VISTA® Advanced Hand and Foot Healing Balm

Dry skin is a common, albeit uncomfortable, condition. Thankfully, proper care can help soften the roughness. Using a well-formulated healing balm packed with lubricating lipids, hydrating humectants, and moisture-locking ingredients can keep your skin feeling smooth.

What is Dry Skin?
Dry skin—known medically as xerosis cutis—not only looks dull, but it also, quite literally, leaves you feeling uncomfortable in your own skin. The sensation differs from one person to another, but dry skin tends to feel rough, and may also be itchy, flaky, and cracked. Skin that lacks moisture often appears to be ashen, or, if inflamed, red. All areas of body can be affected, however the extremities—especially the hands and feet are particularly prone to dryness.

The Many Layers of your Skin
The skin is the body’s largest organ, which covers an area of approximately 20 square feet! The skin has three layers to performs different functions: the epidermis (outer), dermis (middle), hypodermis (inner).

The epidermis has several layers of skin cells (keratinocytes) in different stages of their lifecycle. Stem cells reside in the lower layer and produce skin cells that eventually flatten as they approach the surface. The cells near the surface sit in a mixture of proteins and lipids (fats, such as ceramides, fatty acids, and cholesterol), which gives the skin its ability to retain water and stay hydrated. Healthy skin forms a waterproof barrier, which protects us from the environment, irritants, and menacing microbes.

The middle dermis layer contains connective tissue, such as elastin and collagen, which provides skin with a unique texture that is strong yet flexible. Blood vessels innervate this layer and supply the skin with the oxygen and nutrients it needs to be healthy and moisturized.

The hypodermis consists of mostly fat and acts as an anchor for the skin, and in addition, helps to insulate your body from temperature extremes and absorbs shock.

What Causes Dry Skin?
Dry skin is typically a temporary and minor problem; however, it is often unpleasant and distracting. Everyone experiences it from time to time, however, certain factors can increase one’s susceptibility to dry skin or worsen the condition. Many environmental factors and underlying health conditions play a role in determining how your skin feels.

Risk Factors:

• Dry Environments: When living in dry, dessert climates or heated indoor environments
• Cold Exposure: During cold winter months when humidity tends to be lower
• Hot Water: If you take hot baths and showers—especially if they are long
• Swimming: If you frequently swim in chlorinated pools
• Harsh Soaps: If you use harsh soaps and detergents that strip oil from your skin
• Products Containing a Lot of Alcohol: If you overuse products formulated with alcohol (ethanol, denatured alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, SD alcohol, and benzyl alcohol), such as hand sanitizers and certain body products
• Products Containing Fragrance/Irritants: Use of hand, body, and face products that contain high amounts of fragrance, volatile oils, and other irritating ingredients
• Frequent Hand Washing: If your job requires you to frequently wash your hands
• Age: If you are in your 40s or older (more than 50% of older adults have dry skin)
• Poor Diet: An unbalanced diet, especially one lacking healthy fats and omega-3l fatty acids
• Underlying Skin Condition: If you have a skin condition, such as atopic dermatitis (eczema) or psoriasis
• Diabetes: If you have diabetes—poor circulation can impact your skin’s ability to stay hydrated

Taking Care of Your Skin
You can do a lot on your own to improve your skin, including using well-formulated moisturizers and avoiding harsh, drying soaps and detergents. Learn to read the labels on hand, body, and hair care products so you can better avoid ingredients that are too harsh or are known irritants. Strive to eat a balanced diet that contains healthy fats and plenty of vitamins and minerals. Your skin needs energy and the proper building blocks to stay healthy and hydrated. Eating foods high in essential fatty acids (especially omega-3s), such as oily fish, shellfish, walnuts, flax seeds, or taking a supplement can help support your skin. Try to avoid excessive salt or sugar or those that spike blood sugar levels—especially if you have diabetes.

Not all cases of dry skin can be easily cared for. Some people may have dry skin that is chronic (long-lasting) and severe. This can potentially result in complications, such as inflammation, cracking, and infections. In these cases, you may need help from a doctor who specializes in skin (dermatologist).

Diabetes and Dry Skin
People with diabetes are especially prone to dry skin since both high blood sugar levels and poor circulation can affect the skin. High blood sugar is dehydrating, and it results in moisture loss from the tissues such as the skin. Poor circulation compounds the matter. The dermis is packed with blood vessels that supplies your skin with the oxygen and nutrients it needs to function properly. Disrupting this supply can result complications, including in dry skin.

VISTA® Advanced Hand and Foot Healing Balm
VISTA® Advanced Healing Balm is a moisture-rich formula that fortifies, repairs, and rejuvenates dry, cracked skin. Emollient plant-based oils and extracts, such as Jojoba Oil, Shea Butter, and Aloe Vera, immediately soothes dry skin. Our replenishing blend of Triglycerides, Lanolin, Allantoin, and Vegetable Glycerin, also locks in moisture for long-lasting hydration. This rich and deeply penetrating formula is ideal for diabetics.

Rich Emollients and Hydrating Humectants: Emollients help to directly soften and moisturize depleted skin. Planted-based Jojoba Oil, Castor Oil, and Shea Butter are renowned for their excellent moisturizing and restorative properties. Jojoba Oil has a similar texture to the natural oils (sebum) produced by skin. In addition to being a moisturizer, Shea Butter is packed with antioxidants, and contains skin replenishing fatty acids. Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides—which is derived from coconut oil and glycerin—also helps to replenish skin. Beeswax is a natural ingredient with emollient properties derived from honeycomb. Humectants attract water from deep within the dermis of the skin and the air and like a magnet pulls these molecules into the epidermis (upper level of skin) where it is needed the most. Allantoin is a humectant and gentle moisturizer that soothes and conditions skin. Castor Seed Oil has emollient properties as well as notable water-binding properties. Glycerin is found naturally in skin where it helps to maintain moisture and defend against dryness. Vegetable Glycerin acts similarly, and helps to restore and replenish skin.

Refresh and Rejuvenate: Aloe vera is a soothing plant extract with antioxidant properties that leaves skin feeling refreshed. Tocopherol Acetate—better known as Vitamin E—is an antioxidant found in the skin and used by the body to combat oxidative stress that can lead to damage overtime. This vitamin becomes depleted when skin is exposed to UV radiation and other environmental pollutants. Ascorbyl Palmitate is a stable form of Vitamin C—which is another well-known antioxidant necessary for healthy skin.

Sealing in the Moisture: Cosmetics-grade Mineral Oil is a safe and extremely powerful emollient that helps to replenish moisture to severely dry skin. It further supports skin by locking in moisture. Lanolin is a rich moisturizer that is ideal for the very dry skin that often burdens the hands and feet.