All You Need To Know About Dry Skin

Dry skin is an unpleasant condition characterised by scaling, itching, and cracking. Many factors could be at play. It is possible to have naturally dry skin. But even if your skin is normally oily, it is possible for you to get dry skin.

Any area of your body may be impacted by dry skin. Usually, the hands, arms, and legs are affected. Changes in lifestyle and over-the-counter moisturisers may be sufficient treatments in many cases. If those treatments don’t work, you should consult a doctor.

If you often wash your hands and use hand sanitiser, your hands could become dry. It may be useful to moisturise after each time you wash your hands. Here is all you need to know about dry skin.

Types of dry skin

Due to exposure to hot water, specific chemicals, and dry weather, your skin may become dry. Moreover, underlying medical issues might cause dry skin. Dermatitis is the medical term for extremely dry skin. Many types of dermatitis exist, and they are listed below.

Contact dermatitis

When your skin reacts to something it touches, localised inflammation known as contact dermatitis results. Irritant contact dermatitis can manifest when your skin is exposed to an irritating chemical agent, such as bleach.

Allergic contact dermatitis can happen when a substance, like nickel, comes into touch with your skin.

Seborrheic dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis is brought on by your skin’s excessive oil production. On your scalp, it often develops a red, scaly rash. Such dermatitis frequently affects infants.

Atopic dermatitis

Like eczema, atopic dermatitis is a skin condition. This persistent skin condition will cause dry, scaly areas to appear on your skin. It happens frequently to young children. In addition, other conditions including type 2 diabetes and psoriasis can cause your skin to become dry.

Is dry skin normal?

The short answer is yes. It’s typical for your skin to gradually get drier as you age. The majority of people get dry skin by the age of 60.

What causes dry skin?

Dry skin occurs when the skin loses too much water and becomes dehydrated. A few factors can make it more likely for the skin to lose water.

Risk factors for dry skin

Everyone can develop dry skin. Yet, several risk factors increase your likelihood of acquiring dry skin, such as:

• Age. Dry skin is more common in older people. Your risk of developing dry skin increases as you age because your pores naturally generate less oil.
• Medical history. If you have a family history of eczema or other allergic illnesses, you are more prone to develop allergic contact dermatitis or eczema.
• Season. Dry skin is more prevalent in the fall and winter months when humidity levels are low. More humidity throughout the summer prevents your skin from drying out.
• Bathing habits. The risk of developing dry skin is increased if you frequently bathe or wash in very hot water.

Severe and chronic dry skin

Even though occasional skin dryness is normal, some people may have extremely dry skin. This could indicate that your skin is more frequently than usual flaky, itchy, or inflamed, which can be challenging to effectively cure.

What causes chronic dry skin?

There are a number of potential reasons and risk factors for extremely dry or chronic skin. They consist of:

• medications
• older age
• vitamin deficiency
• diabetes, thyroid disease, or kidney disease
• chemotherapy
• anorexia
• skin barrier dysfunction

Symptoms of dry skin

A few signs of dry skin may indicate the need for therapy or lifestyle modifications. These signs may manifest as:

• the skin’s flaky or rough appearance
• excessive itchiness
• infections
• skin burns or stings
• peeling skin

Can dry skin cause acne?

Contrary to popular belief, acne does not exclusively affect those with greasy skin. While blemishes can appear when there is widespread skin damage, dry skin can also result in acne.

Consider maintaining your regular skincare routine while additionally using an acne-prone skin-specific moisturiser twice daily to fight both dry skin and breakouts. Moreover, stay away from chemicals like rubbing alcohol because they can further dry up your skin.

Treatment for dry skin

The course of treatment that your doctor advises will depend on what is causing your dry skin.

They might suggest a dermatologist or skin specialist in specific circumstances. They might suggest over-the-counter or prescribed ointments, creams, or lotions in addition to lifestyle changes to treat your symptoms.

How to prevent dry skin

The course of treatment that your doctor advises will depend on what is causing your dry skin.

They might suggest a dermatologist or skin specialist in specific circumstances. They might suggest over-the-counter or prescribed ointments, creams, or lotions in addition to lifestyle changes to treat your symptoms.

• Avoid using hot water to bathe or shower; 
• Limit shower times to 10 minutes; use moisturising soap in the shower; 
• Apply moisturiser right after; 
• Pat, rather than rub, wet skin dry with a soft towel; 
• Minimize bathing or showering in hot water.
• Avoid scratching or rubbing spots of dry skin.
• Utilise a humidifier at home, drink lots of water, and adjust your skincare routine in accordance with your doctor’s recommendations.

It’s crucial to select the proper moisturiser for your skin type. You should seek a petrolatum-based product if your skin is really dry.

During the summer, you might want to switch to a lighter lotion made of water. Antioxidants and grapeseed oil in lotions can also help your skin retain moisture.

Outlook for dry skin

If you occasionally have dry skin, you can probably avoid and treat it with a few straightforward lifestyle adjustments and over-the-counter moisturisers. Make an appointment with your doctor if you get really dry skin.

Dermatitis can develop worse if untreated. You’ll feel better faster if you receive therapy as soon as possible. Also, it will lessen your chance of problems including skin infections and open sores from scratching.