Protect your skin

Often taken for granted, our skin is the body's protective barrier against the environment. The skin thrives with daily care just like brushing one's teeth. Everyone has a natural oil (sebum) covering their skin, made by tiny glands in the skin. When too much of the oil is removed by frequent use of drying agents, usually soaps, the skin becomes dry which can lead to cracking and flaking. Once cracking occurs the skin is susceptible to inflammation and itching. Everyday factors that may cause drying of the skin include harsh soaps, long hot baths or showers, and too frequent bathing or showering.

Daily Skin Care

In your bath or shower, try to use lukewarm water. Hot water feel good on sore muscles and bones but dries out the skin. Try to limit your time to fifteen minutes or less. Unless you are a teenager, bathing should be done no more than once a day. * Avoid using harsh soaps that dry the skin. Recommended soaps are Dove, Olay and Basis. Deodorant soaps are often very harsh and drying. Even milder are skin cleansers such as Cetaphil Lotion, Oilatum AD and Aquanil.
If your skin is dry or sensitive, limit the use of soap to areas that develop an odor read more