Moisture Tips on Caring for the Skin

Stretch marks of course are not the only problem that one can have with their skin. As with any other part of the body, there can be genetic problems or defects that detract from the appearance of the skin. Since skin is exposed every moment of the day to the elements in the air, it suffers from additional problems and issues when it comes to pollutants, irritants, and so on. The pores of the skin are meant to allow sweat and irritants to escape the body but that also means they act as little traps for the irritating elements to which it's exposed.

Yes, the skin is supposed to act as a protective barrier between those elements and the important organs in the body, but this doesn't mean that those irritants and elements won't damage the skin.

To keep your skin looks its best and to keep it healthy and radiant, it's good to understand how you should take care of it in general. You can and should also address common skin problems and ailments so that you avoid many problems and imperfections that appear on the skin's surface.

Moisture is the key.

Moisture helps to keep skin soft and smooth. Dry skin leads to flaking, wrinkles, and calluses. But skin that is properly moisturized is soft and less prone to wrinkles.

When skin is dry it keeps the small lines and marks that are made when it folds up. Smiling and all other facial gestures cause skin to fold as it moves to support those gestures. Even talking and raising the eyebrows can cause skin to do this. The suppleness of the skin keeps it from being permanently etched from every move.

Think of how hard it is to keep a wet sponge permanently folded - the moisture in the sponge causes it to bounce right back. Skin too is more able to bounce back into shape without keeping those lines and marks when it has adequate moisture.

Important: Many people who have oily skin skip moisturizing because they think this will just add to the problem. However very often when the skin is not getting adequate moisture from the diet or from topical solutions it will just add more of its own oil to compensate. Sometimes using a good moisturizer can actually settle down those overactive oil glands so that the skin's oil production is more balanced. Just about everyone should use a moisturizer, dry skin or not.

Moisture from the inside.

Like a plant, skin gets most of its needed nourishment from underneath, meaning from inside of you rather than what you put on top of it. When talking about how important it is to supply your skin with adequate moisture you never want to underestimate feeding it from within. What you eat and drink has a lot to do with how moisturized your skin will be - or won't be.

Water of course is very important in keeping the skin hydrated. Many statistics guess that most adults in the U.S. are dehydrated and don't even know it. Unfortunately when the body needs water and isn't getting enough from what you eat and drink, it will take what moisture it has and send it to the important organs such as the heart and lungs, and to the circulatory system. The skin is actually one of the last organs that will get whatever moisture the body has to offer. Healthy skin is one of the most important reasons to drink plenty of water.

Be wary of drinks with caffeine such as soda or coffee. Caffeine actually works to pull moisture from the body and flush it out. You can actually dry up your skin and organs by drinking too many caffeinated beverages. If you must have coffee, tea or soda, switch to decaf as much as possible.

Tip from the experts: If you're not crazy about water you may want to try flavored drink mixes such as Crystal Light, or water down some fruit juice so you have the flavor but not the calories. Real fruit juices typically are loaded with not just natural sugar but added sugar as well, so check labels carefully. If you water down these juices you'll soon get used to the flavor and won't miss those sugary drinks.

Moisture in foods.

The foods we eat also provide or sap moisture from your system. Fruits are all typically high in moisture content, and many vegetables are also very moist. You can typically tell which ones are moist are not simply by the texture and flavor - as an example, celery is high in moisture and you can tell from the texture.

On the other hand, meats are very dry and typically sap moisture from your body as your digestive system tries to break them down. People who eat a lot of meat, such as those on the low-carb and high protein diet, are typically very dehydrated. Dairy too is also very drying to the intestines because of how it breaks down and gets absorbed in the system.

This isn't to say that you shouldn't eat meat or dairy but if you understand how these foods react inside your system you understand the importance of making up for this by drinking even more water than ever before. Having water while you're eating will help with digestion but having as much as possible during other times will help to make up for the moisture you're sapping away by the meat and dairy you eat.

Increasing the fruits and vegetables in your everyday diet can go a long way toward helping your skin to moisturized as well. Just have a piece of fruit in the middle of the afternoon instead of your typical bag of chips as a snack, or add a small salad with every dinner. You might also considering just cutting back on the amount of meat you eat as well. There's no need to become a vegetarian if that's not what you want, but just reducing the size of your steak or getting a single hamburger rather than a double cheeseburger can help.

Since the body delivers most of the moisture to the skin from what it gets through the circulatory system it's very important to make sure that you're feeding the skin and yourself by eating and drinking properly. It's virtually impossible to drink too much water throughout the day, so when in doubt, have something to drink!

Moisture from the outside.

Adding moisture to the skin on the outside is important for many reasons. The capillaries that reach the topmost layers of the skin are very tiny and narrow. It's difficult for blood and all the nourishment and moisture it brings to squeeze through those capillaries to get that top layer of skin - and that's the layer that shows!

Helping the skin with a moisturizer can do much to improve its appearance. Most over-the-counter moisturizers don't do much to actually improve the health of the skin but can help in a temporary and short-term way. Not using moisturizers can also do a lot of damage to the appearance of the skin.

What moisturizer to use? This is a very common question that many people especially women ask. Some of the high-end moisturizers can be very expensive so of course you want to be sure to get your money's worth.

There's no easy answer to what is the "best" moisturizer to use. Most doctors and dermatologists agree however that vitamins are the best ingredients for any moisturizer when it comes to improving the skin's appearance and texture. Checking the ingredients of any moisturizer for vitamins is the best thing; remember that vitamin A is often referred to as retinol; look for retinol in the list of ingredients as well.

Sometimes moisturizers that are more expensive are worth the money; they may have more ingredients or may be manufactured in a certain base that allows them to be absorbed more rather that evaporating before the skin can get the benefits of the lotion.

Tip from the experts: Vitamin E oil is typically available at any pharmacy and is very inexpensive. It is also very good for the skin as it takes a long time to be absorbed, so the skin gets continuous moisture for hours after you've applied it.

Many women also find that it works well under cosmetics as it fills in those tiny lines and pores on the face so that foundation or cover-up doesn't settle in those areas. Makeup then looks smoother and creamier and less cakey. Typically you can just blot it on with a makeup sponge.

Source: http://beautytips.ygoy.com/skincare/hydration.php