RX for Dry Skin

The dry months of winter can really take its toll on our skin.  From wind burned cheeks, dry patches on our elbows to cracking skin on our hands and feet, the cold, dry air does not discriminate against its victims. Use the following dry skin tips to help you stay moisturized and your skin healthy and glowing throughout the winter season.

Beautiful Skin Starts with Healthy, Clean Skin
Winter months call for more moisturizer on our skin, but more than that our skin needs more exfoliation. Being inside with extreme heat, it makes our skin very dehydrated, and then going out into the cold weather makes it worse.

Drink more water, exfoliate daily and moisturize. Water makes up to 60 percent of the average adult’s body weight and more than 70 percent of non-fat tissue such as skin.  FYI: alcohol will dehydrate and age our skin faster than the sun.

Food Therapy Rx:
• Eat a balanced diet that includes healthy organic foods such as vegetables, fruits, grains, seeds, and nuts. Eat quality protein from healthy food vegetable sources. Increase your intake of healthy raw foods.

• Eat organic healthy foods such as garlic, onions, eggs, and asparagus that are high in sulfur, which helps to keep the skin smooth and youthful.

• Consume plenty of healthy food vegetables that are yellow and orange in color. These are high in beta-carotene, an antioxidant. Carrots, one example of healthy food vegetable, are especially good.

• Unrefined, cold-pressed organic healthy food flax seed oil used daily on salads and baked potatoes, or mixed into any dishes which do not require heating to high temperatures will make dry skin moist and supple. Organic healthy food flax seed oil contains the essential antioxidants and fatty acids omega-3 alpha linolenic acid and omega-6 linoleic acid. These are converted in the body into hormone, like substances called Prostaglandins, which support skin health.

• Cantaloupes, carrots and apricots are organic healthy foods for dry skin because they are rich in the antioxidant vitamins A and C, both important for a supple, smooth skin. Eat these healthy foods whole or take as fresh juices. Eat healthy foods rich in pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), such as quark, raw. milk cheese, natural plain yogurt, kefir, leafy green vegetables, nutritional yeast and wheat germ. Pantothenic acid is important for the synthesis of fats and oils used by the skin.

• Although not really a healthy food to consider, drinking at least 2 quarts of quality water every day can keep the skin well hydrated.

• Healthy cooking for the dry skin means avoiding fried foods, animal fats, and heat-processed vegetable oils. Use cold- pressed oils only. Heating oils leads to the production of free radicals, which have a destructive effect on the skin.

• Do not drink soft drinks or eat sugar, chocolate, potato chips and the likes as these are not healthy foods to consume when you have dry skin.

• Avoid alcohol and caffeine since these are also not organic healthy foods for the dry skin. These substances have a diuretic effect, causing the body and skin cells to lose fluids and essential minerals.

• Break out the nuts. These healthy foods are rich in antioxidants selenium and omega 3 fatty acids. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant that has been shown to improve acne by protecting cells from inflammatory damage and preserving skin’s elasticity. Antioxidant selenium works even better when accompanied by antioxidants vitamins E and A so pairing up different nuts together can give you even more of a benefit.

• Fish. Even though you may be sick of hearing how this healthy food is good for you, it’s true! This healthy food has no competition when it comes to antioxidant Omega 3 so you should try healthy cooking with this healthy food about three times a week.

• Anything with antioxidant Vitamin E. E vitamin antioxidant is essential for promoting the skin’s elasticity and warding off wrinkles and other age signs. Organic healthy foods such as almonds, eggs, leafy greens, and other healthy foods rich in antioxidant vitamin E heal the skin and can reduce the effects of acne. Other healthy foods containing antioxidant vitamin E include vegetable oils, nuts, whole grains, leafy green vegetables, and fortified whole grain cereals.

Reflexology Rx:
To deal with dry skin, pay special attention to the thyroid and adrenal gland reflexes on your hands and feet. To help you locate these points, consult hand and foot reflex charts.

See your medical doctor when you have redness, oozing, crusting or other signs of irritation.

Brought to you by:
Dr. Aracely Platertoi, Your Health & Beauty Expert