Skin Care for Dry Skin

The number of people with skin problems has been increasing in recent years. Moreover, there is a notable increase in people who admit to having sensitive and dry skin. There is a bit of difficulty finding a scientific definition for "sensitive skin" as there are many differing, measurable criteria for its definition. However, normal skin can develop a higher sensitivity when exposed to the following stimuli : sunburn;  heavy skin-peeling; occupationally-related above normal exposure to water, alkalis and solvents, internal illnesses such as the increased skin dryness seen in age-related diabetes or the general itching that can accompany kidney diseases and psychological factors like stress.

Dry skin is especially common in children under 10 and older people over 60. Between 10 to 50 years of age, the number of women with dry skin is markedly more than in the case of men. The common characteristic of dry skin are light scaling, tightness and sometimes, itching. Basically, there are two types of dry skin - normal dry skin and extreme dry skin. In both types, the cause is essentially a deficit of natural moisturizing factors. A rarer form is atopic dry skin, in which a disturbed fatty acid metabolism of the skin contribute a major role.
 

Cleaning and Care of Dry Skin 

To restore your dry skin to its normal physiological condition, pay extra close attention to your cleansing and skincare routine. In choosing cleansing products for dry skin, here are few pointers to bear in mind :

  * Make sure the cleansing preparations are made up of mild cleansing complexes with re-oiling agents that remove fat-soluble (lipophilic) dirt particles.
 

  * The cleansing substances' supply of lipids should promote and ensure an intensive replenishing of skin oils.
 

  * The fatty-acid constituents of the re-oiling agents should also be similar to the skin's natural oils to blend especially well into the horny skin layer, thereby restoring the protective lipid film during washing and helping to maintain your skin's natural pH balance.