Chapped Skin

Chapped skin can be easily identified by its rough texture, accompanied by the appearance of cracks. A person who has a chapped skin can get very conscious of his physical appearance. There are a number of reasons for this. Below is a list of the main causes behind chapped, dry skin, followed by certain remedies and treatments to get rid of the same.

Causes

• Exposure to certain environmental factors, such as excessive cold, or extremely windy conditions or direct sunlight, can cause chapped skin on face and other body areas.
• When the skin comes in contact with strong chemicals in cosmetics, such as soaps, creams, etc. it can cause the skin to chap.
• If the skin is not taken care off on a regular basis, i.e. it is not cleaned or moisturized, it can deteriorate the skin's condition, causing dry skin and cracks in it.
• Intake of lesser fluids and water, resulting in dehydration, is another reason behind chapped skin.
• Wearing clothes which are washed with strong and harsh detergents, can cause friction with the body, producing dry and chapped skin in the process.
• Wearing rough clothes or clothes of very tight fit, can make the skin chapped too.
• If household works such as cleaning, washing and scrubbing are done, without wearing protective rubber gloves, it can make the skin on hands, dry and chapped.

Treatment

Diet
Supplementing the diet with foods that are rich in vitamins A, B and C, will help in promoting skin repair. So, an effective remedy is to include food such as tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, carrots, vegetable oils, whole grains, legumes and wheat germ in the diet.

Saline Bath and Massage
If the entire body skin is chapped, then take a saline bath everyday to repair it. For this, simply add table salt to the water tub and soak in it for about twenty minutes. After that, towel dry, and massage the skin with either olive oil or almond oil.

Besides the above-mentioned remedies, there are certain dos and don'ts that a person should follow to get rid of chapped skin.

• The baths should not be long, and only lukewarm water should be used for them. This is because very hot water can rob the skin of its natural oils, making it dry and chapped in the process.
• Only cosmetics that have very mild chemicals in them should be used on skin. A good idea is to go in for herbal skin care products.
• The clothes should be properly washed with water so that no detergent residue is left behind, which can otherwise cause the skin to become dry.
• Moisturizing dry skin on a regular basis, is very important to prevent dry, chapped skin. Chapped skin around lips, can be taken care of by applying a lip balm or petroleum jelly. Dry skin creams or moisturizers should be applied on face everyday, especially before sleeping at night. Olive oil should be applied all over the body to moisturize the entire body skin.
• Applying sunscreen with SPF 30 and above, covering the face with a scarf and hands with gloves, before stepping in the sun will help to prevent this condition too.

Keeping the skin clean, moisturized and well-protected, is the key to getting a well-nourished, healthy and radiant glow on it.