What's New: Advances in Body Skin Care

Experts describe the latest products in body skin care -- from moisturizing cleansers to antiperspirants.

Do you know what your largest organ is? It's the skin that covers your body. There's roughly 22 square feet of it, the majority of which is on your torso and limbs. That calls for a lot of skin care. And the fact that your body naturally gets drier as you age doesn't make it any easier, especially if you have skin that tends to flake.

Fortunately, recent advances in the science of cosmetics have resulted in skin care products designed for both men and women that can help you keep your skin healthy and smooth to the touch.
The Power of Moisturizing Body Cleansers and Scrubs

Cleansing with bar soaps is still the most popular way to wash the body. But most bar soaps contain sodium lauryl sulfate, which strips away natural oils from the skin. (Some organic soaps, and brands such as Burt's Bees and Dove do not.)

How do you balance cleanliness with smooth skin?

In recent years, companies have created moisturizing soaps that moisturize your skin as you wash. These soaps and cleansers work by using emollients and humectants, such as hyaluronic acid, an essential nutrient that helps retain water in the skin's lipid layers.

Some soaps and cleansers contain sustained-release ceramides -- skin lipids -- to help keep the skin moist and ease the dryness of eczema. In addition, some cleansers contain crushed diamond powder to make the skin feel silky.

Because men have thicker, oilier skin, companies have formulated special body cleansers for men that produce more lather and are less moisturizing than women's or unisex versions. There is also a new, three-in-one body wash for men that cleanses the body and hair and lathers the beard.
A New Look at Body Polishing

Body polishing isn't new. For years, women have used exfoliating scrubs. But a lot of people are just now discovering its benefits. That may be in part due to the expanding variety of body-polishing products that are available.

Before skin can grow new cells, dead cells need to be removed. Body polishers contain granular or chemical exfoliants that slough off dead skin cells. These exfoliants such as sea salt or sugar are mixed with a vegetable oil that keeps the skin moist.
Body Moisturizing Creams and Lotions Rejuvenate Skin

Both men and women get dry skin and have a need for body moisturizing creams or lotions. Moisturizers and creams made for the face may be used on the neck and the thin skin of the décolleté.

But to treat dry, rough skin on your torso and limbs, you need a moisturizing cream or lotion that is specially formulated for use on the body. Especially in winter, when skin on your legs, arms, and torso may become drier and itchy. Experts say that analyzing the condition of your skin and asking for recommendations from a dermatologist before buying a body lotion will help ensure that you find the right one.

Once again, ceramides come to your aid. These fatty acids often found in modern cleansers are also becoming popular in both inexpensive and expensive moisturizers for the body.

Body moisturizers are now multi-purpose. They combine moisturizers and alpha hydroxy acids to slough off dead skin cells, improving luminosity. Some creams and moisturizers also provide broad-spectrum sunscreen protection. They guard against both UVA and UVB rays and offer an effective two-for-one punch, since tanning dries out the skin.

Expensive body creams may smell better, look richer, and contain exotic ingredients, such as the peel of the jabara fruit, which grows only in Japan. But most drugstore brands work just as well, if not better, in treating and preventing dry skin. Many have been formulated to be non-greasy, which doesn't mean they aren't effective. Some products have ingredients that target dry, flakey, skin. Creams designed for dry skin contain emollients such as shea butter and dimethicone, which lock in moisture.
More Powerful Antiperspirants Reduce Sweat and Guard Against Odor

New "clinical strength" formulations of antiperspirants, which are categorized as over-the-counter drugs, reduce excessive sweating by bumping up the ingredients that temporarily plug sweat glands.

Some products combine sweat-reducing compounds with cyclodextrin, an odor-trapping ingredient used in fresheners like Febreze. They are often formulated as soft-solids, to deliver more product.

Some brands are designed to be less sticky so they can be applied at night, when antiperspirants are more effective. Moisturizers and conditioners have been added to deodorants and antiperspirants as well to hydrate delicate underarm skin.

One of the biggest advances in antiperspirants/deodorants for men is "stain-free" versions of the solid stick form many men prefer. These formulations leave less of a white residue that clumps in armpits, sticking to hair and staining shirts.
Fighting Cellulite With Anti-Cellulite Creams

Aging skin is prone to cellulite. About eight out of every 10 women will eventually develop this unsightly skin condition. It commonly appears on the back of the thighs, the hips, and the buttocks. Over-the-counter anti-cellulite creams promise to temporarily eliminate or reduce the bumpy, cottage-cheese look if women use them regularly. They work by swelling the top layer of skin so dimples are masked. However, Jeffrey Dover, MD, associate clinical professor of dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine, tells WebMD that there are no clinical studies that show that these creams work long-term.

Recontouring body creams promise to lift the skin on the buttocks and thighs by using stimulating ingredients such as caffeine. But again, they are not effective long-term.
Getting Rid of Unwanted Hair

Most men are not plagued by cellulite. But they can have excessive hair on their chests and backs, and some men decide to shave those areas. Using shaving creams that are formulated with moisturizers will both make hair softer and condition the skin.

Source: Net