At some point in their lives, most people experience some kind of skin problem. But for some, the symptoms can be worse than for others. Flare-ups last for months – and sometimes they don’t go away at all. So what advice is there for people living with uncomfortable skin conditions? Here are some approved hacks you can try to provide much-needed relief.
Stop Taking Baths And Showers That Worsen Your Skin Condition
Taking a long hot bath or shower feels great, but it can worsen your skin conditions, especially if you have dryness problems. Hot water strips the surface layer of natural moisturizer from your skin, making it feel much drier once you start drying yourself off with a towel.
The trick here is to change the way you shower – not give up on it entirely! As a first step, try reducing the temperature of the water. Warm is much better than hot. If you can stomach it, cold is even better.
Second, limit the amount of time you expose yourself to water. Showers shouldn’t last much more than five to ten minutes. Where possible, use fragrance-free cleaners and use natural products with added moisturizing oils. Remember, soap attaches to oil molecules on the skin and lifts them off.
Finally, don’t rub your skin with a towel. Blot it dry and take your time. The less you can disturb the skin’s surface, the fewer natural moisturizing agents you’ll lose.
Lightly Exfoliate
For some people, the problem isn’t skin that’s too dry but too oily. If you have acne, you can sometimes wonder what you can do to relieve soreness, redness, and itching. A great approach is to wash your hands in soap and water and then lightly exfoliate areas of skin – usually the face, neck, and back. You might want to use a brush or reusable shower accessory for back acne treatment, such as a loofah.
Start by choosing a product with low abrasion. First, you want to disturb the top layer of skin enough to reduce the oil content and unclog pores. If you’re not getting benefits, try increasing the particle size and how hard you rub. If you’re still not seeing any progress, you can opt for laser resurfacing treatment that targets explicitly bacterial under the skin and redness.
Avoid Touching Problem Areas
When you have dry or acne-prone skin, it can be really tempting to touch those areas. You want nothing more than to pop annoying zits and get rid of whiteheads.
Unfortunately, tampering with the skin often just makes problems worse. For people with acne, it helps to spread bacteria around the face, risking infecting other pores. And for those with dry skin, it can lead to bleeding, scabs, and infections. Keep your hands away from your face.
Improve Your Diet: Living With Uncomfortable Skin Conditions
Some skin conditions are a direct result of a poor diet. So if you can improve what you eat, you can often fight the disease at the source. Antiinflammatory foods are the best since so many skin conditions involve the immune system in some capacity. Try eating more blueberries, spices, and dark green leafy vegetables.
Choose Non-Irritating Laundry Detergent
If you have a skin condition, even regular laundry detergent residues in your clothing can irritate. If possible, use non-bio formulations. Or if you have problems with these, choose unscented products. They will clean your clothes just as well.
Apply Balms
Certain areas of the body are more prone to cracking and dryness than others. If you have chapped skin on your elbows, knuckles, lips, or ankles, try applying a balm. Often, this gives the skin the extra moisture that it needs to reverse the process, or at least stops the dry patch from spreading uncontrollably.
Add Moisture To The Air
Sometimes, dry conditions can make skin conditions worse. Fortunately, you can fight back with humidifiers that add moisture back to the air. While leaving water on the skin’s surface often dries it out, the air’s high moisture content is beneficial. You’ll often find that your dermis improves when the weather gets humid.
Avoid Fragrances
While fragrances might smell great, they often contain ingredients that dry out and irritate the skin. Use them sparingly or not at all.
Go Makeup-Free When You Can
Wearing makeup can make acne worse. Many brands contain ingredients that block pores and promote the spread of infection. If you can, try going makeup-free. Or, if that isn’t an option for you, try using mineral-based formulations as these tend to clog pores less.
If you are Living With Uncomfortable Skin Conditions, I hope that these tips might help you out. Please feel free to add any tips or helpful information you have, in the comments below.
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Terra L Heck says
Thanks for the tips. I’m going to try some of them. I’ve been having pretty bad skin irritations just this past year.