Why Aren't Your Moisturizers Getting Rid of Your Dry Skin?

Moisturizers have long been the preferred treatment for dry skin, but when you wash them off, your skin it is still dry. Month after month, year after year, you keep using the same type of product and you get the same result – the dry skin continues, and may even gets worse. If an infection is being treated with antibiotics, chances are the infection will go away. Shouldn't we expect the same of a treatment for our skin? To that end, many dermatologists now recommend a good shielding lotion for dry skin instead of traditional moisturizers. Understanding why some moisturizers don't work will help you make the choice.

Moisturizers often contain a number of ingredients that cause allergic reactions, prevent the skin from breathing, or both. One study conducted in Britain in 2003 and published in The Pharmaceutical Journal, found that nearly one in five children with atopic eczema had adverse reactions to the several moisturizers tested. One particular type of moisturizer called aqueous cream – originally designed as a soap substitute, but prescribed and widely used as a moisturizer – produced an adverse reaction in 56 percent of the participants, some very severe. One extreme case involved a child who screamed each time the lotion was applied. Another case had the parents wondering why their baby was so distressed after they applied the cream each evening. When they switched treatments, the parents got their first good night's sleep in months.

The other problem, not allowing the skin to breathe, is also a matter of ingredients. The most frequent culprit is mineral oil. Mineral oil comes in various forms, so it's important to know what those forms are and to avoid products containing them. Mineral oils do nothing other than coat the skin. When you run your hand along the skin it feels soft and supple - but that's not the skin surface you're feeling, it's the oil. Under the oil is the same dry skin. It's not being 'treated' at all, it is simply hidden. And, it's probably getting worse because the pores are clogged with the greasy, oily substance you're using, trapping bacteria, and not allowing the body to release toxins.
What are your options? First, avoid products with mineral oil. Instead, follow the advice of hundreds of dermatologists and use a shielding lotion. Second, learn about and rely on natural treatments for dry skin to reduce the possibility of adverse reactions, and actually heal the condition.

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Author Bio:
Author, Gloria MacTaggart, contributes articles on natural skin care for the National Skin Care Institute. For more information, visit www.skincarenet.org.