Combatting Dry Skin

Seunga (Jasmine) Han, PharmD Student

Anyone living in Alberta would agree that it would be almost abnormal to not have dry skin. Dry skin is a common problem for many, especially for those living in areas with dry air. Yet, not everyone is aware of how they should take care of their dry skin. Today, we’ll go over some simple tips that you can incorporate into you daily routine. Then in the upcoming article, we’ll go into detail about moisturizers.

Tips after showers and baths

Use warm or lukewarm water, not hot water.
Keept it short and sweet – about 3-5 minutes for baths and 2-3 times a week for showers.
Use as little soap as you can.
Use mild soap or skin cleanser like Dove^® or Cetaphil^®. Avoid harsh or perfumed soaps. Even better, you could use cleansers with a pH closer to our skin pH (which is slightly acidic).
Pat your skin dry with towel, not rub.
Add bath products after a bath or apply moisturizing products directly to damp skin and gently pat dry.

Tips with laundry

Try to use small amounts of detergent.
Don’t use fabric softeners or dryer sheets

Tips for moisturizing

If you have very dry hands, spread petroleum jelly like Vaseline^® on your hands before bed and put on thin cotton gloves while you sleep. If your feet are dry, spread Vaseline on them and wear socks while you sleep.
Avoid licking dry lips. Apply a lip balm frequently instead.
Use cool mist humidifiers to increase the humidity indoors. target 40-50% humidity in winter and 30% in summer.

Dietary tips

Wear gloves, face masks and scarves when outdoors in cold or windy weather.
Cotton clothing is preferred over wool clothing, which can be irritating to the skin.
Avoid caffeine, spices and alcohol.
Maintain adequate fluid intake from food and water
Avoid swimming in chlorinated pools

We hope you took away something valuable from this piece. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this article or others, feel free to reach out to us on Instagram, Facebook, or at ask@orbishealth.ca with your feedback. We’d love to hear from you.

RESOURCES

H. (2017, October 5). Dry Skin: Care Instructions. Retrieved October 4, 2018, from https://myhealth.alberta.ca/health/AfterCareInformation/pages/conditions.aspx?HwId=zc1191
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