How to Treat Dry Skin

Dry, itchy skin is a pain for us all. Especially if, for whatever reason, you have to spend a lot of time outdoors exposed to the sun. Constantly needing extra skin care to fight the condition can be a problem for some. A moisturizing skin care routine is essential, and your choice of skin cream can make or break your efforts.

The single most important thing to keep in mind when shopping for skin care products is cravat emptor (buyer beware!). The ingredients of any skin cream will determine it's quality. There are skin care products out there that are bad for dry skin!

If your skin cream has any kind of alcohol listed on the label, get rid of it and start over! Alcohol will actually remove moisture and make your skin even drier.

Avoid skin creams that "smell good", as fragrance is a useless filler ingredient. You need something that will moisturize, not smell good.

Skin creams that contain derivatives of natural products can also harm dry skin. Dioxane, an artificial derivative of coconut cream, is a good example. Long term use of creams containing dioxane has been linked to many different skin problems in some women.

Using a product that contains the "essence" of anything is also a bad idea. Essences are actually man-made copies of the natural things that they are the essence of (ie: essence of coconut cream). "Extracts", on the other hand, are made from the real thing, so, use products with extracts instead.

Please Note: This information is based entirely on information commonly available in the popular press and medical journals on the subject of dry skin care. Nothing herein should be or construed to be any sort of medical advice. For medical advice the reader should talk with his or her physician or other medical specialist.