BLOG POST: PREVENTATIVE SKIN CARE

Hands, face and feet are always on the front lines. Keeping them healthy reduces pain, lost productivity, and general well being. Prevention is crucial for maintaining healthy skin all over your body. Here are some everyday tips for protecting your skin at home and at work to ensure your biggest organ is working for you, not against.

Protection – It comes in many forms, but for the hardest working skin on your body, the most critical forms include sunscreen, gloves and proper foot protection.

We hear a lot about the importance of sunscreen to maintain a youthful appearance, and to protect against the damaging effects of UVA and UVB rays, yet millions of people have yet to adopt it as a part of their daily skincare regimen. If you’re one of these people, the old adage applies; It’s better to be safe than sorry. Adding sunscreen into your morning routine will not only protect against fine lines and wrinkles, it’s your #1 defense against skin cancer, the most common form of cancer in the United States.

Our hands and feet are the hardest working parts of our body, yet their skin is often the most neglected. Hand injuries are the second most common workplace injury sending more than one million workers to the emergency room each year. Wearing gloves reduces your risk by 60%. Safety measures are not isolated to the workplace however, it’s just as important to protect your hands at home from the harmful effects of household chemicals such as pesticides, detergents and cleaning solutions, that can all wreak havoc on your skin. Protecting our feet is a bit more natural, but our shoes alone can cause problems for our feet via calluses and blisters.

When life is hard on your skin, it’s important to put some thoughtful care into the products you use to repair the damage.

Repair – Our bodies are roughly 65% water, so it’s not surprising that moisture plays a critical role in repairing damaged skin. Choosing the right products can be challenging since there are so many on the market. There are a couple of basic principles to follow however, regardless of your skin condition.

When it comes to maintaining moisture levels in your skin, products with a high water content can actually work against you. Water evaporates which can further dry your skin. Products with a higher oil content are preferred as they enable your skin to retain moisture, something that decreases with age. Dehydrated skin shows in the form of fine lines and wrinkles on our face, or dry patchy skin on our bodies. Products that hydrate your skin while protecting it from further moisture loss, are optimal. For extreme cases, like dry, cracked or callused hands and feet, petroleum based products, like balms and ointments, are best as they create an environment conducive to healing and act as a barrier for the skin from other harmful effects.
Now that you’ve chosen the product form(oil or petroleum based) choosing the right ingredients for your skin are important. Vitamins D, E & C are fantastic for the creation and support of healthy skin and can be found in many skin care products. Hyaluronic Acid and Colloidal Oatmeal are also well-known ingredients that help skin retain moisture and calm irritation. Oatmeal has long been regarded as an effective ingredient to treat skin ailments, but it was only recently, that the medical community took this knowledge to the next level by purifying and refining Oat Beta Glucan, which is a carbohydrate found in the cell wall of an oat.

The founder of BREVENA Laboratories, Barbara Klein, discovered this technology and its healing properties for damaged skin. BREVENA skin care products are the only products on the market with this proprietary technology that maintain the health of your skin from face to foot. Check out their line of products and testimonials at www.brevena.com for more information.

 

American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2017. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2017

Smith, Sandy. “Study: Gloves Significantly Reduce Risk Of Occupational Hand Injuries”. EHS Today. 3, June 2004.

American Skin Association. “Healthy Skin” 2012. Retrieved from http://www.americanskin.org/resource/.

Bowman, Joe. “The 4 Best Vitamins for Your Skin”. Healthline. 1, August 2016.

WebMD. “Colloidal Oatmeal Cream”. Drugs & Medications, 2017. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-18449/colloidal-oatmeal-topical/details#uses.