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How to Get Rid Of Dry Flaky Skin, Naturally

Updated on October 21, 2013

If you are suffering from dry, flaky skin, you will want to know how to get rid of it, and the answer is actually very simple, and that is to drink more fluids.

Maybe you are thinking to yourself, but I drink plenty. I have tea, coffee, orange juice etc throughout the day on a regular basis, but those are the wrong types of fluids.

Plain water is what you need to drink, and plenty of it.

Think what else is in the fluids that you normally drink. Caffeine in tea and coffee, and Coca-Cola, and orange juice. Not to mention all the E food colorings, and preservatives and God knows what all.

I have suffered from dry skin all of my life, on and off, and KNOW that it is only water that at the end of the day can give you tangible results, that last so long as you keep drinking the water on a daily basis.

Learn how to get rid of dry flaky skin, the easy way.

dry skin care
dry skin care

Skin Moisturizers

Skin moisturizers work because they provide an artificial layer on the skin's surface.

The best skin moisturizers feel as if they have totally absorbed into the skin, leaving it soft and silky smooth, which is great.

There is a very strong argument to use or continue using skin moisturizers because they do help protect your skin against wrinkles, which is not something you worry about when you are young, but is a normal factor of ageing.

Those who have used skin moisturizers regularly throughout their lives have younger looking skin than those who don't.

This is because rubbing it into your skin acts like a skin massage, which in turn increases blood flow which stimulates cell regeneration.

Using skin moisturizers as a treatment for dry, flaky skin sees instant results for a day or two, but may also have lifelong benefits if used as part of your daily regime.

Causes of Dry Skin

Hormonal

Most of the causes of dry skin can be put down to hormones working within your body.

Think about it, you seldom see a child with dry skin. If he or she has dry skin, there is usually a medical reason behind it.

Dry skin problems seem to come to the fore at and beyond puberty.

Just as some people can suffer from greasy hair and skin, others suffer from dry hair and skin.

If you are aged less than 50 and are older then 12, the chances are your problem is hormonal, and there is nothing you can do about that, except follow the guidelines laid down here.

By learning the causes, it is much easier to get rid of dry flaky skin.

Too Much Sun

The sun and dry, hot air dries our skin out. You can apply as much water externally as you like, whether that be through showering, or applying creams, or whatever, in this case the only solution is to drink more water.

Diet

Many people on weight reduction diets see their skin drying out. In fact, it was when I was on the Atkins diet, which is high protein/low carbohydrate that I first realised there even was a connection between dieting and dry skin.

The more proteins you eat, the more your kidneys function, and your kidneys are the organs that get rid of unwanted fluid in your body.

So, I was peeing more, and, at times, not replacing that fluid very well. You are supposed to drink at least 2 litres of water a day on that diet, and I did (more or less), but the definitive words are "at least".

Some people need more, and I was one of those people.

Illness or Medical Skin Conditions

Psoriasis and other known medical conditions can cause dry, flaky skin, and for those sufferers you really need to ask your doctor for prescription creams that may help.

How Much Water Should I Drink per Day?

Two litres. I'm not used to those European measurements, and maybe you don't have a clue how much that is.

Welcome to the club :)

Two litres is about 8 glasses of water, and not those tiny wee sherry glasses.

2 litres = 4.2 pints.

The average drinking glass (throughout the world) holds 200mls of fluid, which is a little under half a pint or 8 fluid ounces.

If you are anything like me, drinking water is alien unless I am especially thirsty, but you know, this is something we are all going to have to change.

We have become so used to drinking coffees or soft drinks or something unnatural, that we cannot imagine a life without them.

The good thing about this having to drink water is that this is in addition to our normal drinks, not instead of.

We can replace of course, but we don't have to.

Alcohol deprives our bodies of fluids, but here is the double good news. If we get into the habit of drinking loads of water everyday, we will probably never get a hangover. How good is that?

Simply drinking loads of water can help us get rid of dry flaky skin.

Hints and Tips to let Your Know When You Are Not Drinking Enough Water

We'll assume at this point that the dry flaky skin problem has cleared up, as it should have done with all this extra fluid intake.

You have probably dropped a glass or two of water from your schedule - sick of it, I'd imagine.

Check your elbows frequently.

The bony part to the outside of your elbows will be the first to show problems.

The skin there should feel as soft as your knees unless you are a 10 year old child or an deep underground miner who is used to crawling on his elbows and knees.

In fact, your elbows are quite often the first sign to show that you could be suffering from dry skin.

If they feel rough and flaky, or even worse if they are painful to touch, then you need to increase your fluid intake.

Just like magic, you will once again get rid of dry flaky skin.

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