Springtime Skin Cleaning

With June and summer coming nearer, a lot of people are in for several unpleasant skin discoveries. Ranella Hirsch, a dermatologist from the esteemed Boston University Medical Center, affirms that indeed, many people discover that they have skin problems towards the end of May when the increasingly humid weather forces them to bare some skin. If you have been neglecting your skin during winter, it’s time you gear up for some springtime skin cleaning. Here are some of the most common and serious skin care dilemmas people face during spring and towards summer:

Scaly skin
When you can’t tell the difference between your new alligator bag and skin anymore, you are just in time for some serious exfoliation and moisturizing. Scaly skin develops from a build up of dead skin cells that thickened in patches – giving skin a scaly appearance. Associate clinical dermatology professor Jeffrey Dover of the Yale University School of Medicine affirms that exfoliation and moisturizing are two of the most effective ways to get rid of scaly skin.

Solve it: Lather up with a washcloth or loofah loaded with moisturizing body wash in the shower regularly. Moisturize with any light lotion that contains glycolic, alpha hydroxy, or fruit acid will quickly restore vibrancy to dead-looking skin.

Grayish, dark patches
Jeanine Downie, assistant attending dermatologist of the New Jersey’s Mountainside Hospital explains that skin in the knees and elbows tend to be drier than other areas due to exposure and constant friction from fabrics and other objects. This dryness contributes to discoloration which can give the skin on these areas a gray and darkened appearance.

Solve it: You can prevent discoloration by keeping dryness at bay with moisture. But since these skin patches are drier than normal and are probably thickened, you need to use some heavy-duty moisturizing creams. Apply daily moisturizing creams on the darkened area twice a day and supplement this ritual with a weekend overnight application of petroleum jelly.

Back-ne and butt-ne
The sudden change in temperature can make your skin oilier and prone to acne. While it’s common to have acne on your face, it is an entirely different matter to have acne on your back and butt. Facial acne pops up on thin skin that makes it easier for it to get cured. However, the skin on your butt and back is thicker and puts any medication at a disadvantage. Dover also asserts that there are fewer blood vessels in these areas which translate to slower healing.

Solve it: While you cannot do anything to increase the number of blood vessels in your back and butt, there is still a way to solve back-ne and butt-ne. Dover advises washing the areas with benzoyl-peroxide cleanser and applying an acne gel after. Be sure to let your skin absorb the gel first before dressing up since most acne medications sold today can stain your clothes.

Leathery feet
Leather footwear is great but having feet that look and feel like leather is just wrong. Vic Narurkar, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California–Davis School of Medicine, contributes leathery feet to calluses which are common in women who wear tight shoes and high heels.

Solve it: Skin care experts recommend sliding thin inserts in your shoes to prevent additional calluses. If you already have calluses, you can remove them by buffing your feet using a foot file or a pumice stone in the shower. You can also ask your doctor for a prescription cream designed to treat calluses and prevent cracked heels.