How to select the best skin repair cream?

In this fast-paced world, most of us don't have time to take care of our bodies. Usually, the most neglected body part is the largest organ of the body, our SKIN.

If we don’t take proper care, the skin becomes dry and results in problems like dry, cracked skin, and calluses. Those suffering from eczema, psoriasis, various medical conditions, cold weather exposure, or older age, and diabetes have their own battle against it.

In such cases moisturizing your skin becomes a real savior. Contrary to the belief that moisturizer is an aesthetically inclined product, it is actually vital for our skin's health.

This article will give everything that you need to know about the importance of moisturizing dry skin and how to choose a moisturizer.  Read on to find out why you should be using a moisturizer regularly, and what you want to look for in terms of skin repair cream.

Table of Contents

1. Importance of moisturizing — Why use a moisturizer for dry skin?
2. Benefits of moisturizing — What’s good about moisturizers?
3. Lipid Barrier — why is it Important for healthy skin?
4. Choosing the best moisturizer — What should a good moisturizer contain?
5. How to have healthy skin when you have eczema, psoriasis, or diabetes?
6. FAQ
7. References 

Importance of Moisturizing — Why Use a Moisturizer For Dry Skin?

Many of us have to stand on our feet all day to do our job. Prolonged standing hours lead to calluses formation on our heels, which, if left untreated, can form cracks and be painful.

Also, in this post-COVID 19 era, most of us, especially frontline workers like doctors, nurse, health care providers, teachers, and those working in retail, are required to use hand sanitizer or wash our hands after almost every thirty minutes. Most sanitizers contain alcohol, which is a drying agent. These situations can easily lead to dry hands, cracked heels, and even bleeding in severe cases - that’s why we all need the best skin barrier repair products to help hydrate, rejuvenate, and heal compromised skin. Before you learn how to choose a moisturizer, you should know that taking care of your skin is essential more than ever.

Benefits of Moisturizing — What’s Good About Moisturizers?

The uppermost layer of the skin, the stratum corneum, protects everything underneath (Marmur, n.d.). Once it dries out or becomes cracked, the protective shield is compromised. The skin not only becomes exposed to germs and viruses, but the dermis also loses hydration making the skin severely dry.

To keep the skin hydrated and healthy, it is necessary to make moisturizer a part of your daily skincare regime. Remember that understanding how to choose a moisturizer that’s perfect for your skin type is critical to getting the desired results. Here is why moisturizer is a must-have skincare product:

• Moisturizer provides the skin with an extra layer of protection to keep the skin healthy.
• It enhances the function of the uppermost layer of skin by helping to repair the rapidly shedding skin cells.
• It helps in keeping the skin hydrated by holding water in the outer layer of the skin, especially during times like winter when the skin is more prone to dryness
• The massaging action while applying the moisturizer helps to keep the skin healthy and hydrated, and increases blood circulation.
• It helps with chronic skin problems like eczema, psoriasis, and prevents the dry, itchy skin, common in diabetes patients.

Before looking into how to choose a moisturizer and the ingredients of the best skin barrier repair products, let’s talk about the physiology of our skin. Stratum Corneum is made up of 30 % lipids and water (Olmsted, 2016). Lipids are the natural fats that are found in the skin. These fats act as the binding glue for the cells of the skin. They make up the moisture barrier of the skin called the Lipid barrier.

Burn Mark - Before

Burn Mark - After Using SkinIntegra Rapid Repair Cream

Lipid Barrier — Why is it Important for Healthy Sskin?

The lipid barrier provides these functions:

1. It helps in keeping the water content of the epidermis.
2. It acts as a shield against bacteria, viruses, and allergens.

A strong and healthy lipid barrier is what gives the skin its smoothness and natural glow. A compromised lipid barrier leads to irritation, redness, and itching. It leads to excessive loss of water, resulting in dryness and breakouts that just won’t go away. This is why learning how to choose a moisturizer that can help keep your lipid barrier healthy matters.

As we grow old and reach 40 and above, our skin experiences a decline in the production of lipids (Ane, 2019). The lipid barrier becomes weaker, making it absolutely essential to add skincare products that replenish skin barriers.

Choosing the Best moisturizer — What Should a Good Moisturizer contain?

The importance of moisturizer in our daily skin routine cannot be stressed enough. With so many options to choose from when looking for the best skin barrier repair products, it is essential to know what ingredients a good moisturizer must have.

Here is a list of ingredients you should look for as you learn how to choose a moisturizer:

Humectants

Humectants help in improving the dryness of the skin by pulling the water from the air as well as in the skin layers to hydrate the Stratum Corneum (Harvard, 2019).

Urea is an example of a Humectant. It helps to remove the dry, rough, scaly skin by hydrating the skin and preventing the dead skin cells from building up. Other Humectants include:

• Glycerin
• Lactic acid
• Hyaluronic acid
• Aloe
• Butylene glycol
• Panthenol
• Sodium hyaluronate
• Gluconolactone

Omega fatty acids

As you continue learning how to choose a moisturizer, keep in mind that Omega Fatty acids also play an essential part in keeping the skin healthy:

• they strengthen our skin and make it smoother.
• These fatty acids help repair the lipid barrier and seal the moisture in(Paula, n.d.).
• They reduce the dry and itchy red skin caused by psoriasis and improve their symptoms in adults(Sikarin Upala, 2017).
• Omega Fatty acids help in retaining the skin water content and prevent dehydration.
• They reduce inflammation. According to a 2013 study, acne is caused by inflammation, so indirectly, they reduce acne as well(Tanghetti, 2013).
• It increases the elasticity of the skin and hence reduces the formation of the wrinkles.
• It protects against the damage caused by UV rays(Rhodes, 2011).

Vitamins

Vitamins replenish the skin, prevent dryness, and help stimulate skin cell regeneration. They help reduce wrinkles and fine lines and are a major ingredient of anti-aging creams as well as the best skin barrier repair products. Vitamins are definitely a key ingredient to consider as you get started on how to choose a good moisturizer.

Occlusives

Occlusives are oily substances that reduce moisture loss by forming a protective shield on the skin and sealing the moisture. They help in locking in the water that was pulled into the skin by the Humectants (Harvard, 2019). Petrolatum, Jojoba seed oil, Sesame seed oil, Coconut oil, Beeswax, and Lanolin are some examples of Occlusives.

Emollients

These substances are not a moisturizing ingredient (Harvard, 2019). They help in sealing the moisture by filling in the cracked epidermis. They make the skin feel smooth. Shea butter for the body, multiple oils for dry face skin, and cocoa butter are examples of Emollients that you can consider as you learn how to choose a moisturizer that works for your skin condition.

How to Have Healthy Skin When You Are a Full-Time Worker With Eczema, Psoriasis, or Diabetes?

Eczema, also called Atopic dermatitis, causes redness and itching on your skin. Whereas psoriasis is a skin disorder in which our elbows, scalp, knees, and back are covered with red patches and become itchy. Diabetes can also cause the skin to become dry and itchy.

• Are you suffering from any of these conditions?
• Is dryness and itchy skin making it difficult for you to focus on work?
• Are the cracks in your heels too painful to bear?

With such a busy schedule, no one has time to deal with these conditions, and a rapid action cream is the need of the hour. If you’re wondering how to choose a moisturizer that promotes healthy skin, you are in luck. SkinIntegra is the solution to all your skin-related problems. Its plant oil-rich formula replenishes dry skin and helps heal the skin faster than ever.

We bring you the best skin barrier repair products that get absorbed in the skin and help speed up the repairing process of the skin cracks with visible effects in just one day. Seems too good to be true? Read the testimonials from recovered users!

FAQ

How do moisturizers work?

Skin moisturizers get rid of the dryness, keep the skin hydrated, and act as a moisture sealant. They provide the skin with essential nutrients to help maintain skin health.

What actually moisturizes skin?

Humectants. The Humectants in the moisturizers attract water to the upper layer of the skin. In contrast, the Occlusives make sure moisture doesn’t evaporate by forming a protective barrier on the skin.

Is face moisturizer necessary?

Yes, absolutely! It is necessary to keep the skin healthy and maintain the lipid barrier of the skin.

Should you moisturize your body every day?

Yes! Many dermatologists advise using moisturizer twice a day. Choose the right moisturizer.

References

• Ane. (2019, February, 2019). How To Repair and Protect Your Skin's Lipid Barrier. From Beauty By Anne: https://beautybyane.com/blogs/beauty-by-ane-blog/how-to-repair-and-protect-your-skins-lipid-barrier-and-why-its-so-crucial-for-healthy-skin
• Harvard. (2019, May 29). Harvard Health Letter. From Harvard Health Publishing: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/moisturizers-do-they-work
• James Del Rosso, J. Z. (2016). Understanding the Epidermal Barrier in Healthy and Compromised Skin: Clinically Relevant Information for the Dermatology Practitioner. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology.
• Marmur, E. (n.d.). Skin Moisturizing. From Share Care: https://www.sharecare.com/health/skin-moisturizing-care/why-i-need-facial-moisturizer
• Olmsted, C. D. (2016). The physics of stratum corneum lipid membranes. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci.
• Paula. (n.d.). THE ESSENTIAL ROLE OF OMEGA FATTY ACIDS. From Paula's Choice: https://www.paulaschoice-eu.com/omega-fatty-acids
• Rhodes, S. M. (2011). Omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids: photoprotective macronutrients. Experimental Dermatology, 537-43.
• Sikarin Upala, W. C. (2017). Effect of omega-3 fatty acids on disease severity in patients with psoriasis: A systematic review. International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases, 442-450.
• Tanghetti, E. A. (2013). The Role of Inflammation in the Pathology of Acne. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 27-35.
• Van Smeden J, B. J. (2016). Stratum Corneum Lipids: Their Role for the Skin Barrier Function in Healthy Subjects and Atopic Dermatitis Patients. Curr Probl Dermatol.