Dry Skin - What causes it and what to do about it..

by Michelle Tapara June 3, 2022

Dry skin feels and looks rough, itchy, flaky, scaly and tight.

Dry skin has many causes and can easily be treated with good home care.

Dry skin can be temporary and is often seasonal, it can vary due to hormones at any stage of life. Skin types affect the severity of dry skin well as your health, living environment and sun exposure.

Symptoms of Dry Skin

Tight feeling skin
Skin that feels and looks rough
Itchiness (pruritus)
Slight to severe flaking skin, which creates the ashy look that can affect skin tone
Slight to severe scaling or peeling
Cracked "dry riverbed" often visible on shins
Fine lines or cracks
Skin that appears reddish on white skin and grayish on darker skins
Deep cracks that may bleed
Ingrown hairs

Causes of dry skin

Heat, whether it be due to sitting by the fireplace or central heating, heat reduces moisture in the air which causes the skin to dry.
Windy environments.
Soaps that are too harsh. Harsh Soaps remove the skin's natural oils.Natural oils create a barrier to assist the skin to hold its moisture. This is when moisturisers can be particularly handy.
Ageing, the skin produces less oils as we age, leaving us naturally susceptible to dryer thinner skin.

Prevention

Exfoliate the skin. When we remove rough dry flakey skin we are removing dead thirsty cells that seek to draw moisture from the lower layers. Exfoliating reveal young fresh skin that is able to absorb and hold moisturiser. This creates younger softer looking skin and preventing ingrowns.
Moisturiser keeps your skin's protective barrier healthy by sealing in moisture. Moisturising each morning and throughout the day, especially on the hands and areas of skin that you wax is an important step in reducing ingrown hairs. Before going outdoors use a moisturiser that contains a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, even on cloudy days. Apply sunscreen generously and reapply every two hours — or more often if you're swimming or sweating.
Limit showers to less than ten minutes, this is good for the planet and good for your skin. Using warm water is less stripping of natural skin oils then a hotter water, and is good for your hair too.