Is there a solution to extremely dry skin?
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free skin care · Wed Jun 05, 2013 2:56 pm

ello

If you didn't already read my mentioning about having eczema and super flaky,dry and rough skin especially on my face...well I do,ever since I was born.

When I was young my doctors suggested that I be put on steroids and it would help...thank god my mother said no for me haha, besides the shots where supposed to be...every week I think,not to mention the cost..

So I've just kinda had to put up with it in all, but now it really drives me bonkers..
I put oil on my face and after it sinks in my face still flakes and is rough, and to top it off...some serious sensitivity and acne,

Now I know I probably can't fix this issue I have...but is there any product out there that helps to fix dry skin permanently? or builds up moisturize over time?

I really like sticking with my oils that I use right now,which are-pomegranate and emu oil. But if theres some sorta pill?or device/treatment I could do or have I'm all ears on this one.

Anyways its probably a no go but I thought I'd ask...

Wed Jun 05, 2013 11:06 pm

Try these tips for the bath or shower:

1. Skip long, hot showers. Hot water strips oils from the skin faster than warm water. Long showers or baths actually dry out your skin. Limit yourself to a single 5- or 10-minute warm shower or bath a day.

2. Use a gentle cleanser or shower gel with moisturizer. Instead of harsh cleansers, go for unscented, soap-free, or mild soap cleansers.

3. Moisturize while skin is still moist. Pat your skin with a towel after you shower or wash your face or hands, leaving it damp. Apply a moisturizer within three to five minutes of washing to lock moisture in.

free skin care · Sat Jun 08, 2013 6:16 pm

I love Emu oil. It helped my skin more than anything. For acne or breakouts, Tamanu oil worked really well and didn't increase any dryness. I even used Rosehip oil in the morning when my face was at its worst. I didn't use very much and only on the red, scaly spots. It helped.

My skin journey is ongoing. It is 10x better than it was last year at this time. I really like NCN Professional Skincare. Her prices are reasonable and if you email her a detailed description of your skin issues, she is very helpful. She also guarantees her products.

free skin care · Sat Jun 08, 2013 6:30 pm

I used to have eczema since I was a kid. In 1993, a change in my diet (I went on an anti-candida diet which is anti-inflammatory and also alkaline-causing) and took supplements of garlic, essential fatty acids, caprylic acid, probiotics and a potent mult-vitamin/mineral (like Twinlab Allergy Multi-caps)...and I have not had eczema since.

I know people who find using organic coconut oil as a moisturizer helps. But if that's not for you, you should give Eclectic Institute's CCC Cream a try:

http://www.supersup.com/eclectic-institute-c-c-c-calendula-coneflower-comfrey-4-oz-cream-023363424016

You can also get it from Amazon. It doesn't sit on top of the dry skin or get absorbed and still leave it dry. It softens and moisturizes and soothes any itching. If you do try it, please let me know how it worked for you, if you don't mind. TIA

free skin care · Sat Jun 08, 2013 6:36 pm

I meant to add this cream was also very helpful when my skin first changed:

http://www.purpleemu.com/store/bbutter.html

Purple Emu products are wonderful. I still use the Super Rich Moisturizer occasionally. I use Redness and Blemish control regularly.

free skin care · Sun Jun 09, 2013 4:02 am

For my dry, acne-prone skin emu oil wasn't a great idea. It was way too drying and actually made my acne worse because of that. I switched to jojoba oil and it got a little better. But I don't have eczema to deal with.
Maybe somebody can chip in and recommend some quality food supplements for you.

free skin care · Sun Jun 09, 2013 6:14 am

Take some good oil internally and look up ayurvedic type 'vata' for a diet which ameliorates the tendency toward dryness.

free skin care · Sun Jun 09, 2013 10:09 am

I'd agree that you should experiment with dietary changes. Were you breast fed or fed with formula? Cow's milk?

free skin care · Mon Jun 10, 2013 5:57 am

Thank you all very much Smile

I'm in a rush so I'm only going to do a short reply:

I actually do use emu oil,or I mix it with the pomograned oil and it feels a bit heavy,I don't mind it though because it does moisturize my skin but..only until I wash it off unfortunately but I will look up the recommended creams and as for jojoba oil..I don't know it probably is good, I see coconut oil at the store but its so expensive haha so when I have some moneys I will definitely look into that but more so for the skin on my body and my hair(haven't tried yet but I have heard its good)

Diet wise I do eat pretty healthy,I am actually eating chia seeds right now,well drinking them really-there in a raspberry drink, I'm also eating kale right now too..kinda funky for breakfast but I like it. My diet also has a steady flow of chicken,cabbage,bread,wheat,fruit, and cocoa, everything's pretty much good..

And I was breast fed for over the age limit I should have stopped, then I drank cows whole milk until I was about 11 but it gives me tummy aches so now I drink soy or just water.

I really don't know if anything will work for me, I did go to the esthhian last week,she was shocked how dry and sensitive my skin is, she gave me a clarsonic and told me to come back in 3 weeks..so maybe it'll help idk but...hmmmm

all I'm hoping is that it gets better over time, I was always at the derms as a kid and my doc said that I might out grow the super dryness in my 20's does that sound like it makes sense?

Well this really didn't turn out to be a short message after all haha.

free skin care · Mon Jun 10, 2013 7:08 am

Heyheymonster, I see one thing wrong with your diet: wheat.

In my post, I shared that one thing that helped cure my eczema was going on an anti-candida diet which included being dairy-free, sugar-free (no substitutes), WHEAT/GLUTEN-free.

Check these out:

http://www.ehow.com/about_5044550_gluten-allergy-skin-problems.html

http://www.foodintol.com/food-sensitivities/wheat-sensitivity

There is actually a thread on giving up wheat, dairy and sugar for skin.

I don't know if you know about acid- vs alkaline-causing foods. Wheat falls under acid-causing which makes it not healing. This website has info on that:

http://rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm

The suggestion to look into Ayurveda and find out the diet appropriate for people with dry skin is a very good suggestion. You could be eating a healthy diet but one believed to be ideal for oily-skinned folks. And like with food sensitivities, the food could be healthy in general but just not agreeing with you. I regularly get sensitivity tests done bywww.immunolabs.com and the things that come up as making me ill have included healthy foods like garlic, almonds, beets, bananas, lettuce, pineapples, soy, oats, wheat, potatoes, tomatoes...at one time or another. Eliminating them for a spell does indeed improve my health. And it's not all in the mind because when I have obliviously consumed a food my bloodprint showed was offensive, I slowly start to feel unwell. Unlike allergies that show up immediately, food sensitivity build up slowly so w/o such a test, it is really hard to pinpoint offending foods. Check out alsowww.betterhealthusa.com.

free skin care · Mon Jun 10, 2013 7:33 am

I have Tarte Pure Marajuca oil on hand and when my skin is REALLY feeling dry I add just a drop or two, and it is amazing. It sinks in and eases fine lines. I just keep reapplying as needed, and it wont break you out. Sephora was including it in the bonus when you order and I fell in love!

free skin care · Wed Jun 12, 2013 7:38 am

Thanks again, the wheat is interesting...I think I may have heard it was bad some time before but I can't quiet recall...

anyways though I do find it interesting and I appreciate it, I don't think I would give up certain foods just for my skin no offense to any one btw but I always thought that things like that where taking it a bit far for vanity haha; but I do agree while I believe that nothing should be totally eliminated I will make sure to still watch what I';m eating Wink

.(so thanks again Smile

)

gah I ate really bad yesterday unfortunately...I had about 4 bagels with processed american cheese... they where terrible,but that was the only food around the house so yea I didn' have much of a choice but I will tell you it made my stomic turn and turn.
So another question I suppose would be...after you've eaten something really bad for you..is there a way to get it out of your system really fast or anything?

oh and thanks fo mentioning that oil Smile

, I looked it up..I'm considering getting it sometime ^_^

free skin care · Wed Jun 12, 2013 11:00 am

HeyHeyMonster, I just want to reiterate that nothing will do more for your body & skin than regulating your diet. You'd said in your thread just last week that you only eat potatoes, and then only watermelon and gatorade for days on end, and suffer from health issues like cramping, sleep apnea, etc.

That simply isn't enough to feed your skin, body, - & mind - the oils & vitamins it needs to replenish itself.

Eating right consistently is the key, not just for a few days and then back to potatoes and water. It takes months for your body/skin to recover from an episode of malnutrition. Skin turnover doesn't happen that quickly. And eating crap & then purging isn't a good habit to get into either.

Please prioritize your money wisely... invest in a STEADY diet of healthy, balanced, nutritious food first, and then your clarisonics, lasers, topicals, etc, if you even need them at that point.

(By the way, I don't think she's talking about ridding yourself of certain foods for the sake of vanity, I think she's implying that it could be like an allergy where its actually bad for your body overall.)

free skin care · Wed Jun 12, 2013 12:13 pm

LoriA is right. Food sensitivities can be detrimental to your health. I have two friends with Lupus whose symptoms are almost non-existence since they gave up wheat/gluten, sugar, and dairy. If you read the websitewww.betterhealthusa.com, you'd be surprised at how many ailments are helped by a change in diet.

You may not be religious or superstitious but I do believe that before our bodies get fatally ill, we get warnings and they come in ways we cannot ignore so we have a chance to stop the progress of disease. For you, your skin's condition seems important to you so in order for you to wake up and do right, the dis-ease your body is experiencing due to your unhealthy habits manifested itself through skin. The tummy discomfort you felt was another warning. If you invest in healthy food, you would not be in a situation where the only food you can eat in the home is junk...as it would never have a place in your home. Please don't take your body for granted. There are people dying of something they might have prevented if someone had only told them what to do to stop disease from getting the better of them.

Another thing: you say they are some things you cannot give up. For one, you would not be giving them for good. If you get a food sensitivity test say from an Immunolabs participating doctor, the advice is to eliminate the offending foods for 12 weeks and then slowly reintroduce them. I go longer--even a whole year--because I just can't tell with all foods how my body responds. If I feel fatigue, I might attribute it to the weather or a long day or a hard workout and not be sure it's diet. I usually wait to to get tested again a year later and each time, except for eggs and yeast, I have found I was OK to eat the foods I was previously not allowed to eat. I have also found that every time (except for eggs and yeast) it is the foods I eat the most that turn on me. Variety is encouraged and I have found that when I was not being lazy and eating too much of the same things, I would get as few as only 5 foods to eliminate instead of 14.

Also you stating you cannot give up some foods leads me to think you are not aware of substitutes. Gluten/Wheat-free bread, cookies, pasta, cakes, pies do exist. As do dairy-free ice cream, mayo, "milk", cheese. And you can use sugar substitutes like Stevia or Xylitol (<--looks like and tastes like sugar) or honey to sweeten things. When I found I could not have soy milk, I switched to almond. Overconsumption of almonds in ice cream, as straight nuts and in milk must've been overkil coz now they are blacklisted. I am now onto hemp milk. I usually get the unsweetened vanilla versions of these dairy substitutes, and now that I know of more options, I can rotate my "milk" in future to keep everything in moderation.

Whole Foods, Wegman's, Trader Joe's even Giant offer food substitutes so you don't have to feel deprived. Even restaurants have options. I love white potatoes in any form and can eat them hot or cold. But I am not allowed to have any. That means no fries or wedges or chips even. I was feeling rather miserable when we were at Chilis thinking rice was my only carb option. I did not want rice. Enter sweet-potato fries and my world was complete! They were delish and IMO are healthier than white potato fries. So all's well again in my world.

So you see, life doesn't have to be miserable w/o wheat or some other food * spam alert *. The difference eating food that agrees with you makes is so well worth giving those foods up. Don't knock it till you try it. I prefer to get the test so there is no guesswork.

free skin care · Wed Jun 12, 2013 6:56 pm

ah I know i know..:/, I'm just saying I can't imagine being so strict ha,sorry if it came off the wrong way.

I do try to eat right when I can..and I only eat those things the most often because again money..I don't have a job or allowance or anything so I have zero money for food. My family income is 20,000 a year so...with everything it only leaves around a hundred or somtimes 200$ for food for 3 weeks or a month,so that usually means we cant eat the best...when I was little all I had was fast food,so much that I actually knew all the employees ha.and somtimes I cant eat for long periods of time..I really don't know how to turn it around is all..I can't imagine begging or anything

free skin care · Wed Jun 12, 2013 7:02 pm

oh thought I'd add I really do appericate the feedback btw

free skin care · Wed Jun 12, 2013 7:25 pm

oh yes one more thing, how I get my skincare products is I buy in stock for holidays or my birthday or somthing lol

free skin care · Wed Jun 12, 2013 10:39 pm

Woah, I'm sorry to hear that you're in such a tough position at such a young age!
I'll try to find a website or something which can provide tips on healthy eating on a very tight budget. Maybe someone else here knows of one?
Hit the bulk-food aisle for beans, grains, pasta, oatmeal, rice..
Some good tips here: http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/messageboard.asp?imboard=7&imparent=27695740

I apologize for hassling you the way I have, but I honestly believe that if you can manage some better nutrition, it'll solve a whole host of issues - both in how you look and how you feel. We all deserve to experience that. And yes, you deserve the nice skincare pampering too!
Don't worry, once you're able to sort these things out and learn how to take better care of yourself there's every likelihood that your skin conditions will clear up in your 20's the way your derm said they would.

free skin care · Thu Jun 13, 2013 1:46 am

Canned sardines are packed with good oils and are relatively inexpensive.

Eating healthy on a tight budget is almost impossible these days. Sad

Good quality vitamins, fresh vegetables and fruits are so expensive.

Another helpful trick is to rub oil into your body before taking a shower.

free skin care · Thu Jun 13, 2013 2:31 pm

You're fine,its only been getting easier the older I have gotten so..yea ha. Anyways I checked out the site and thanks.
I guess I will take a look at the frozen veggies the most,I do like rice but I stopped getting it because I can't cook it right haha,as for oatmeal...maybe..sometimes I like it but other times I'm really bothered by the texture lol.
Or at least I can try to talk my mother into it...she pretty much hates vegitibles and almost refuses to buy them or certain kinds anyway,but I can do my best to talk her into it?

thanks and yes when I move out..which will be in a year or two I will defiantly be eating better.

canned sardines...I think I've had them but i'm not sure so maybe I'll look for that too Smile

I know :/

Before the shower?oh nice, thanks.

I really just hope with age this(dry skin) gets better and not worse or i'm just "doomed" ,haha if you will,I inherited bad skin through my father and my grandmother -_- however my brothers got perfect skin...you can only imagine how secretly jealous I get of him haha.

free skin care · Thu Jun 13, 2013 11:36 pm

I know what you mean about texture of oatmeal, especially if you're talking about Quakers. I can't stand that pasty taste. Before I discovered steel cut oats like Bob's Red (http://www.bobsredmill.com/steel-cut-oats.html) or McCann's (http://www.mccanns.ie/p_SteelCut.html), the only oatmeal I could have was Old Wessex Irish Style Oatmeal (http://www.amazon.com/Old-Wessex-Irish-Oatmeal-12x18-5/dp/B000LKVJ9U). Even though directions say to microwave for a few mins, I would microwave with just water for 5, then I would cream in vanilla almond milk (if you can tolerate milk you can use that). I add it in the end because I don't want it to burn during the cooking. I then add fruit (fresh or dried like craisins). The oatmeal is so tasty you don't even need sugar if you have fruit or craisins.

Steel cut oatmeal takes a long time to prepare but if you have a crockpot, you could prepare it overnight adding fruit, cinnamon (honey if needed). Waking up to that smell will make your mouth water. You can then put it in tubs and refrigerate or freeze so you can have a bowl every morning.

Steel cut oatmeal is nutty and really delish!

Canned sardines will be in the canned fish aisle in the grocery store. These images may jog your memory: http://tinyurl.com/k66jpso

Another way to introduce veggies into your diet is to blend them with fruit in a blender to make a smoothie, or make a salad using lettuce, apples, lemon juice. Salsa is tasty: tomatoes, onions, lemon juice, cilantro, salt, a little honey, even mango pieces can be thrown in. Also baby carrots can be fun to eat. They are sweet and so you can snack on them the way you might grapes.

If you guys end up at McDonald's, try the Southwest Salad instead of a burger meal. It is pretty tasty and you get to eat a balanced meal. It isn't cheap so don't get if the plan is to get food off the dollar meal. But if you can save up to give it a shot, you should.

Frozen veggies are a good idea to introduce them to your home. Some come ready to serve so all you do is microwave in a bag that steams them. You can add a little butter when you serve with a meat and carb dish and after a while you will find you can't bear not to have veggies with meals or stand not to see the color they add to a dish.

I hope you drink water. If you are addicted to soda, one of these days try sparkling water. Try to drink at least a quarter of the bottle. You will probably be grimacing if you love the sugar in soda. Now add 100% apple juice to the sparkling water to fill up the bottle. You end up with a tasty sparkling apple drink that is healthy and good for your skin. Adding lemon juice adds a nice twist to. No added sugar yet sweet and almost as tasty as soda. A small Tropicana bottle of apple juice goes a long way if you add a little to your water to encourage yourself to give up sugary drinks. Then keep the rest in the fridge to add to water the next time you are tempted to drink something full of junk. Your skin will thank you.

free skin care · Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:45 pm

I don't have time to time up a full reply unfortanly but thanks Smile

free skin care · Sun Sep 01, 2013 9:21 am

update on my diet...

I did end up moving this summer, into a house with a large garden full of corn,watermelon,tomatoes,lettuce,onion,dill,cucumbers ect.

and it is by far the best food I'd ever had haha, my health increased, and having to keep the garden maintained is quiet the workout too.

then I moved again..I moved out of my mothers house and I moved in with my father. He and his girlfriend work the night shift so I'm home alone alot..I still take food from my moms, and I have fallen in love with spinach and kelp.

I still need to pick up some protien bars from the store and take them to school..all we really have is junk food again. hmm

..and I'm not eating hardly anything..hopefully my diet doesnt fall down hill again.

free skin care · Sun Sep 01, 2013 10:35 am

Schoolmeals..... Crying or Very sad

Where I live (Holland) it is customary that kids bring their own food. There is a cafetaria where they can get soup or deep fried muck, but the general rule is, they make sandwiches (or have their mom make them) to take to school as well as packets of fruit juice and bottled water.
Why not do this as well, then you have control over what you eat, you can bring fresh fruit for a snack and fruit juice (unsweetened) and other good things and not have to eat junk food.

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