Dry Skin in Winter

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD on November 02, 2009
Source: 2009 WebMD

How Water Benefits Your Skin

Few things are as good as water for keeping your skin in shape. Water keeps skin hydrated, reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles. It helps cells take up nutrients and purge toxins. And water improves circulation and blood flow, keeping your skin glowing.
Follow your thirst, or aim for about eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.


Selenium for Your Skin

Selenium is a trace mineral that may help protect skin cells from free radical damage. It may also play a role in skin cancer prevention.
Excellent sources of selenium include Brazil nuts, button mushrooms, shrimp, lamb, and fish such as snapper, cod, halibut, tuna, and salmon. Selenium is also found in cooked beef, light turkey meat, oysters, sardines, crab, and whole-wheat pasta.


CoQ10: Coenzyme Q10

CoQ10 is a powerful antioxidant made naturally in your body. It protects skin and other body cells from the damages of free radicals. CoQ10 is also involved in energy production and immune system function.
The main food sources of CoQ10 include oily fish such as salmon and tuna, organ meats such as liver, and whole grains.


Antioxidants for Healthy Cells

Antioxidants prevent or slow the damage done to cells by free radicals. This damage contributes to signs of aging, such as wrinkles and dry skin.
Antioxidants can be found in all kinds of foods, especially colorful fruits and vegetables such as berries, tomatoes, apricots, beets, squash, spinach, sweet potato, tangerines, peppers, and beans.


Vitamin A for Skin Repair

Want to steer clear of dry, flaky skin? Grab an orange, a carrot, or a slice of cantaloupe.
These fruits and vegetables are loaded with vitamin A, which helps hydrate the lower layers of the skin. Other good food sources of vitamin A include leafy greens, eggs, and low-fat dairy such as cheese and milk.


Vitamin C: Power Over the Sun

Vitamin C helps protect skin from the sun. It also helps undo damage done by free radicals, which destroy skin-firming fibers such as collagen and elastin.
Excellent sources of vitamin C include red bell peppers, citrus fruits, papaya, kiwi, broccoli, greens, and brussel sprouts.


Vitamin E: Booster of Skin Health

Vitamin E is another antioxidant that may help shield your skin from damage done by the sun. Vitamin E is also an anti-inflammatory and immunity enhancer.
Vitamin E is found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, olives, spinach, asparagus, olives, and leafy greens in small amounts.


Essential Fatty Acids for Your Skin

Essential fatty acids such as omega-3s and omega-6s help produce your skin’s natural oil barrier, keeping dry skin and blemishes at bay. EFAs are necessary fats that help leave skin smoother and younger-looking.
Good sources of essential fatty acids include olive and canola oils, flax, walnuts, and cold-water fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel.


Healthy Oils for Healthy Skin

Some oils pack more than essential fatty acids. Good-quality oils like extra virgin olive oil and cold- or expeller-pressed oil are more simply processed than many commercial oils, and so they may help retain more skin-boosting nutrients.
These oils may also help lubricate skin and keep it looking and feeling healthy.


Green Tea: Antioxidant Powerhouse

Green tea may be the closest thing to a magic elixir that nature can offer for your skin. Green tea helps to stop inflammation, slow DNA damage, and can help prevent the sun from burning your skin.
You can find green tea in an abundance of cosmetics, but why not go straight to the source for a green tea boost: your tea pot.