Let me first reassure you – dry skin is usually not a serious condition, it’s just one of the more uncomfortable ones. In most cases, dry skin is usually short-lived and can be resolved with a few lifestyle changes and improved skin care.
Dry skin is typically characterized by tightness, flaking, itching, stinging, and scratching of the skin. It can occur in all skin types, including those with oily, combination, or acne-prone skin. It is most commonly experienced by those with drier skin types or those who have problems with their skin's protective barrier.
And we often confuse the two conditions: when your skin is dry and when it is dehydrated. If you have dry skin, it means you have fewer oil glands that protect your skin from moisture loss. Dry skin can be a skin type or caused by a number of lifestyle factors, such as diet, environment, skincare products, genetics, and medications. Without enough oil, your skin can’t retain moisture or create a strong protective barrier. Dry skin usually feels flaky and tight, most commonly around the eyebrows and around the nostrils. Dehydrated skin, however, is the result of a lack of water, not oil. However, many people with dry skin can also have dehydrated skin because the skin’s natural protective barrier can’t function properly to prevent moisture loss.
First, it's helpful to understand how the skin protects itself and what dry skin actually is, so let's take a few steps back to explain the basic concepts.
WHAT IS THE PROTECTIVE SKIN BARRIER?
The skin barrier refers to the top layers of the skin, which contain natural oils or sebum, ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids. The skin barrier helps protect the skin from bacteria, allergens and fungi, and prevents water loss into the air. The balance of skin cells and natural oils is crucial for a healthy skin barrier. Oils or lipids act as a glue between skin cells and form a barrier that protects the skin.
When skin loses moisture or water to the air, it is called transepidermal water loss, or TEWL for short. When skin lacks moisture, fine lines and wrinkles can worsen, the skin becomes flabby and appears dehydrated.
When the skin's natural protective barrier is disrupted or damaged, we may experience irritation and sensitivity. The skin's protective barrier can be damaged by excessive exfoliation, excessive use of active skin care ingredients, genetics and the environment. Damage to the skin's natural protective barrier is also associated with diseases such as eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis.
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY SKIN IS DRY?
Dry skin is usually only temporarily dry and is fairly easy to recognize. Symptoms can vary depending on your age, gender, health, environment, and whether you work outdoors or indoors.
The most common symptoms are:
– Tension : Your skin feels tight, especially after bathing, showering, or swimming. You may even find that your regular skin care products don't relieve the tension.
– Ashy appearance : Dry skin often looks gray, ashy, or dull. This is because the skin lacks the oils that keep it healthy. This dullness can be exacerbated by dehydrated skin and lack of water.
– Itching : It can be a sign of dry skin. But it can also mean that something else is going on. If your skin is a little itchy, it may just be dry skin, but if your skin is really itchy, it might be time to see a doctor.
– Rough skin : When skin is dry, there is not enough oil or lipids to hold skin cells together and form a protective skin barrier. As a result, skin often feels rough or even flaky.
– Fine lines : When skin is dry, fine lines and wrinkles become worse.
– Cracking : In some more severe forms of dry skin, the skin can crack or even bleed. This happens because the oils that protect the skin no longer work hard enough to prevent damage from the environment, medications, or genetics. This can be very painful and can increase the risk of infection.
WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON REASONS FOR DRY SKIN?
Dry skin can be caused by many factors, such as lifestyle, genetics, environment, and medications. Here is a more detailed description of the possible causes of dry skin:
- Weather : can affect your skin. Dry skin usually occurs in drier climates and in the winter when the air is drier and colder.
- Hot baths and showers : can dry out your skin due to the heat and contact with water. Heat can strip moisture from your skin, and water can strip away the natural oils that protect your skin. One way to help reduce the effects of hot showers and baths is to protect your skin from hot water. This can include applying oil or petroleum jelly to your skin before showering. This creates a protective barrier between your skin and the hot water.
- Chemically harsh products : These are products like soaps, detergents, and shampoos that can strip your skin of its natural oils. This can also happen with products that have a low or high pH. Our skin is naturally acidic, with a pH between 4.75 and 5.5. Some products can be too acidic or alkaline for your skin. Traditional soaps are usually alkaline, which, in addition to disinfecting your skin, can also break down its natural barrier and irritate it.
- Overuse of skin care products : Some active skin care products, such as acids, vitamin C, and retinoids, can irritate the skin's natural protective barrier. This can worsen dryness and, in some cases, contribute to dry skin.
- Over-exfoliation : Exfoliation can be a helpful and useful tool in your skincare routine, especially if you have dry, flaky skin. However, over-exfoliation breaks down the skin’s protective barrier and makes dry skin worse. Some exfoliants are better than others. Physical exfoliants, for example, are often too harsh for most skin types, especially the skin on your face. Chemical exfoliants are usually a better choice because they are gentler on the skin. The best chemical exfoliants include fruit enzymes and acids.
- Skin condition : Some skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis, cause dry skin. These skin conditions are associated with disruptions in the skin's protective barrier.
- Medications : They can affect how dry your skin is. Medications like benzoyl peroxide, retinoids, and some oral medications can make your skin feel dry. If you think this might be affecting your skin condition, talk to your doctor.
- Applying moisturizer at the wrong time : Using the right moisturizers is part of the solution to helping dry skin, but how you apply them can also affect dry skin. The best time to apply moisturizer is after showering, when your skin is still damp. This will trap water between your skin and the moisturizer, helping to hydrate your skin.
- You're not using the right moisturizer for your skin : As the weather changes throughout the year, your skin care routine may need to be adjusted. In the winter, you may need to use a thicker or richer moisturizer to compensate for drier climates or the use of heaters. Moisturizers that contain ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids, as well as a higher concentration of oils, can be beneficial for dry skin.
- Not drinking enough water or not getting enough good fats : Staying hydrated by drinking water can help keep your skin happy and healthy. When it’s cold outside, it’s easy to become dehydrated. Unfortunately, a glass of cold water on a cold day may not be what you want. Try hot tea to help boost your water intake. Not getting enough good fats can also affect how dry your skin is. Since your skin uses the food you eat to produce the natural oils it uses to protect your skin, not getting enough good fats can affect your skin. Including healthy fats, such as omega fats from salmon, flaxseeds, and nuts, can help supplement your healthy fat intake.
- Genetics : Some people are predisposed to having drier skin. Some research suggests that some people with dry skin have mutations that affect the way proteins form the skin's protective barrier. If this is the case, your family likely has a similar skin type. The best way to reverse genetically-induced dry skin is through lifestyle and skincare changes.
CONCLUSION
There are many reasons why your skin could be dry. And yet, from what I have written, I still maintain that in most cases we can really take care of the condition of your dry skin ourselves – by carefully analyzing our habits, lifestyle, diet and behavior… Funny, isn’t it? And if you need some more useful advice on what you can additionally include in the active care of your dry skin, read the rest of this article, where I will talk about special active ingredients that help with dry skin care in a slightly more active, slightly more natural chemical-scientific way. Just as we approach cosmetics at natcosmetics .