Tip # 97 Frugal fixes; Wave it Away

     Wave what away? Here's the skinny on it - er, should I say "Here's the skin on it?" Yep, I'm talking about skin care. Why? Whether a minor issue or a major one, skin difficulties are common during the recovery process. In the near future I will be addressing bedsores, and other medical skin related issues. Today though, I'm simply addressing something common to many but more prevalent in illness: crazy dry skin. Nope, simply saying dry skin doesn't cover it… I mean crazy dry skin. What's the deal?

• Lots of medications "dry you out," as they say; dry your mouth, dry your skin, give you dry eyes… hopefully you don't have to take said meds indefinitely. If it's too bothersome, ask your pharmacist/physician if there are other options available.
• Dehydration and dry skin go hand in hand - and if you are not feeling well, and/or you are nauseated and/or you don't have much energy or ability to ambulate, you may have to get creative about making sure you're getting enough water. Make drinking a priority.
• Ironically, showing or bathing too often also dries your skin out - but only if you're bathing too often, and/or staying in the bath too long (it would be helpful if "too often" and "too long" had an exact definition, but apparently it's different for everyone)… The hitch is that sometimes you end up bathing more often and for a longer time (like soaking in the tub for an hour each night to reduce pain in addition to your regular morning shower, etc). Lather up with cream when you get out if you can - if you're still a little wet when you apply it, that's even better.
• If you've had a cast on your leg for 6 weeks, you'll see that presto-magico you have a shrivelled muscle (complete with a very hairy leg I might add!) and very dry, very flaky, and very sensitive skin. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do to prevent this, but there is a help to treat it - it's the wave.

     What wave? The Neutrogena wave. I LOVE it! I'm not one to spend a ton of money on beauty products, but frankly, I would spend money on this if I had too! Due to my meds, my dehydration, and other factors, my skin feels as dry as mud - until I use my wave. You put a little round pad on the wave, wet it, and turn it on; it vibrates as it gently exfoliates. The mud that is my face becomes silky smooth. It also works on the scrawny hairy leg that comes out of the cast, and makes the leg feel better too. It's amazing really. In all the years I've been ill and on drying meds, I have never found anything quite so lovely for my skin. And, it's cheap. And the refill pads are cheap too.
     So, it doesn't fit or fix every dry skin situation, but the wave sure does make a difference. And, face it, if there is something inexpensive that is going to make you feel more human in this whole crazy recovery situation, that's fantastic! Lastly, it turns out that if you have a little one in your life (like my 1 year old Ms. M), if you turn the wave on and put it on a hard surface in front of them, the vibrating wave will bounce around and make a fun noise and result in much awe and many giggles. Can't beat that!
  
Happy waving away!