Causes of Dry Skin and how to correct them

Aileen Brown
4 min readJun 23, 2022

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dry skin

overview

Dry skin is usually not a big deal. Most dry skin is caused by factors such as hot or cold weather, low humidity in the air, and soaking in hot water.

You can take steps to relieve dry skin, including using moisturizing creams and avoiding soaps that can cause dry skin. But sometimes dry skin occurs frequently or becomes severe. In this case, you may need help from a dermatologist.

symptom

symptoms

Dry skin is usually temporary — for example, only in winter — but it can be lifelong. The signs and symptoms of dry skin depend on your age, health, where you live, how much time you spend outdoors, and what causes the condition. Dry skin may cause one or more of the following symptoms:

> Feeling of tight Skin, especially after showering, bathing, or swimming

》 skin feels and looks rough

》Itchy Skin (pruritus)

> Mild to severe chipping, scaling or peeling

》Fine lines or cracks in the skin

》Skin color is gray or off-white

》Skin redness

> Deep cracks in the skin that may bleed

When to see a doctor

Lifestyle and home remedies respond well to most cases of dry skin. Seek medical attention if:

1. No improvement in skin despite best efforts

2. Dry Skin with redness

3. Dryness and itching interfere with sleep

4. Open sores or infections due to scratching

5. Extensive scaling or peeling

Cause

cause

Dry skin (xeroderma) often has environmental causes. Certain diseases can also seriously affect your skin. Potential causes of dry skin include:

1. Climate. Skin tends to be driest in winter when temperatures and humidity drop dramatically. But the season may not be an essential factor if you live in a desert area.

2. Heat. Central heating, wood-burning fireplaces, space heaters, and fireplaces can reduce humidity and dry your skin.

3. Hot baths and showers. Long hot baths or showers can dry out the skin. The same goes for regular swimming, especially in a pool with high chlorine content.

4. Irritating soaps and detergents. Many popular soaps, detergents, and shampoos strip moisture from the skin because they are formulated to remove oil.

5. Use expired or deteriorated skin care products. Many products are prone to breakage due to not being put out of the skincare fridge for storage, which can lead to skin infections.

6. Other skin diseases. People with skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis (eczema) or psoriasis are more likely to experience dry skin.

Risk factors

risk factor

Anyone can experience dry skin. But you may be more susceptible to the disease if you:

1. the 40s or older. This risk increases with age (more than 50 % of older adults experience dry skin).

2. Living in a dry, cold, or low humidity environment.

3. Doing jobs that require you to submerge your skin in water, such as nurses and hairstylists.

4. Swim often in chlorinated pools.

Complication

Dry skin is usually harmless. But left untreated, dry skin can lead to:

>>Atopic dermatitis (eczema). If you are prone to developing this condition, excessive dryness of the skin may contribute to the onset of the disease, causing redness, cracking, and inflammation.

>>Infection. Dry skin can cause the skin to crack, allowing bacteria to enter and cause an infection.

>>These complications are most likely to arise when the skin’s standard protective mechanisms are severely compromised. For example, severely dry skin can create deep cracks or fissures that can crack open and bleed, opening the door for bacteria to invade.

Prevention

Try these tips to keep your skin from becoming overly dry:

1. Moisturize. Moisturizers create a sealing layer on the skin, preventing moisture loss.

Reduce exposure to water. Limit shower and bath time to 10 minutes or less. The water temperature should not be too high. Try not to bathe more than once a day.

2. Avoid using dry soaps. Try a facial cleanser or mild facial cleanser, as well as a body wash containing moisturizing ingredients.

3. Pay attention to the preservation of skin care products. The use of skin care products causes many skin problems. Many skin care products are originally good, but they eventually lead to bacterial infection and deterioration due to improper storage. Just imagine what would happen if you smeared something terrible on your skin? Therefore, these things can usually be stored in a special mini beauty fridge, which is convenient and protects your skin care products.

4. Cover your skin as much as possible in cold or windy weather. Skin is especially prone to dryness in winter, so wear a scarf, hat, and gloves when you go outside.

5. Wear rubber gloves. Wearing gloves can help protect your skin if you immerse your hands in water or use harsh cleansers.

For more skincare knowledge topics, you can click here: https://cooseon.com/blogs/new

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Aileen Brown

Beauty and skin care lover. Help women everywhere look and feel their best.