Friday, November 03, 2006

I'm fixating again




I have a strip of dry skin between my shoulder blades, right where I cannot reach it, and it is, quite literally, making me nuts. If I'm awake, I'm thinking about it.

It's caused by a combination of factors. Take it away, Mayo Clinic:

Weather. In general, your skin is driest in winter when temperatures and humidity levels plummet. Winter conditions also tend to make existing skin conditions worse.
Central heating. It's a dermatological disaster. Central heating draws moisture out of the air and out of your skin.
Too much 'cleanliness is next to godliness.' When it comes to your skin, water is a double-edged sword. Inside your skin, it keeps the cells plump and moist, but it has the opposite effect when you're immersed in it. Frequent showering or bathing, especially if you like your showers hot and your baths long, breaks down the lipid barriers in your skin.

This illustration really has nothing to do with my dry skin -- which I am treating with a spray-on moisturizer, plus I've got a pair of humidifiers running right now and I'm trying to resist rubbing my back against the wall. But I've included it because I find skin fascinating. I mean, look at all that's going on under the surface! Isn't that neat?

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