[Rosinante]

Hi. Well, it's a NSV in itself that I'm posting here - it's been a while since I cared enough about me to want to pamper me. The miracle side-effect of even a little weight loss!

Anyway, the skind on my hands is getting very dry recently. OK, I'm not a spring chicken, at 53 not even a summer one, but currently my hands look drier than my 88 year old mother's!

I know I could buy a hand cream but I'd rather know how to improve my skin from the inside. For Lent I'm eating vegetarian, non-dairy. Does anyone know what kind of good foods I could be eating to help my skin?

TIA.

[anastasia]

i'm not sure there is anything.

i have real issues with my hands and always have to carry hand cream.

[maryblu]

Put some Windex on it.

Kidding, that was the dad's solution for everything in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

I have a year on you, and certainly am in the high maintenance years, but, it is very doable!

There is no way around the need for some help from the outside. Any good hand cream will do; just be faithful. I use an old Mary Kay night cream; it is pink and sticky, so I slather it on at night; it works great, but there are lots of good products.

From the inside, it's a healthy fat and water issue. Everyone knows the water thing. The essential fatty acids, not so much. Omega 3s, especially those found in fatty fish..Salmon, especially. If you are vegetarian, you can buy high quality fish oil capsules. So worth it. If you burp "fishy", just take them with food. Flax Seed Oil also has abundant Omega 3s, just not the same exact ratio of EPA/DHEAs.

Fish Oil capsules are my Windex for hair and skin. Nothing helps my nails, nothing. ....??

By the way, congrats on the vegetarian lifestyle. I am just watching Morning Joe and the conversation about corn-fed beef consumption in this country having as big a carbon foot print as our gas-guzzling auto addiction.

Food for thought.