Very dry skin - please help!
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free skin care · Sun May 16, 2010 2:11 pm

Hello everyone,

I'm 33 years old and have been noticing my skin (eyes and nasal passages) getting drier and drier, no matter the water I drink and oils I consume and slather on.

For instance, the skin on my neck: When I lift my head up, the skin looks stretched and forms vertical lines. It seems to be screaming: moisturize me!

The dry skin is all over, no matter how much I scrub and apply oils and moisturizers, the skin keeps flaking off.

I have been tested for thyroid disease and sjogren (the dry eyes are causing major issues), and results are negative.

Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions on ways to moisturize??

Thank you!

free skin care · Sun May 16, 2010 3:20 pm

are you taking any medications that could be drying the skin, robbing the body of moisture?

free skin care · Sun May 16, 2010 3:25 pm

Have you tried Rhinaris gel? it is stuff you put inside yournose for dryness.
It isnice for extremely dry skin onyour face..but feels kindaclammy then.

I was also told pure Jojoba oil is supposed to be the best absorbed by the skin.
I find the more "stuff" with diffeent ingredients i use, the more my skin acts up sometimes...

I have a hard time finding Jojoba oil a the store lately though,but you can order someonline.
The Dessert essence brand is quite good.

free skin care · Sun May 16, 2010 4:26 pm

I suffer from dry eyes as well and my opthamologist recommended Genteal gel drops. Works pretty well without making your eyes gunky and blurry like the ointments do (which feel like vaseline in your eyes). If your eyes are even too dry for the gel, you may want to try the gel during the day and the ointment at night.

free skin care · Tue May 18, 2010 6:49 pm

hi morphy,
that sounds pretty intense. i have extremely dry skin but i think you top me.

my dry skin is loving the valmonts... and i'm also using alot of sothys (dry skin line). the sothys is cheaper and luxurious ... leaves the skin super soft, velvety to the touch, quenches my dry fits, and lasts all day long. i think the sothys is under-rated... for sensitive skin so there are no breakouts nor irritation... overall VERY good quality. HTH

btw, to counteract my dry skin, i try to drink at least 4 liters of water per day; find going to the gym and working out helps to move things around in my body and helps my skin to be healthier and also gets my glands to secrete and thus my skin is more naturally oiled; plus sleep is huge factor. long term sleep deprivation and being worn out does terrible terrible things to my skin and dryness.

good luck!

free skin care · Tue May 18, 2010 7:46 pm

One other thing I can recommend to address the dry nasal passages--swab neosporin in your nose. My parents live in Idaho where it is extremely dry and when I visit, I used to get nose bleeds the air is so dry. I started swabbing with neosporin and that prevented the nosebleeds.

free skin care · Thu May 20, 2010 6:14 am

I have crazy dry skin too, but it always gets worse when I use something on it that it doesn't like. You could be reacting to a soap or to a moisturizer that your skin doesn't like. I take Omega 369 and Vit A and they really help - I can use less moisturizer, and the lines around my eyes are all but gone. You might want to look in to it.

free skin care · Thu May 20, 2010 11:29 am

For the neck, I can recommend the juice beauty nutrient moisturizer. For my face it seems a bit too heavy, but applying to neck and decolte area, it feels so wonderful and the skin is deeply moisturized.

free skin care · Fri May 21, 2010 7:43 am

From the Chinese point of view, your body belongs to lung heat, you can try to eat pears and bird's nest.

free skin care · Tue May 25, 2010 7:13 pm

rhea wrote:

From the Chinese point of view, your body belongs to lung heat, you can try to eat pears and bird's nest.

rhea,

This sounds very interesting, and I am always interested in learning more about ancient traditions etc. Can you please elaborate a bit more about the body belonging to lung heat etc?

free skin care · Tue May 25, 2010 7:36 pm

This might be of some help.

http://www.itmonline.org/5organs/lung.htm

free skin care · Tue May 25, 2010 9:38 pm

ClaudiaFE wrote:

are you taking any medications that could be drying the skin, robbing the body of moisture?

Like the ones that make your mouth dry? hmm

Wed May 26, 2010 9:13 am

Have you tried taking cod liver oil capsules (prevents the taste)?
I have suffered terribly with itchy, dry eyes, but since taking these capsules (once a day with food) I do think that its gotten better. I have also found that certain make-up has been effecting my eyes, aswell as my face and neck, despite only using eye-makeup, as i work as a cleaner, i often work in hot conditions which ofcourse makes me sweat, the make-up moves with the sweat and enters the eyes, gets on the face and neck area.
I would also suggest that you do not rub yourself dry after showering or bathing, instead sit and dry naturally (your body absorbs the moisture) and use a basic moisturiser; I find baby products are the best as they dont irritate the skin and you can use them daily; I use Johnson's baby oil on my problem areas, and Johnson's baby moisture cream on the rest of my body.
I hope this helped.

free skin care · Sat Jun 19, 2010 10:34 am

Hello,

Thank you all for sharing your insights!

In response to some of the questions, I stopped all meds 6 months ago. I was on the pill, which can sometimes cause dryness. Going off the pill helped somewhat, but it has not solved the problem.

I’ve been tested for a host of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and been given all sorts of diagnoses. Lately, I have been wondering if vitamin A might be the culprit. I had been taking cod liver oil religiously for 3 years to help with acne and excessive heavy periods (and it DID resolve those issues). However, excess vitamin A is known to cause dryness.

I did stop cod liver oil 8 months ago, but the dryness persists… When I do take it, just as an experiment, or any other multivitamin with (preformed) vitamin A (not beta carotene), the dryness seems to flare.

At this point, doctors have confirmed that my eyes, nasal passages and bowels are very dry. According to online research, it is clearly noted in various medical sources that dryness can lead to inflammation (i.e. redness, peeling, etc.) which only leads to more dryness!

I am now avoiding vitamin A containing food/supplements, as well as diuretics. I drink lots of liquids, apply oils like jojoba (very helpful), and hope that my system will gradually return to normal!

In case it is helpful to others, here's a list of what I’ve found to be most helpful to me so far:

1. Dry eyes: eyedrops without preservatives and with 0.15% sodium hyaluronate (e.g. “i-drop”). Systane Ultra is also helpful.
2. Dry skin: Jojoba oil applied to damp skin (body), Impruv skin cream (face)
3. Dry nasal passages: Rhinaris gel or spray (or any saline solution without preservatives).
4. Bowels: lots of water, along with psyllium husks (forms a gelly-like substance), and glycerine.

Thanks again for all the feedback!

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