Grants Pass, OR (PRWEB) February 06, 2015
Winter is the season when numerous articles appear with tips for avoiding the condition called “winter dry skin.”* Fresh water advocate and radio host Sharon Kleyne has been studying dry skin for decades. She believes that the starting point in dry skin prevention should be to know the skin’s precise moisture (water) content. A personal hand held moisture meter would provide this information and alert users to dry skin before symptoms appeared. Dry skin is an early indicator of internal dehydration (excessive body water loss), which weakens the immune system and increases the likelihood of catching colds or flu.
*Anderson, L, “Tips on treating skin in dry winter weather,” WDB7 (Roanoke, VA), February 2, 2015
http://www.wdbj7.com/health/tips-on-treating-skin-in-dry-winter-weather/31053916
Kleyne will discuss personal hand moisture meters and winter dehydration on her upcoming Sharon Kleyne Hour™ Power of Water® radio show of February 9, 2015. For the live broadcast, or podcasts of past shows, go to http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2207/the-sharon-kleyne-hour.
The syndicated radio show, hosted by Sharon Kleyne, is heard weekly on VoiceAmerica and Apple iTunes. The education oriented show is sponsored by Bio-Logic Aqua® Research, a global research and technology center founded by Kleyne and specializing in fresh water, the atmosphere and dehydration. Nature’s Tears® EyeMist® is the Research Center’s signature product for dry and dehydrated eyes.
To Kleyne’s knowledge, there are is no personal hand held skin moisture meters available on the global consumer market A friend of Kleyne’s owns a hand held moisture meter used to measure the water content of wood. When the friend held the meter against his forearm, he obtained a reading of 71 percent, about average for a healthy, 36-year-old male in summer. Kleyne believes that it would not require too much modification to convert the wood meter to a human skin moisture meter.
Winter dehydration also affects the water content of the protective tear film covering the eyes, leading to a condition called “winter dry eye.” Unlike skin, Kleyne notes, there are commercially available products that measure the moisture content of the eyes tear film.
Winter is dry skin season, says Kleyne, because the atmosphere cannot hold nearly as much water vapor (humidity) at colder temperatures than at warmer temperatures. Thus, there is less opportunity for skin to absorb water vapor from the surrounding atmosphere. People also spend far more time indoors in winter, which increases exposure to dehydrating forced air heating and cooling and insulated walls and windows. .
Dry or dehydrated skin, according to Kleyne’s (unpublished) research, lowers the effectiveness of the skin’s “acid mantle protection barrier” that helps defend against bacterial and viral invasion. Dry skin is also an indicator of internal dehydration (other symptoms include dry mouth, dry eye, fatigue, headache, thirst and lack of perspiration). Internal dehydration weakens the immune system, which is why flu is far more common in winter. Dehydration can result from low atmospheric humidity, wind, excessive heat or cold, fever and numerous foods and medications
The skin’s outermost layer, the “stratum corneum,” according to Kleyne, should contain 10 percent water to remain smooth and supple. A lower moisture content reduces the stratum corneum‘s ability to bind and hold water. Water absorbed through the stratum corneum’s upper surface diffuses into underlying skin layers, the “dermis” and “epidermis,” which have a much higher moisture content. When insufficient water is received from the stratum corneum, the epidermis and dermis take water out of the blood, resulting in internal dehydration.
A primary method of avoiding dehydration, says Kleyne, is to drink at least eight glasses (eight ounces per glass) of fresh water per day in addition to all other fluid intake. Drink two full glasses upon rising and at least four of the remaining glasses all at once rather than sipping. Avoid alcohol, caffeine and sugary drinks, which are dehydrating. Children 12 and under should drink half their body weight in ounces per day (a 50 pound child would drink 25 ounces of water).
Another method of avoiding winter dry skin, according to Kleyne, is the application of the products Nature’s Tears® EyeMist® or Nature’s Mist® skin moisture, from Bio-Logic Aqua® Research. Both are intended to supplement lost skin and eye moisture resulting from exposure to dry winter air.