Who is Prone to Dry Skin?
Factors that contribute towards dry skin include:

• Growing older. Aging skin lacks the natural lubricants that help keep moisture in place.
• Friction of clothes against the skin.
• Contact with harsh soaps and other cleansers, detergents and solvents.
• Metabolic factors, particularly an underactive thyroid gland.
• Genetic factors. If one or both parents have dry skin, you are more likely to have it too.
• Contact with chlorinated water. Swimmers are particularly prone to having a dry skin.

Ways to Treat Dry Skin
As logical as it may seem, water alone cannot replace the moisture that dry skin lacks. Water - especially hot water - can cause dry skin to worsen by removing the natural oils. (Just think of how hot, soapy water removes the grease from dirty dishes.) Applying a moisturizer immediately after washing will help replace the skin’s moisture, while forming a barrier to prevent further water loss.

Here are some ways to ensure that your skin stays moist and comfortable throughout the year:

• Bathe or shower in tepid water, never hot. Showers are preferable to baths as they limit the time your skin is in contact with water.
• Use a humidifier in your home. Increasing the humidity in the air around you will reduce the amount of moisture drawn from your skin.
• Use a mild, non-drying cleansing bar or water-soluble cleansing lotion.
• Invest in a moisturizing product that has been formulated especially for dry skin, such as Uremol®. This product contains urea, a substance found in the skin’s outer layer or epidermis. It plays a vital role in maintaining the skin’s natural moisture balance.

Uremol® lotion and cream are available in two strengths, 10 percent urea to help counteract moderate skin dryness, and 20 percent for severely dry skin. (If your skin is broken or inflamed, please consult your doctor before using this product.)

A Short HIstory of Skin Care
If you find your skin care routine a little time consuming, consider what Egyptian women went through. In the hot climate of Egypt, long before the invention of soap, use of flax, palm and olive oils was the only means of cleansing the skin. This would involve massaging the oil carefully into the skin, then wiping it all off again.

Early Egyptian women would certainly have appreciated today’s uncomplicated moisturizing routines. In 1,000 BC, a woman with dry, rough skin would likely treat her face to a mixture of bullock’s bile, whipped ostrich eggs, oil, dough, and resin mixed with fresh milk. Wrinkles were apparently as undesirable as they are today, and treated accordingly with a concoction of hippopotamus fat and gazelle dung, to which a little perfume was added.

The early Romans would also be impressed with 21st century face creams. An essential component of the Roman skin care routine was a mud pack made with crocodile manure.

If a Roman had acne, he couldn’t rely on a drug store product to provide the solution. Instead, he spent hours baking a mixture of beans and lupins, carefully applying the resulting paste to his blemishes.

Pale faces were in vogue for several early civilizations, including the ancient Greeks and Romans. The desired paleness was achieved through use of lead paints, the toxins from which lead to loss of hair and teeth, and severely pitted skin.

Use of lead paints continued into the Middle Ages. As hair and teeth fell out, eyebrows made from mousehair and cheek “plumpers” made from cork became a necessity for beauty.

In the 17th century, the rosewater/urine facewash was introduced. The resulting rosy glow, combined with cerise - a poisonous mixture of lead paint and cochineal - quickly replaced the death-like pallor as the new trend. Combined with poor health and hygiene, the use of toxic cosmetic materials often spelled an early demise.

Gradually, scientific discovery and industrialization resulted in an acceptable range of skin care products replacing dung and other unsavoury ingredients with purified oils and fats, floral infusions and dairy products.

Today, laboratories worldwide produce hygienic and effective skin care preparations, while researchers continue to develop ingredients that promise and deliver a younger and healthier looking skin.