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What is the best regime to combat dry skin?

PMc, North Perth.

Dry skin can be the result of an essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency and there is much you can do to help. Firstly, eat nuts and seeds on a daily basis as these contain excellent EFAs. You can add a tablespoon or two of freshly ground linseeds to your brekky cereal and also throw in a handful of sunflower seed kernels. Have a small handful of nuts for a mid-morning snack (this will also help to keep your blood sugar levels stable to provide ongoing energy). Have a couple of teaspoons of cold-pressed oils each day, such as extra virgin olive oil or cold-pressed nut oils, in a dressing for salads or drizzled over vegies. Eat fish such as salmon, tuna, swordfish, sardines or mackerel several times per week. These varieties of fish are a good source of omega 3 fatty acids (as a double bonus, omega 3s help to reduce inflammation and pain).

Make sure you are drinking 1.5 to 2 litres of fluid a day in the form of water, herbal tea and juices. Alcohol and caffeine can exacerbate dryness in skin because they act as diuretics, flushing important fluid out of your body.

Have a fresh vegetable juice daily made of carrots, celery, parsley and beetroot as these all supply excellent nutrients that help your skin either directly or indirectly. The beta-carotene in this juice is converted to vitamin A in the body. A vitamin A deficiency can be part of the problem, especially if you have lumpy dry skin on the back of your upper arms and thighs, this bumpiness might also indicate poor stomach digestion.

It’s also important to eat some protein food each day (lean meat and poultry, eggs, fish and seafood, tofu, legumes, low-fat dairy food) and plenty of green leafy and other vegetables.

Supplements that may help are fish oil, evening primrose oil, flaxseed oil, vitamin E, vitamin B complex and zinc. Use soap or shower gel with as few additives as possible (don’t use them all over your body) and don’t have the water too hot when showering as this can dry out your skin. After showering, pour a little cold pressed almond oil into the palm of your hand. Rub your hands together and pat the oil over your lower leg. Rub in briskly. Repeat over the remainder of your body. This provides a gentle, natural moisturiser that doesn’t clog the pores in your skin. Brushing your skin prior to showering with a natural bristle brush will improve lymph flow and the blood circulation.

If you have a question you would like answered, email it to jan@foodbodyandhealth.com.au