Caring for Dry skin

Properly hydrated skin is beautiful: soft and smooth. But dehydrated skin — also known as dry skin, xerosis, and winter itch — is dull and rough. Not only can it look awful — especially if it leads to severe flaking, deep cracks, or inflamed pink or red patches — but it can also feel awful, especially if it causes such intense itching that you feel clad head to toe in wool.

Fortunately, most cases of dry skin are mild and temporary, usually the result of environmental exposures such as low humidity or harsh soaps. These cases can easily be prevented or treated at home. But severe or persistent dry skin may point to a more serious condition that needs medical evaluation and treatment.

The Causes of Dry Skin

Although dry skin can develop anywhere, it most often appears on the legs (especially the shins), the flanks (the area between the bottom of the rib cage and the hips), and the backs of the hands. Dry skin is especially problematic in people 60 and older because of the natural loss of protective skin oils.

Common environmental causes of dry skin include:

Low humidity. If you live in a northern climate, dry skin may be more noticeable during winter, especially if you have a forced-air heating system. But if you live in an arid climate, dry skin may be a problem all year long.
Frequent showers and baths. Hot water breaks down the skin's protective fats. So do harsh soaps and shampoos — particularly those containing deodorants and anti-bacterial ingredients.
Excessive sun exposure. Sunlight dries skin and exposes its lower layers to radiation that damages collagen and elastin fibers. This causes wrinkles, sagging, and the symptoms of dry skin.
Medical conditions associated with dry skin include:

Psoriasis , an autoimmune disorder that causes a buildup of dry skin and silvery scales.
Thyroid disorders, which can decrease the skin's production of protective sweat and oil.
Atopic dermatitis (eczema), an allergic condition that causes itching and inflammation.
In some cases, dry skin can result from a serious and potentially disfiguring disorder called ichthyosis. Other medical conditions that can cause dry skin include diabetes, malnutrition, liver and kidney diseases, lymphoma, and HIV/AIDS.

Home Care for Dry Skin

Simple lifestyle changes can effectively rehydrate the skin. These include:

Short showers. If you limit showers to five or ten minutes — preferably with warm but not hot water, and mild soaps such as Neutrogena, Basis, or Dove that contain added fats — you can add moisture to skin. Longer showers deplete skin moisture.
Moisturizers. Apply a moisturizer — preferably an ointment or cream instead of a lotion — within three minutes after bathing. Contrary to popular belief, moisturizers don't "moisturize" the skin, but provide a protective barrier that prevents water loss. Good choices include ointments and creams containing ingredients such as lactic acid, urea, hyaluronic acid, dimethicone, glycerin, lanolin, mineral oil, or petrolatum (also known as petroleum jelly). Also apply a moisturizer to dry hands after each hand washing.
Humidification. If the relative humidity in your home is below 40 percent, you may need to use either a portable home humidifier or one attached to your furnace.
Skin-friendly fabrics. Choose non-irritating fabrics such as cotton or silk. Washing clothes with unscented detergents may also reduce skin irritation.
Anti-itch strategies. Cool compresses or ointments containing at least 1 percent hydrocortisone may provide relief.
Antibacterial strategies. To prevent infection, apply an antibacterial ointment to cracks, especially those with a tendency to bleed.
When Dry Skin Necessitates a Trip to the Doctor

See your doctor or dermatologist if you:

Experience no relief from home remedies.
Have large areas of scaling and flaking, or a visible rash.
Have dry skin accompanied by redness.
Have open sores or infections from scratching.
Have dryness or itching that interferes with sleep.
Depending on the cause of your dry skin, your doctor or dermatologist may prescribe creams that contain high-strength alpha hydroxy or beta hydroxy acids, urea, propylene glycol, or cortisone. In some cases, you may be prescribed astringent dressings to help contract dry and cracked skin.

There's no need to suffer the agony of dry skin. With proper home care or medical treatment, you can minimize the itching, redness, scaling, and cracks, and make your skin soft and smooth again.

caring for sensitive skin

Acne: Whether you’re a teenager or an adult, acne can rear its pesky little whiteheads and blackheads, especially if you’ve got sensitive skin. From pimples to cysts to pustules, acne is annoying and can even be painful. If your skin is susceptible to breakouts, avoid oil-based skin-care products and cosmetics that can clog pores. And keep in mind that even natural ingredients, like coconut oil and avocado, can upset sensitive skin and lead to breakouts. Your best bets are water-based, oil-free products, especially when it comes to makeup. To treat an acne breakout, your dermatologist may suggest antibacterials such as antibiotic creams or ointments, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, and retinoids. Some people also use tea tree oil as a natural remedy.

Rosacea: Rosacea (a skin disease that causes redness and pimples on your nose, cheeks, chin, and forehead) is sometimes called “adult acne” because it can cause outbreaks that look like acne. Rosacea can also cause burning and soreness in the eyes and eyelids. Ouch! The condition often flares up when something triggers blood vessels in the face to expand, which in turn causes redness. Common triggers are exercise, sun and wind exposure, hot weather, stress, spicy foods, alcohol, and hot baths. Swings in temperature from hot to cold or cold to hot can also cause a flare-up. If your sensitive skin is due to rosacea, you likely experience redness, swelling, small pimples, or visible blood vessels on your face when your skin is irritated. Sometimes just the act of caring for your skin can irritate it, so gentle skin care is a must — no vigorous scrubbing and no vitamin C, alpha hydroxy acids, fragrance, or alcohol in anything you put on your face (and that includes cleansers, moisturizers, makeup, and sunblock). The American Academy of Dermatology reports that anti-inflammatory ingredients, such as caffeine, sulfur, some antibiotics, chamomile, green tea, and licorice extract, can reduce inflammation.

Burning or stinging: Nobody knows exactly what causes burning or stinging reactions in sensitive skin, but the AAD recommends you do your best to avoid acidic ingredients, such as lactic acid, azelaic acid, benzoic acid, glycolic acid, vitamin C, and alpha hydroxy acids, since they are all known offenders.

Contact dermatitis: This sensitive skin reaction occurs in two forms. The first is an allergic reaction that involves some kind of rash — a sign that your immune system is making antibodies in response to whatever caused the reaction. The other kind of contact dermatitis is simply a reaction to an irritant on the surface of your skin. If you’ve got skin that’s prone to contact dermatitis, steer clear of skin-care products and cosmetics that contain added fragrance, preservatives, coloring, and formaldehyde, since those ingredients are known to cause rashes in sensitive skin.

General Tips for Caring for Sensitive Skin

Do a patch test before using any new skin-care product or cosmetic
Wash with lukewarm (not hot) water and gentle cleansers
Do not overwash or vigorously scrub skin
Let skin dry before applying topical medications or moisturizers
Moisturize with products specifically formulated for sensitive skin
Look for fragrance-free, nonirritating skin-care and cosmetic products
Avoid wearing clothes made from irritating fibers, such as acrylic or wool
Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 15 that contains at least one of the following sensitive-skin-friendly ingredients: titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, and silicone (silicone may also be listed as dimethicone or cyclomethicone)
Remember, sensitive skin is a fairly common condition, and products created especially for people with sensitive skin are fairly easy to find. If your skin reactions become severe, see your dermatologist. He or she may recommend a prescription-strength steroid (cortisone) or another type of medication to soothe your symptoms.

Caring for Fair Skin

A smart skin-care regimen should largely depend on the type of skin you’ve got: oily, dry, combination, or normal. But skin tone plays a supporting role, so it’s important for those with a fair complexion to be familiar with conditions they potentially face. How’d you end up with such fair skin? Heredity, for starters. It seems that everyone, regardless of race, has the same amount of melanocyte skin cells, and within those cells are structures known as melanosomes. The reason that fair skin appears lighter is that melanocytes in people with lighter skin tones contain fewer — and smaller — melanosomes than those in darker skin, and those melanosomes produce less melanin, the pigment that colors the skin.

Skin Cancer 
People with fair (or light) skin tend to sunburn easily and are therefore the most susceptible to skin cancer. So while it’s important for everyone, even people with dark skin, to practice smart sun protection, it’s absolutely crucial for people with lighter skin. Fair-skinned folks must be super diligent about applying (and reapplying) broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 15 (though 30 or higher is preferable) year-round. Protective clothing (including a wide-brimmed hat) adds additional layers of defense. Also essential are annual skin exams and mole checks — and alert your dermatologist ASAP if you notice any changes in your skin.

Actinic Keratosis
These scaly, crusty bumps are a precancerous condition that’s more likely to affect people with lighter skin than those with dark complexions. It tends to show up on the parts of the body that receive the most sun exposure — the face, ears, neck, forearms, and backs of the hands — beginning around age 30 and increasing as you age. Peeling or cracking lips after sun exposure, especially the lower lip, might also be a sign of actinic keratosis, and the condition is also common on the scalps of bald men. Actinic keratosis patches can itch, burn, or sting and should be looked at by a dermatologist. One or more of the following treatments may be used: cryosurgery (freezing), light or laser therapy, chemical peels, topical treatments such as cancer-fighting chemotherapy creams, and NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Keep in mind that actinic keratosis can be delayed or prevented with proper sun protection.

Rosacea 
Rosacea (a skin disease that causes redness and pimples on your nose, cheeks, chin, and forehead) is sometimes called adult acne, because it can cause outbreaks that look like acne. Rosacea can also cause burning and soreness in the eyes and eyelids. Though rosacea can affect any skin type, experts believe that people with fair skin have a genetic predisposition toward the condition, and those who are 30 to 50 years old with light skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes are the most likely to develop it.

Rosacea often flares up when something triggers the blood vessels in the face to expand, which in turn causes redness. Common triggers include exercise, sun and wind exposure, hot weather, stress, spicy foods, alcohol, and hot baths. Swings in temperature from hot to cold or cold to hot can also cause a flare-up. Sometimes just the act of caring for your skin can irritate it, so gentle skin care is a must — no vigorous scrubbing and no vitamin C, alpha hydroxy acids, fragrances, or alcohol in anything you put on your face (that includes cleansers, moisturizers, makeup, and sunblock). The American Academy of Dermatology reports that anti-inflammatory ingredients, such as caffeine, sulfur, some antibiotics, chamomile, green tea, and licorice extract, can reduce inflammation.

Caring for fair skin can be easy when you know what kinds of conditions to look out for. Be sure to get annual skin exams and mole checks, and always protect your skin from the sun.

Caring for Darker-Toned Skin

Your complexion type is the blueprint for your basic skin-care regimen. That means the products you choose and cleansing/moisturizing routine you follow should be based on whether your skin is oily, dry, combination, sensitive, or normal. But skin tone plays a role as well. Regardless of race, we all have the same amount of melanocyte skin cells in our bodies, and those contain structures called melanosomes. It’s ultimately the melanosomes, and the melanin they produce (melanin is the pigment that colors the skin) that determine our skin tone. People with dark skin have melanocytes that contain larger melanosomes — and more of them — than people with olive or light brown skin, so their melanosomes make more melanin. People with fair skin have melanocytes that contain fewer and smaller melanosomes than people with medium skin tones, and their melanosomes produce less melanin.


Pigmentation Disorders 
Unfortunately, people with darker skin are more likely to develop pigmentation disorders, such as postinflammatory hyperpigmentation, vitiligo, and dermatosis papulosa nigra. With postinflammatory hyperpigmentation, an injury to the skin — anything from a pimple or a scrape to a cut or burn — can cause the skin to darken in that spot, either semipermanently or permanently, like a scar. Using sunscreen can help prevent hyperpigmentation, but if that doesn’t work, your dermatologist can prescribe bleaching medication, a chemical peel, or microdermabrasion to correct the pigment color.

Vitiligo causes splotchy white patches to appear when pigment cells are destroyed; experts believe this is caused by an autoimmune disorder. There are a number of different treatments, including steroid creams, laser and light therapies, intense pulsed light (IPL), and skin grafting.

Dermatosis papulosa nigra — also known as flesh moles — are small, raised brown or black spots that usually show up on the cheeks of African American women. The moles are benign, but a dermatologist can remove them for cosmetic reasons if the patient desires.

Keloids
When a wound or skin infection begins to increase in size and extend beyond the borders of the original injury, the resulting condition is called a keloid. These can vary in shape and size and typically look like puffy, dark pink scars. No one’s sure why keloids are more common among people of color. There are many treatments available, including surgery, steroid injections, laser therapy, and cryotherapy (freezing), but the success of these treatments is variable. Your best bet: Ask your dermatologist what he or she recommends.


Skin Cancer Risk
It’s true that those with lighter skin tones have the highest risk of developing skin cancer, but that doesn’t mean people with deeper skin tones are immune to sun damage. That’s because while the extra melanin they possess makes the skin darker, it does not fully protect against the harmful effects of sun exposure. Research has also shown that melanoma can be more aggressive in darker skin and that people with skin of color are less likely to survive a melanoma condition. That’s why year-round sun protection is critical for everyone, no matter their race.

For people with darker-toned skin, it’s important to know that melanoma is more likely to develop on the palms and soles, on or in between fingers and toes, under the fingernails, in or around the mouth or nose, or on the genital area, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. If you notice a new mole, or if an existing spot changes in size, shape, or color — especially in one of these areas — schedule an examination with your dermatologist as soon as possible. In the meantime, continue to see your dermatologist annually for skin and mole checks, and protect your skin from the sun.

When choosing sun protection, look for a lightweight broad-spectrum sunscreen, such as a lotion, gel, or spray with an SPF of at least 15 (30 is even better) that will help protect your skin against harmful UVA and UVB rays. Steer clear of thick sunscreens that contain zinc or titanium, since those ingredients can make darker skin look ashy.