How to Have Beautiful Hands

Source: breahn | Flickr

Having soft and smooth hands is something what many woman would love to have. It is particularly important in the dating world. Men love the feel of the soft and smooth hands of their date. However, having the desirable skin may not always come easy to some people.

If you're a housekeeper, machinist, or health care worker, you are especially prone to a condition called irritant contact dermatitis. Activities in those fields often expose the hands to water, soap, and harsh chemicals that are irritating to the skin. These factors strip the skin off lipids that act as natural barrier. Once this layer is disrupted, the skin becomes dry, flaky, reddish, and irritated.

It is therefore a good practice to apply hand cream after every hand wash. Water alone can ironically contribute to dry skin, especially hard water. By using hand moisturizers, the moisture is immediately locked in the skin. Hand creams can also soothe an already irritated skin. They act as a protective layer and may even speed up (especially skin care products containing ceramides) skin renewal.

Hand Cream (Photo: Amazon)

Do you really need a cream specifically for the hands? Well, body lotion and hand creams basically have the same formulation, only that body lotion is lighter in weight and is more convenient to use for the whole body. If you have normal skin, a body lotion may already be sufficient for your hand care. If you have dry and sensitive skin type, you may need a hand cream that have heavier formulation. In fact, it is even proven by a scientific study by Günter Kampf and Joachim Ennen that using a hand cream after each wash improves the skin's smoothness.

I've seen an episode of a Japanese show wherein a foreign resident claimed to have never used lotions or creams after washing. Some places in Japan have good quality of water that are gentle to the skin. Well, lucky for them! For us who live outside Japan, we should just stick to using hand creams because our water may not be as soft as in places like Japan.

How to Treat Dry Skin

A tub of moisturizer. (Photo: Amazon)

Our skin contains oils that act as natural barriers against the outside environment. Dry skin results when our natural barriers are stripped of due to outside factors such as harsh products, low humidity weather, and too much scrubbing of the skin. Dry skin may also be due to heredity or other medical conditions.

It is important to treat dry skin as too much dryness can lead to cracks, fissures, and irritation. One important product for dry skin care is the moisturizer.

There are many forms of moisturizers ranging from lotions, creams, and ointments. Lotions are the lightest form of moisturizer and are only useful to normal and oily skin. Ointments, on the other hand, are the heaviest form of moisturizer thereby the most effective form to seal in moisture, but it may not be convenient to apply ointments regularly.

Different types of ingredients found in moisturizers work in different ways to treat dryness. Emollients are ingredients that add moisture to the skin (such as petrolatum). Humectants absorb moisture from the environment (such as glycerol). Occlussives trap moisture in the skin and prevent water loss (such as petrolatum and lanolin).

When choosing skincare products, it is best to avoid products containing alcohol, surfactants (such as ammonium lauryl sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate - see Skin Care Ingredients Glossary), and soaps (such as sodium tallowate and cocoate). Avoid salicylic acid and alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) as well.

Certain lifestyle changes are also helpful when it comes to treating dry skin. Eating foods rich in omega-fatty acids, drinking plenty of water, using a humidifier at home, and wearing non-irritating clothes such as those made of cotton and other natural fibers are just some of the ways to deal with dry skin.

Sources:
WebMD
Sharecare

Types of Sensitive Skin

If you are like me who enjoys shopping for skincare products, you would surely know that there are indeed a wide range of products to choose from. The labels and ingredients could be very confusing. There are many products claiming that they are best for oily skin, dry skin, combination skin, or sensitive skin. But should we really believe on what these labels claim? Is it just as easy as following the claims?

The "For Sensitive Skin" label specifically, could in fact become a misnomer. Not all sensitive skin types are similar. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, there are four types of sensitive skin: Acne, Rosacea, Burning and Stinging, and Contact Dermatitis. A certain ingredient may work well for acne but may be irritable to a different type of sensitive skin. Therefore, it is best to identify which type of sensitive skin you may have before choosing a product.

Acne is a condition that is caused by excessive oil and bacteria. Products with noncomedogenic ingredients, or ingredients that do not clog pores, work best for this skin type. Antibiotics, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, and retinoids are used to treat this condition.

Rosacea is characterized by redness in the skin. It is also marked by pimples and the appearnce of broken blood vessels on the face. Treatment includes the use of anti-inflammatory ingredients such as caffeine, sulfur, sulfacetamide, feverfew, chamomile, green tea, and licorice extract. Acidic ingredients such as alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) and vitamin C are the common irritants to this skin type.

Burning and stinging is a sensation that comes after applying stinging irritants such as lactic acid, glycolic acid, vitamin C, alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), benzoic acid, and azaelic acid. Usually, a lactic acid is applied to a patch of skin to test for this type of sensitive skin, but some people with burning and stinging condition do not always sting to lactic acid.

Contact Dermatitis is caused by allergens or irritants. People with this condition should refrain from products with fragrances, dyes, preservatives, and formaldehyde. Different people have different reactions to specific allergens. If you have this type of sensitivity, you have to conduct a patch test first before using a new product. Note that even organic ingredients may also cause allergies.

Source: American Academy of Dermatology

Skin Health: Understanding Skin Cancer

I know there are lots of women out there who are willing to spend a great amount of fortune to beautify their skin. Great skin, after all, plays a big part to one's beauty. However, how many of them actually prioritize skin health? Sunbathing on the beach, skin tanning, buying questionable skin care products from unscrupulous merchants are just some of the actions they would go for the sake of beauty. But to me, before delving into the topic of skin beauty, one must first learn about skin health, for skin health is a prerequisite to beautiful skin.

Exposing the skin to Ultraviolet (UV) rays, such going to tanning baths or sunbathing, increases the risk of skin cancer. Although UV rays is one of the common cause of skin cancer, but there are also many cases where skin cancer develops to unexposed parts of the skin. Possible contributing factors are exposure of the skin to toxic chemicals from household products or skin care products, and weak immune system. Going outdoors with sufficient protection from the sun, avoiding tanning beds and tanning lamps, and learning a great deal about your everyday household and skin care products are some of the steps to avoid skin cancer.

I am presenting you this link from the American Academy of Dermatology about spotting skin cancer. Early detection greatly increases the chances of survival. The page includes the steps on how to self-examine your skin. It also includes pictures and descriptions of abnormal growths so you cam easily identify any symptoms that may be present.

For a quick overview, here's AAD's brochure regarding skin cancer detection.

Sources:
MayoClinic
American Academy of Dermatology