How to Nourish Dry Skin
Let’s be real, dry skin is no fun! It can be extremely itchy and irritating along with tending to look flaky and discolored. Your skin is your ultimate protection. It keeps moisture in, and when you have dry skin, you have tiny pukas (holes) in your skin that can allow things like irritants, allergens, bacteria and fungus to get in and cause rashes and uncomfortable irritation.
People usually suffer from dry skin in drier climates of the world, yet it is possible to experience dry skin even in a more humid environment such as Hawaii. Here are some reasons why dry skin occurs and recommendations from Dermatology Certified Nurse Practitioner, Shellie Norman, at Koru Medical Spa, Kailua-Kona on how to nourish dry skin.
Several factors that could be contributing to dry skin are:
Hormones (as we get older, we lose estrogen which can cause the skin to dry out more easily).
An overactive thyroid.
Certain medications.
The sun and salt water.
Dehydration, or too much caffeine.
Harsh cleaning products.
Too hot of showers or baths.
Smoking.
Frequent hand washing and time in water.
Alcohol based hand sanitizers.
Swimming in chlorine.
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Aging (when we get older, our skin produces less oil).
How to nourish dry skin- start with a gentle cleanser.
Wash skin with a gentle moisturising cleanser with lukewarm water. Try to stay away from harsh cleansers and exfoliants that strip the skin of its natural oils. These are our top two picks for gentle cleansers at Koru Medical Spa:
Pure Cleanser $42 / 6.7 fl oz
Defenage 1-Step Multi-Cleanser $62 / 5 fl oz
Koru Medical Spa’s Pure Cleanser is a gentle botanical wash great for any skin type that gently cleanses and nourishes the skin, removing environmental pollutants and excess oils, and providing lasting hydration. Defenage’s 1-Step Multi-Cleanser contains natural prebiotics that balance the skin’s delicate ecology to support the skin barrier for softer, smoother hydrated skin.
Moisturize the skin with a nourishing serum and facial cream:
Nourish dry skin with gentle moisturizers featuring ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, peptides and ceramides. These ingredients work to balance the skin’s natural moisture levels, resulting in a healthy skin barrier. Here are our top picks for deep moisture, combine the two for an extra supple and soft skin barrier.
Rainforest hydrating serum $93
Mahina cream barrier repair + Peptides $92
Mask up to override the effects of wearing a mask!
Daily mask usage causes moisture from our breath to sit on the skin throughout the day. This moisture actually has a dehydrating effect on the skin. Hydrating skin masks are a great way to add hydration back into the skin. We recommend a nourishing cream mask once or twice a week to help build hydration back into the skin. Our top picks are plant based and sure to get your skin feeling soft and supple.
Heal your heals! How to nourish cracked and dry skin.
Dry skin can often appear most severely on the feet and hands resulting in flaky, plagued, and cracked skin. This can be caused by a number of factors especially for those with skin conditions including:
Keratosis Pilaris (KP)
Psoriasis
Dermatitis
Eczema
Scleroderma
To help nourish this type of dry skin, opt for a moisturizer that will not only relieve irritation but help exfoliate and repair the skin to its natural moisture levels. Creams with ingredients Urea and Glycerin are proven to help skin feel softer and smoother and improve skin texture (bumps, dry, flaking skin).
Ikaika Glycolic Urea cream is our top pick for a moisturizer to help relieve severely dry skin, and it’s 20% off this month!
Although having dry skin can feel like an endless battle, there are ways to nourish dry skin and heal the skin barrier through lifestyle changes, use of topical products and moisturizing treatments. Koru Medical Spa offers several treatments to help with dry skin such as the DiamondGlow treatment and our signature facials as well as personalized skincare consultations.