2006.04.24
What’s With the Dry Skin?!?
As I hope most of you who know me personally know, I’m not too concerned with my personal appearance. I mean I don’t want to look like a homeless guy under a bridge in downtown San Francisco masturbating for the passing tourists, but I don’t care to look like I stepped out of the pages of GQ either.
Still it’s disturbing me that the skin on my face is so consistently dry. I know this is shallow and not really worthy of you, my very intelligent readers, but it’s been bugging me since last fall. I can no longer pass it off as just the winter weather because this is San Francisco; we don’t have winter here. At least nothing like the rest of the United States of A-fscking-merica north of the Mason Dixon line where winters try to rip the skin off your sticky bones and, failing that, at least make it cold enough for your balls to seek protective warth and comfort in your chest cavity.
No, I think there’s something else missing. Maybe something from my diet. Someone mentioned that I should eat more greasy food, but the last time I did that on a consistent basis -freshman year of college for those keeping score- I ended up with almost as many zits as I had in high school. I like popping zits like everyone else, but I’d rather not. I’d like to think that while I look young-ish, I’ve at least matured enough to look like I might not need to be carded at the corner store and not like I’m skipping school. After all, the only pimply faced cretins on the planet should be high schoolers, right?
Someone else recommended drinking more water. I tried this for a while and all it did was make me pee more. A lot more. And trust me, that’s just annoying. Hold on while I goto the bathroom. Again.
The obvious thing to do would be use some lotion, but that just treats the symptoms, not the problem. Does anyone of my more informed readers have any suggestions?
4 Comments Categorized: fashion grrr life
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4 Responses to “What’s With the Dry Skin?!?”
- Anonymous style-conscious guy who drank four cans of Red Bull today says (April 25th, 2006 at 15:24:10 )
Okay, start off by taking a multivitamin every day…you should probably be doing this anyway as various things (smoking, drinking booze or coffee, repeated and prolonged exposure to ocean water and direct sunlight, etc.) can screw with the condition of your skin or act as diuretics. Supplement with A and E if necessary.
As we get older, our skin loses some elasticity and produces less oil (initially this is a good thing as you probably noticed in your early twenties when you stopped getting zits…or maybe you were never prone to zits, I dunno). If you don’t moisturize, you will likely wrinkle faster in addition to drying out; this is a very, very bad thing. And moisturizing, while symptomatic treatment, is about the best we can do since the main *cause* of the problem is aging, plain and simple. Usually, that is. You may want to check in with your dermatologist if you suspect you really have a medical issue (I doubt it).
I recommend washing your face with a gentle cleanser (not bar soap – that will definitely dry you skin to hell) and applying a Kiehl’s-branded moisturuzer (one of the products specifically labelled “for men” – do *not* by the girly stuff as girls have different skin issues than we do). Stop by Needless Markups or hit the Kiehl’s store in Pac Heights and they’ll hook you up.
- Mookee says (April 25th, 2006 at 18:11:47 )
You realize that while you’re sitting here saying you’re not trying to look out of the pages of GQ, the picture of you in a tie has appeared on the front screen … I find that pretty humorous considering the only time I’ve ever seen you wear a tie is when someone has forced you to attend a wedding (or something along those lines).
That being said, beer is probably the solution. Drink lots of it.
There is also the possibility that it’s the surfing … doesn’t mean you should stop surfing, but that could be a factor. If nothing else, it (the sun) may be burning your skin (not so much that you’d notice, but enough to dry it out).
Of course, my dermatological skills aren’t what they used to be, so it’s very possible that my theories are just crap, but those are some ideas.
- douglas says (April 25th, 2006 at 18:34:41 )
Funny the “anonymous” fellow mentioned the Keihl’s as that’s just what someone at work today presented to me. I’ll use it though as was pointed out it only treats the symptoms.
Surfing might be a factor, though my skin was still remarkably dry even for long periods where I wasn’t out. I’m inclined to think that while I could avoid sunlight (and not just for the health of my skin) this isn’t a primary factor.
Getting old… Well there you might be on to something. We tend to physically mature slowly in my family so it’s possible I’m just now hitting what most people hit in their twenties. I suppose I could take pills or drink more beer.
If you ever see a picture of me wearing a tie that would be because I *am* at a wedding. The only other time I can remember wearing a tie was to my previous job once just to get a reaction out of people. I think it worked…
- m.ookee.com says (April 27th, 2006 at 08:25:23 )
…one other thing. Research has suggested that sunlight actually is good for you, but not in massive quantities (something about the body’s ability to use vitamin D properly or something). Research also suggests that coffee is good for you, but not in massive quantities. Research has suggested that alcohol is good for you, though not in massive quantities.
It’s interesting how we need research to tell us what someone (I don’t know who it was) made it clear a long time ago, “Everything in moderation.”
