Not All Products That Treat Dry Skin Are Equally Effective
Moisturising concoctions of various sorts have been used by people from the very earliest civilisations through to the modern day. It should come as no surprise then that, on the supermarket shelf today, there are so many different brands and types to choose from. But, which product is the most suited to your own personal circumstances?
Moisturisers vary greatly from product to product, and for good reason. It is simply not possible to create a moisturising product that all skin conditions and types respond to equally. There is no “one size fits all” solution when it comes to skin care and choosing a moisture barrier cream.
Society is not a homogeneous unit, though. What is considered to be an ideal moisturising product for one person will sometimes be completely unsuitable for another person.
Thankfully, the human race is a conglomerate of unique individuals, each with their own set of unique circumstances and skin irritation symptoms.
Employment conditions and situations will vary from person to person. One person employed in an industrial factory with dusty, dry air will have greatly different skin moisturising requirements to another person who sees most of their working day surrounded by plants in the great outdoors.
Even the changing weather conditions that naturally ebb and flow as the year progresses from spring to summer and then from autumn to winter will effect the efficacy of different moisturising products. A moisturiser that is appropriate for the Spring or Summer is unlikely to be the most effect moisturiser to use during the colder winter months.
When looking to buy a moisturising product you should realise that they are basically divided into 3 groupings. Namely, creams, lotions and the newer innovation of the mousse based products. Thus, when were are considering these three groupings, what are the underlying properties that distinguish one group from another?
Creams are, in the vast majority of cases, dominated by their chief component, which is petroleum jelly.
The father, metaphorically speaking, of petroleum jelly, or Vaseline as it more commonly known, is the dregs of the oil industry. It derives directly from “rod wax”, a sticky waste product that has a tendency to collect around the head of the pump rods in traditional oil wells. This very same rod wax was the foundation of a barrier cream that was originally patented by chemist Robert Chesebrough in 1872. Indeed, at the time, Chesebrough claimed that his product was something of a wonder “cure all”, suggesting that it should be ingested regularly to ward off and protect against all kinds of bodily ailments. The name Vaseline was used because, during his experimentation with rod wax, Robert Chesebrough use to store the various formulations in common household vases. Hence “vase – line” – “elaion” is the etymological Greek root for “oil”.
It is this petroleum jelly that makes most creams heavy and greasy. Whilst bestowing upon your skin a substantial protective coating, creams are generally considered inconvenient when dexterity is of importance as they leave your hands slippery. Heavy cream products may also clog up the skin pores. This makes them particularly unsuitable to use on the face if you have an acne condition. Sticky cream products can also cause other problems. For instances when used on the hands for tasks that involve wearing gloves for an extended time. In these circumstances, the glove material can rub the cream residue into clumps around your finger joints.
Heavy moisturising creams are often cited as being more appropriate for winter use.
Lotions, by and large, use far less petroleum jelly or none at all. Hence, the less gummy and sticky nature of lotions make them easier to rub over your skin. The next ingredient, in terms of percentage content, will usually be a natural oil product. Sunflower or Olive oil are popular choices. Indeed, the use of Olive oil by civilised societies dates back at least 5,000 years. It was widely used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans for a variety of purposes.
Perhaps the main drawback of using a lotion is that, after applying, a feeling of stickiness often endures. The high oil ingredient also leaves some people with a “less than clean” feeling. Further, people with naturally oily skin may find that they do not want to add yet even more oil to their epidermis.
Hence, moisturising lotions are generally regarded as more suited to use in the warmer months of the year and are a great help in combatting cracked fingertips and split skin.
The almost inevitable evolution of the skin care sector, with the introduction of mousse based products, has recently taken place. Many people hold the opinion that mousse based products have superseded traditional creams and lotions. By their very nature, mousse products are light to the touch and take little effort to apply. Consequently, a mousse based product smooths more evenly across the epidermis. For this reason, a smaller quantity is needed per application. This will allow your epidermis to breathe and perspire normally. People with dry skin, or skin that is sore or chapped may also find that a mousse is less painful to apply as it does not need vigorous rubbing in.
However, most mousses will be aerosol based which has traditionally been linked to ozone destroying CFC chemicals – although this is no longer the case. Further, aerosols usually employ Butane as a delivery agent and this has been connected to the issue of teenage substance abuse.
Mousse barrier and moisturising brands are widely used by people as a year round solution to their dry skin problems.
Whichever moisturiser you finally opt for, remember regularly application is the key to success. Your skin is yours for life, look after it and it will serve you well.
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