 National Skin Care Institute:
A focus on natural skin care treatment
The National Skin Care Institute brings you information and advice on natural skin care from some of the nation's leading dermatologists. You will find information about dry skin, other skin types, allergies, dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis. We also offer other resources including the Merriam Webster Medical Dictionary and the eMedicine Medical Encyclopedia, with over 4,000 articles about diseases, tests, symptoms, injuries, and surgeries.
Our intention is to provide you with "herbal", "at home," "holistic" and "natural” skin care treatments and methods that have been proven effective and safe in treating dry skin and other skin conditions, as well as to help you to know when to consult a health care professional.
With the emergence of the Internet there are now literally tens of thousands of web sites that offer "herbal", "at home", "holistic" and "natural" skin care treatments. While much of this information about natural skin care is very helpful and worthwhile, some of it suggests treatments that are simply not as effective as they claim to be, and in some cases can even cause more skin or other health problems than they claim to solve. One such area is dry skin care.
Our goal is to provide you natural skin care products and treatments that have been evaluated by highly experienced and recognized health care professionals who specialize in skin care - dermatologists.
Many of us feel that the FDA (Unites States Food and Drug Administration) is unfairly influenced by this nation's biggest drug companies and the purpose of actually protecting us against unsafe drugs has lessened in their list of priorities.
With the billions of dollars now being spent by these big drug companies to lull us into the idea that their drugs are our best road to health, and demanding an ever-increasing percentage of our incomes, we feel there is a great need to provide "herbal", "at home", "holistic" and natural skin care treatments and products that have been evaluated and shown to be safe and effective by leading dermatologists.
At the same time we offer unbiased advice about your skin care, when to see your doctor and what drugs to ask him or her for - completely free from the influence of pharmaceutical companies. Many people would prefer effective and natural skin care options to most of these drugs because some of their side effects are often worse than the diseases that they are supposed to treat.
We welcome your comments and suggestions. If you have a skin care treatment or method that you would like to offer, please email us at info@skincarenet.org. Visit this web site often, as we will be continually adding to and updating the content.
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How to Effectively Treat Dry SkinMost conventional lotions only mask dry skin. Replacing the skin’s natural protective barrier and allowing your own natural oils and moisture to heal the skin works best...
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The Truth About SunscreensSunscreens are an essential tool for preventing skin aging and skin cancers. Sun damaged skin shows wrinkling, is less elastic and sags as well as appears sallow and leathery. In addition, broken blood vessels and even blackheads may form. Ultraviolet (UV) rays are non-visible rays transmitted from the sun. Those UV rays that reach the earth's surface are divided into UV-A and UV-B, depending on their wavelength size. UVA and UVB radiation irreversibly damages our skin and an effective sunscreen should protect against both types of radiation...
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Featured dermatologist
Skin Care Tips for the Winter Months
By Dr. Lisa Benest
Harsh winter weather and indulgence over the holiday season are two good reasons to reassess your skin care routine. When the temperature drops and the heat gets turned up indoors your skin is exposed to low humidity both indoors and out, causing “winter itch.” It affects people of all ages, with or without other skin problems. Rubbing and scratching these itchy areas can produce rough skin that can crack, especially on the hands and feet. It can even lead to dermatitis, when the skin becomes red and inflamed in addition to being dry and scaly.
The Department of Dermatology at the University of Iowa Hospital describes healthy skin as “a multi-layer cake covered by a single sheet of clear plastic food wrap to keep it fresh. The plastic food wrap prevents the frosting and underlying layers of the cake from drying out by preventing loss (evaporation) of the water from the cake into the air. It is the moisture in the cake that gives it its freshness. The outermost layer of the skin, which acts like the plastic food wrap and is about the same thickness, is called the stratum corneum. The stratum corneum consists of dead skin cells embedded in a mixture of natural oils (lipids) that are made by underlying living skin cells. These natural skin oils keep the water inside our body from escaping into the air and also keep irritating substances and germs from entering the body. Both the skin oils and the dead skin cells hold a certain amount of water in the stratum corneum and it is this stratum corneum water that helps keep the skin soft, pliable and smooth.”
Now imagine that cake was a cheesecake and someone poked holes in the clear wrap protecting it. Very soon it would become dried out and stale. Left for a few days it would begin to crack. That’s exactly what happens to your skin. When this protective layer of the skin is damaged you lose your natural moisture and your protective layer can’t function properly. Winter weather and indoor heat can damage your protective layer. Too much soapy water, exposure to harsh chemicals and environmental toxins can also affect it. When it is compromised small cracks occur exposing your underlying cells to irritating substances and germs in the environment.
Until recently the only choice you had to treat dry skin was conventional moisturizers, but research into how healthy skin functions led to the development of a new skin care treatment: shielding lotions that mimic this protective layer and help your skin heal naturally.
10 Winter Skin Care Tips:
- Avoid long soaks in hot, soapy water. Relaxing in a hot bath sounds wonderful when you’re cold, but hot, soapy water can remove the protective oils from your skin
- Use a mild bath product or one that is pH balanced. Look for natural ingredients
- Pat your skin to dry it – don’t rub
- Apply a shielding lotion right after the bath or shower to help the skin’s protective layer stay intact
- Reapply every four to six hours to maintain the integrity of the layer all day
- Look at the ingredients on any product you buy to treat severe itching. Stay away from those with chemicals that could make the condition worse
- Moisturize from the inside out. What you eat affects the condition of your skin. Add walnuts, Canola Oil and ground flaxseeds to your diet
- Eat foods rich in Vitamin E – green leafy vegetables and wheat germ flakes
- Drink at least eight glasses of liquid – preferably good water. Stay away from sodas or drinks with caffeine, which dry the skin
- Use a humidifier to increase the level of moisture in the air
Treat your skin right in the winter months and you’ll have healthy glowing skin to put on show once summer arrives.
What Is A Shielding Lotion?
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