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Everybody needs moisture
Skin cells are self-contained little pockets naturally endowed with their own moisture. Problem is, the air constantly draws out that moisture in a never-ending process of evaporation. Factor in such influences as wind, sun, and artificial heat, and things can get downright awful: itchy, scaly, and just plain uncomfortable skin.
Moisturizers are your first line of defense. While they can't replace moisture that's been wicked off into the atmosphere, they do form a barrier that keeps drying air off the skin and helps hold in whatever moisture evaporation leaves behind. While you don't need the arsenal of moisturizers for every body part that some manufacturers may suggest, a good one will help prevent the lizard look.
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Skin Soothers and Smoothers
- Oils and proteins are the major active ingredients in most moisturizers. Animal and vegetable oils, as well as vitamin E (listed as tocopherol on labels), absorb into the skin to protect cells below the surface. Mineral oils and proteins like collagen and amino acids stay on top and guard the skin's outer layer.
- A few other ingredients contained in some moisturizers are worth noting. Liposomes, for example, hold oil and water under the skin and release it over time for a longer-lasting effect. Humectants may actually draw water into the skin if the humidity's high enough.
The Acid Advantage
- Acid on your skin? Sounds scary. But alpha- and beta-hydroxy acids (AHAs and BHAs) are gentle acids that exfoliate the skin. This means they lift off dead cells, which makes skin feel softer and smoother and helps moisturizers penetrate.
- The acids come from fruits, sugarcane, and milk -- pretty mild stuff. They've been used in cosmetics for ages, but in quantities too low for exfoliation. To get the maximum benefit, you need a concentration of 7% or higher. The most widely used AHAs are glycolic, citric, lactic, malic, and tartaric acid. BHAs include salicylic, benzoic, and buteric acids. Some manufacturers misidentify other ingredients as AHAs, so don't be duped -- acetic, benozoic, formic, oxalic, monochloroactic, and trichloroactic acids are not AHAs. Nor are retinyl palmitate, sodium hyaluronate, or fruit and sugarcane extracts.
- Acid-containing products may feel tingly upon application and a little sting is okay. But if a product really irritates, let your skin calm down and then try switching to another that contains a different acid. Keep all AHA and BHA moisturizers away from your eyes. If you use one during the day, wear a facial sunscreen or a moisturizer with a built in sunscreen, too; shedding those dead outer cells makes your skin more vulnerable to UV rays.
A Few Things to Watch Out For
- Unless you have oily skin, stay away from products containing skin-drying ingredients like acetone, alcohol, and benzoyl peroxide (aqueous forms may be OK).
- If your skin's dry or sensitive, substances like camphor, eucalyptus, and menthol may cause irritation.
- Avoid tender areas around eyes, earlobes, and base of nostrils.
Getting the Most Out of Moisturizers
- Since a moisturizer holds water in, it's best to apply it when your skin is slightly damp. So instead of a thorough toweling off after a shower, let some water remain.
- When applying moisturizer, rubbing doesn't help and may irritate the skin. It's better to smooth it on and let it absorb on its own.
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Emollients
Emollients work by forming a protective layer over the skin, keeping moisture in. They are all oily or oil-like chemicals. Olive oil and other plant oils are very effective emollients. Mineral or silicon oils are also great emollients. Chemicals like petroleum jelly and lanolin are water-repellant and keep moisture in the skin. This softens and relieves dryness of the skin.
Silicone-based oils
Silicon-based products are synthetic emollients. Like other emollients, they help soothe and protect the skin by coating the skin and retaining water.
Exfoliants
Exfoliants are acids that help gently dissolve the first outer layers of dead skin and stimulate the production of new layers. They also have good water-binding properties and make great humectants. Exfoliants are generally carboxylic (organic) acids. Some of the more popular acids also have hydroxy groups added, such as alpha-hydroxy acids and beta-hydroxy acids.
Humectants
Humectants are novel chemicals that are added in soaps, hair care products, and lotions, to help soften the skin and relieve dryness. Unlike emollients, which moisturize by trapping water in your skin, humectants actually attract water to your skin. However, they can be washed off very easily, and therefore do not have the lasting power of emollients. Your best bet is to get a product with both an emollient and a humectant.
Quaternary ammonium compounds
They are incorporated into cosmetic products for a variety of purposes and in various concentrations. Quaternary ammonium compounds have properties of surfactants, disinfectants, preservatives, and emulsifiers.
| Emollients | Ingredient | Description |
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| Fatty acids | ? | Include stearic acid, lanolin acid, plasmatic acid, and oleic acid. They help soften and soothe skin. | | Fatty alcohols | ? | Include cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, and lauryl alcohol. They help soften and soothe skin. | | Lanolin | ? | Derived from sheep wool, it helps soften and soothe skin, and prevents skin dehydration. It can cause skin irritations. | | Mineral oil | ? | Derived from crude petroleum and helps prevents skin dehydration. It also helps soften and soothe skin and is nontoxic. | | Plant oils | ? | Come from plants such as olives, corn, and sunflower. They help soften and soothe skin, and prevent skin dehydration. | | Silicone-Based Oils | Ingredient | Description |
|---|
| Cyclomethicone | ? | Lighter than natural emollients, they help protect and maintain moisture in skin. | | Dimethicones | ? | Help protect and maintain moisture in skin. They are lighter than natural emollients. | | Exfoliants | Ingredient | Description |
|---|
| Butyric acid | ? | A beta-hydroxy acid that acts as a mild skin exfoliant. It could be a mild irritant. | | Benzoic acid | ? | This beta-hydroxy acid is a mild skin exfoliant. | | Citric acid | ? | This alpha-hydroxy acid is a mild skin exfoliant that lightens freckles and similar pigment blotches, and aids in treating acne. Excess use will dry skin. | | Glycolic acid | ? | One of the better known and understood alpha-hydroxy acids that acts as a mild skin exfoliant to lighten freckles and similar pigment blotches, and treat acne. | | Lactic acid | ? | A mild skin exfoliant that helps lighten freckles and similar pigment blotches, and treat acne. | | Malic acid | ? | This alpha-hydroxy acid is a mild skin exfoliant that helps lighten freckles and similar pigment blotches, and treat acne. It may cause allergic reactions. | | Salicylic acid | ? | The best known and understood beta-hydroxy acid. It acts as a mild skin exfoliant and is also used to treat acne. | | Tartaric acid | ? | An alpha-hydroxy acid that acts as a mild skin exfoliant to lighten freckles and similar pigment blotches. It also helps clear acne. | | Humectants | Ingredient | Description |
|---|
| Glycerin | ? | One of the most effective moisturizers, it attracts and holds water in skin. | | Sorbitol | ? | One of the most effective moisturizers, it attracts and holds water in skin. | | Butylene glycol | ? | Attracts and retains water in the skin. However, it is not as effective as sorbitol or glycerin. | | Polyethylene glycol (PEG) | ? | Moisturizes skin, but it's not as effective as sorbitol or glycerin. It also can cause skin irritations. | | Mucopolysaccarides | ? | Also referred to as glycosaminoglycans, these compounds are a combination of protein and polysaccharide. They are excellent humectants. | | Sodium PCA | ? | Derived from proteins, it's a natural component of the skin. It is an excellent humectant. | | Aloe vera | ? | Mainly just water from an aloe plant. It has minimal moisturizing properties. | | Propylene glycol | ? | Attracts and retains water in the skin, moisturizing. However, it is not as effective as sorbitol or glycerin. | | Quaternary Ammonium Compounds | Ingredient | Description |
|---|
| Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride | ? | Helps combine all the various chemicals and acts as a preservative. | | Dicetydimonium chloride | ? | Helps combine all the various chemicals and acts as a preservative. | | Behentrimonium chloride | ? | Helps combine all the various chemicals and acts as a preservative. | | Behenalkonium chloride | ? | Helps combine all the various chemicals and acts as a preservative. | | Benzalkonium chloride | ? | Helps combine all the various chemicals and acts as a preservative. | | Quaternium-18 | ? | Helps combine all the various chemicals and acts as a preservative. | | Stearalkonium chloride | ? | Helps combine all the various chemicals and acts as a preservative. | | Cetrimonium chloride | ? | Helps combine all the various chemicals and acts as a preservative. |
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Appropriate Uses
Moisturizer
Helps hold water in your skin by forming a forming a protective barrier to keep it from drying out. Also soothes dry skin.
Common Misconceptions
Moisturizer
Cannot claim to prevent wrinkles. It can only hide them temporarily.
A Moisturized Body is a Happy Body
- Excess hot water and soap, low humidity, and high wind increase skin dryness. Even sunburn can increase water loss from the skin's surface. You need to protect your skin from water loss.
- Apply product when skin is damp to increase effectiveness.
- Never apply too much product as it may clog up pores and cause oily skin.
- Never rub too hard on skin, especially with a towel.
- To avoid excess skin dryness, full-body bathing with hot water should be cut back. Try a sponge bath or quick showers with warm water instead.
- An oil-based bath product such as bath oil or colloidal oatmeal may be used at the end of the bath to enhance skin hydration.
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Treat Moisturizing Power with Respect
- The following ingredients may make your skin break out:
- Vegetable oils, including almond, avocado, basil, carrot, coconut, corn, jojoba, macadamia, olive, palm, rice bran, safflower, soybean, sunflower seed, and wheat germ.
- Animal oils, including fish oils.
- Petroleum products, including mineral oil, light mineral oil, petrolatum, and white petrolatum.
- Do not use a moisturizer if you are allergic to vegetable oil, mineral oil, lanolin, vitamin E, urea, alpha-hydroxy acids, allantoin, zinc oxide, aluminum hydrozide, bismuth subnitrate, or any other ingredient in the product.
- Do not use hydroxy acids if you are allergic to citric acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, salicylic acid, tartaric acid, or any other ingredients in the product.
- Spot check for possible allergy when using a new product. Apply on a small area of skin (while adhering to product directions). Wait 24 hours, then recheck for any reaction.
Be Careful When Moisturizing
- Never use hydroxy acids on your eyelids or lips.
- Do not ingest.
- Do not administer to a child or infant.
- Do not use more than one alpha- or beta-hydroxy product on your skin at the same time.
- Consult a doctor before using if you have:
- A skin infection or irritation
- Diabetes, and you intend to use a product that contains acids or claims to exfoliate
- Poor blood circulation
- Covering lesions or applying a product with a concealing bandage may increase the degree of tissue softening and splitting, and prevent heat loss, resulting in discomfort.
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Websites, Organizations & Manufacturers
Sources & Further Reading
Books
- 1. Covington, TR; RR Berardi, LL Young, SC Kendall, MJ Hickey.Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs. American Pharmaceutical Association, Washington DC, 1996.
- 2. Winter, R.A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients. Random House, Ince. New York 1994.
- 3. Michalun, N and MV Michalun.Skin Care and Cosmetic Ingredients Dictionary. Milday Pub. Co. Albany, NY 1994.
Find more books on health and wellness at  barnesandnoble.com.
Articles
- 1. Food & Drug Administration.Thigh Creams. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Cosmetics Fact Sheet. US FDA, 2/22/95.
- 2. Kurtzweil, P.Alpha Hydroxy Acids for Skin Care. FDA Consumer. US FDA, March-April 1998.
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