Bodycare - Why It Is Important and Most Common Issues

Skin is our body's largest organ. We might spend inordinate amount of time pampering our faces, but the rest of us often gets neglected. Skin on our body has less oil glands, which means it produces less oil. Dryness can be common. Also unlike skin on our face, skin on our body is thicker and has a slower cell turnover rate. Let's not forget skin is the one protecting our insides from the rest of the world. It can be affected by just about anything so needless to say, bodycare is important.

Most common problems

Dryness

Most of the year your skin is fine. But come winter time you start to resemble a lizard (hey, no judgement here, we've been there). Patches of dry skin, flakiness, itchiness, does that sound familiar? With tons of layers, central heating, hot showers and baths, body gets dry. How can you prevent this from happening? By exfoliating and moisturizing. Now don't go crazy with exfoliation - you don't want to aggravate your skin further. Depending on your skin once a week should be enough. After your shower, make sure to slap on that body lotion. Be generous with it. Ideally you should use a body lotion after every shower/bath. The ingredients to look for in your body lotion would include Urea, Hyaluronic acid and Ceramides.

Acne

It might be that you exercise a lot. Or simply your skin is oily and you are acne prone. Acne will appear just about anywhere. Anyone who has ever had a problem with bacne will tell you, they hurt. A lot. What can you do? If you exercise a lot and tend to break out all over your chest and back, make sure to shower as quickly as possible after your workouts and change your underwear and clothes. Get that bacteria, sweat and grime off. You can also switch up your normal body wash for a medicated one that contains a beta hydroxy acid (BHA) or an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). Another option is to use acne treatment on the affected areas, but be mindful not to overdo it. Overexfoliation can lead to infection.

Keratosis Pilaris

Keratosis Pilaris is caused by a build-up of keratin. This keratin build-up will block the hair follicles. This will manifest as small, light-coloured raised bumps. The most commonly affected areas are upper arms, thighs and your bottom (yes, bottom). How to treat it? First and foremost you will have to get into the habit of moisturizing your skin. No arguments. You can also try lotions that contain alpha hydroxy acids. Why AHAs? Because they will gently exfoliate and remove the build up of dead cells. That in turn will improve the uneven skin texture.

Taking care of your body isn't rocket science. With some time and practice, it is easy to turn it into an essential part of your routine.