkle cream is a cost-effective and non-invasive treatment for wrinkles that does work if given enough time. Again, in order to reduce possible side effects, stick with creams that use natural ingredients as they will react better with your skin.
