Eating right, exercising, getting enough sleep, brushing your teeth and buckling your seat belt are all good things to do to help you stay healthy and safe. In this “Healthy Goodies” section of BlueAnn’s Wild and Wooly Web site, you can learn about different things you can do to be your healthy best. Today we’re going to talk about keeping your skin healthy.

“November is National Healthy Skin Month
November is a great time for you to pay special attention to how well you take care of your skin. Did you know that your skin is the largest organ in your body? That’s right, and it is very important!

Do you know why your skin is so important?

• Skin covers and protects everything inside your body.
• It helps keep your body at the right temperature.
• Skin allows you to have a sense of touch.

Be kind to the skin you’re in!
Unlike other organs, your skin likes a good washing. Keep your hands clean because hands spread germs to the skin on other parts of your body that could cause an infection. Remember, when you wash your hands, use water that is comfortably warm. Wet your hands and lather with a mild soap, wash your palms, wrists, between your fingers and under your nails, then rinse well and dry thoroughly with a clean towel and you’re done!

When you take a bath you should use warm water and gentle soap to clean your body. Don’t forget to clean under your arms and behind your ears. Your face needs attention, too. If you have dry, flaky or itchy skin you might want to use a moisturizing lotion or cream.

Sensitive skin — Sometimes, even if you take extra special care of your skin, it still may seem itchy, dry or flaky. If you notice that your skin gets this way after you use soap, you may have sensitive skin. To soothe sensitive skin, use a moisturizing lotion or cream.

If lotion or cream doesn’t help soothe your skin, you may have an allergy that’s making your skin extra tender. It’s important to find out what’s causing your skin problem and avoid it. If your skin reactions become very bad or painful, you may need to see a skin doctor called a dermatologist (say: dur-muh-tah-luh-jist).

Rashes are other skin irritations that can be bumpy, lumpy or scaly.