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Shut Down the Dry Skin Cycle
Here’s what you need to know to keep your skin healthy.
Your skin is amazing. It is your waterproof barrier, constantly growing and replacing itself. It’s how you sense and adjust to your surroundings. Did you know that healthy skin even naturally repairs itself?
Unfortunately, skin can become overly dry, and then it struggles to heal itself, starting the dry-skin cycle. Your best response: Find immediate relief with a good moisturizer such as the Vaseline® Intensive Rescue™ lotions. The good news: These products also provide long-term hydration that enables skin to take care of itself again.
Here is everything you need to know about dry skin — and how to keep yours healthy.
Recognize healthy skin. The topmost layer of skin is your body’s protective barrier to the environment. It’s made up of hard, protective skin cells (corneocytes) and a continuous layer that surrounds and protects them (lipids). When skin is well moisturized, the cells and lipids function smoothly.
Learn the causes of dry skin. Dry skin may be associated with a medical condition, such as diabetes, hypothyroidism or atopic dermatitis, or it may be responding to the environment, which affects water loss in your skin. For example, harsh winter weather or even everyday hand washing can cause your skin to lose moisture — water washes away your skin’s Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), while soap removes lipids.
What leads to a dry-skin cycle? As your skin loses moisture, skin cells become stiff and skin begins to crack. A loss of barrier lipids further exposes skin cells to the environment, leading to even more water loss. Your dry skin gets drier.
This lack of sufficient moisture in your skin disturbs its natural process of eliminating cells — essentially, sloughing off the dead, topmost layer. As dryness dives deeper into the skin, skin cells stop growing properly, and your skin can become less effective at healing itself naturally.
Returning your skin to a healthy state. Moisturizers introduce hydration (moisture) back to skin to soften dry skin immediately. Humectants, such as glycerin, infuse instant moisture into skin. Occlusives, such as petroleum jelly, fill the void of lost lipids and provide a physical barrier to the environment, thereby sealing in moisture for healthier skin and a healthier skin cycle.
Vaseline understands skin inside and out, and that’s why the Vaseline Intensive Rescue lotions each have a unique balance of key ingredients to provide instant relief and long-lasting care.
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kirtsy
I've been told the best time to apply moisturizers and skin protectants is after a shower. I don't always shower every single day, but I do try to apply lotion because, being diabetic, I have the dry skin cycle in full force on my calves and it isn't pretty. Any other suggestions?
How about what to do for the overly oily skin cycle? I'm 50, post-menopausal, and my skin still secretes oil like I'm a teenager.
I put lotion on after every shower, and whenever I start to feel dry. Most of the time it's my hands, so I found a good extra strength lotion and it does the trick. My lips however, not so much luck.
which vaseline product is good for my face, lines are here to stay?
I find that if you moisturize after you shower before you dry off is the best. It seems to penetrate better. Also just pat yourself dry with a thick towel instead of rubbing yourself dry.