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Dry Skin Treatments for Healthy, Smooth Skin

Dry skin is a very common condition. While it can occur at anytime of the year, most people experience during winter. This is because the combination of low temperatures and low humidity deplete the skin's lipid layer, which prevents the skin from drying. The hot, dry air from heating further removes moisture from the skin.

Below you will find some tips for treating dry skin.

1.    Don't make the water too hot

Hot water causes the skin to lose moisture. Avoid showering or bathing in hot water by only using water that is lukewarm. If you can't stand bathing in water any colder than hot then keep your showers short. Also choose your shampoo and soap carefully as some cause dry skin reactions in some people.

2.    Moisturize after bathing

We all know the benefits of moisturizing. It is best to apply a moisturize to slightly damp skin.

Don't forget to apply the moisturize after washing your hands and several times during the day.

3.    Exfoliate

To gain the best benefits from moisturizing, exfoliate before you apply the product. You should exfoliate in the shower and use a mild scrub for the face. For even better effect, dry brush your skin before you step into the shower.

4.    Use a humidifier

The moisture that is found in the air actually keeps the skin moisture and looking younger. If your dry skin is caused by the low humidity of winter or the moisture sapping effects of heating, you may want to invest in a humidifier.

Humidifiers put moisture into the air and raise the humidity of the room or house. For your skin to stay moisturized, you need more than 30 percent humidity. A room that has a heater can have 10 percent humidity.

5.    Avoid soap

Soap can reduce the level of moisture in the skin. Replace the soap with a moisturizing cleaner that contains glycerin or petrolatum which want dry the skin like soap can.

6.    Drink water

H2O can assist your skin from drying out. However, the effect is not as pronounced as some people make out. Provided you are drinking the required amount of water, increasing your intake will actually do very little for your dry skin.

7.    Take Fish Oil

There is a growing amount of research that shows that fish oil can help dry skin. It also helps the hair and nails.

LASER SKIN TREATMENTS - THE VARIOUS TYPES

Laser skin treatment (also known as laser skin resurfacing) is a new technique to treat skin conditions. It involves a surgeon using a carbon dioxide laser to remove the top layer of skin, allowing the new and fresh skin underneath to develop. It is mostly used to treat fine lines, wrinkles, scars, tattoo removal, wine stains, spider veins and discoloration of the skin.

Before laser skin treatment became available, a similar effect could only be achieved through dermabrasion and chemical peels. In contrast to these techniques, laser skin treatments have a short recovery time and will not lead to bleeding, bruising or other discomfort.

There are generally two types of lasers. Ablative laser burn the skin off, while non-ablative laser stimulate collagen growth underneath the top layer of skin. Non-ablative lasers require less recovery time than ablative but require more treatments to achieve the desired results. Which laser your cosmetic surgeon uses will depend on the type of treatment require and your personal circumstances.

Laser skin treatment is performed under sedation. The exact strength of the anesthesia will depend on how extensive and deep the treatment will be. The treatment time can last from ten minutes to and hour and a half. You may require more than one session, depending on the condition you are being treated for.

Side effects include swelling and discomfort. Your skin may look bright pink for a few weeks after the treatment. You may also develop red crusts on your skin that will fall off by themselves after about ten days.

Laser skin treatment isn't cheap. A treatment can cost anywhere from $1500 to $2500.

Acne Laser Skin Treatment

Lasers have been used for years to successfully treat acne scare. Recently however, they have also started to be used to treat the acne itself. The laser can do this in a number of ways including burning away the hair follicle sac or sebaceous gland, or killing bacteria by stimulating the formation of oxygen.

With blue light therapy, the skin is exposed to low-intensity blue light over a number of sessions. The idea behind this treatment is to kill the bacterium that causes acne. It is painless but you will need ongoing treatments to keep your results. Side effects include redness and skin dryness.

Pulsed light and heat energy can be combined to both eliminate the acne bacteria and the sebaceous glands which produces oil. Side effects include redness on the skin.

Diode laser therapy destroys the sebaceous glands in the middle skin layer but leaves the outer layer intact. Swelling and redness can be side effects.