Everyone experiences dry skin at some time, and in our climate dry skin is extremely common in the cold, dry months of winter. Preventing dry skin is definitely better than experiencing the flaking and itching!
Your skin covers the entire exterior of your body and has a surface area of close to two square metres or 21 square feet. It has three layers with the outermost layer, the epidermis, protecting the underlying layers.
The epidermis is the part of your skin that you see. Its cells develop in its lower areas, rising to the surface in six to eight weeks, where they slough-off. With dry skin, the surface skin cells contain less moisture and more readily flake off.
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Moisture is essential to preventing dry skin. At about 30 per cent room humidity, dry skin occurs because there is not enough moisture to maintain skin cell integrity. Ideally, you want at least 50 per cent room humidity, and you may need a room humidifier to achieve it because in the winter months, outdoor humidity is low and with indoor heating, the air in your home can be both hot and dry.
Besides low humidity, hot baths or showers, using harsh soaps or detergents, and sun exposure can worsen dry skin. Ideally, when humidity is low or you have dry skin, you want to keep hot baths or showers to a minimum, and moisturize your skin immediately after bathing or showering.
Choose mild soaps and avoid ones that contain deodorants, antiseptics, or antibacterials as these tend to be harsher. Soaps or shower gels with added moisturizers are good choices.
If you already have a skin condition like eczema or psoriasis, you are more susceptible to dry skin, and you may dismiss your dry skin symptoms as being part of your skin condition. With thyroid problems, your skin can be dry, but good thyroid control will reduce skin symptoms.
Unfortunately, as you age, so does your skin, leading to an increased risk of dry skin. It’s estimated that 75 per cent of people over 65 years are bothered by dry skin.
You may be familiar with the symptoms of dry skin, including skin tightness, itching or pruritus, flaking or peeling, fine skin lines or cracks, and redness. Yes, it is bothersome, but you do want to treat dry skin early and aggressively because it can result in skin damage, loss of skin integrity, and infections like cellulitis and folliculitis.
If you do treat your dry skin, but it doesn’t seem to improve or if it even becomes worse, you need to check with a health-care professional. When your dry skin is extremely red or has open sores or covers large areas, you also want to have it checked.
Creams and ointments are the mainstay of dry skin therapy. Creams are water based and more esthetically pleasing. However you do need to apply them more often because their moisture rapidly evapourates with low humidity.
Ointments are greasier like petroleum jelly and remain longer on the skin surface, locking in moisture. Most moisturizing creams and lotions are combinations, but the key to effective use is frequent application.
Choose a moisturizing cream based on your personal preference. Remember, perfumes can cause irritation to your already-irritated skin. Bath oils are not usually recommended because they make the bathtub slippery and are usually washed-off when you rinse.
A better approach is to apply a moisturizing cream to your still-damp skin as soon as you finish bathing or showering. For the itchiness that accompanies dry skin, avoid wearing fabrics that worsen your symptoms and consider a non-drowsy antihistamine to control the symptoms.
And, don’t forget to wear gloves to protect your hands!
