Flakiness, itchiness, discomfort and even redness. Dry skin can be a real problem. However once you understand the causes of dry itchy skin, you then have a better chance in healing the situation. Here are some causes of dry skin.
That crisp winter air
The coldest season is also the driest season. And that means you’ve got to take extra steps to heal your dry skin. So what causes very dry skin in winter? The low humidity means moisture is constantly being pulled away from your skin’s surface. Without proper care, winter dry skin can crack and flake, leaving you more exposed to outside irritants and more likely to have an inflammatory response. To help prevent winter dryness, moisturize more often, use a humidifier in your home and take shorter showers. Speaking of which…
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Soaking up a long, relaxing shower
It’s a soothing escape, but staying in the hot water for too long is one of the most common causes of very dry skin. Too much hot water removes the natural moisturizing ability of skin’s surface cells. Soaps and harsh cleansers remove protective lipids and damage skin proteins, weakening the skin’s surface and exposing deeper and deeper layers to additional moisture loss. Your skin isn’t just losing water. It’s losing the ability to retain water. So aim for a shower that’s warm (not hot), limit the length of the shower to 5 minutes and seek out moisturizing bars, body washes, and shampoos.
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There’s prevention and there’s healing.
Sun. Dry winter air. Air-conditioning. Traveling by plane. These are all some common dry skin causes and solutions. But to heal skin that’s already dry, you should moisturize regularly with a lotion designed to heal dryness. From the first application, a healing lotion will restore skin’s flexibility, its ability to seal in water, and will fill in cracks to give your dry skin a smoother feel and appearance. With regular use, you can experience healthy-looking, healed skin every day.
