Dry Skin
Dry Skin Symptoms | Dry Skin Treatment | Dry Skin Care | Dry Skin Therapy | More Articles on Dry Skin

Dry Skin and Causes of Dry Skin

Dry skin, formally known as xerosis, is an extremely common problem everybody suffers from every now and again. Dry skin becomes so due to problems in retaining moisture within the skin, thus causing the skin to dry out.

How do I know if my skin is dry?

If you're skin lacks natural moisture, it may exhibit some of the following symptoms:

  • Tightness, particularly after bathing.
  • Flaky
  • Chapping
  • Cracking
  • Itching
  • Stinging

What causes dry skin?

  • There are different causes of dry skin; it may be any number or combination of the following:
  • Wind / Rain in cold winter conditions can dramatically dry the skin as well as overexposure to the sun.
  • Central heating creates low humidity within the home, drying the skin.
  • Dietary insufficiencies can cause the skin to dry through lack of nutrients.
  • Cosmetic products and some soap can often dry the skin.
  • Illnesses such as diabetes, under active thyroid.
  • Some Drug / Medication use such as antihistamines can cause dry skin.
  • Low sebum (oil layer) production means the skin has less protection.
  • Other skin conditions such as eczema, dermatitis or psoriasis.

How can I treat dry skin?

Sometimes when one suffers from dry skin the thought is they can re-moisturise their skin by bathing it in water. Doing this will in fact make things worse, as it removes the protective sebum (oil layer) from the skin, making skin more prone to drying than before. Some of the best ways to re-hydrate skin are:

  • Have a healthy balanced diet full of foods which contain sulphur, Vitamin A, B and C which are all great for the skin.
  • Wash with good soap products such as Dove or Olay, which don't dry skin so much.
  • Don't bathe more than once if you can help it. Bathing excessively removes the protective sebum (oil layer) from the skin.
  • Use lukewarm water when bathing, hot water dries the skin out more.
  • Use a good moisturising cream, particularly after shaving.
  • If you can afford it, buying an air humidifier to use throughout the winter months can help counter the drying effects of central heating usage.