Skin Care Decoded!

Ever felt your skin feeling tight after your face wash or feel your hands are rough and flaky after washing the dishes? Apart from using the wrong products, you are probably facing a common problem of dry skin. What are the causes of dry skin? A lot of people have the common understanding that some people are born with dry skin whereas others will eventually encounter problem with dry skin as they age.

A normal healthy skin is coated in a thin layer of natural lipids or known as fatty substances and functions to keep the moisture in, leaving skin soft and supple. What causes dry skin happens when something is stripping away these fatty oils leaving skin unprotected.
Meanwhile, patches of dry skin that are usually accompanied with itchiness commonly appears on arms, hands, abdomen and lower legs.

Dry skin that are left untreated can lead to dermatitis or better know as inflammation of skin which can be seen through swelling and infection. But to fret too much because the good news about most cases of causes of dry skin are often external and can be cured. The cure is using the right moisturizer. The common and biggest mistake of dry skin is applying moisturizer on dry skin. The correct way of applying moisturizer is while skin is still damp so that the moisturizer is able to trap the moisture that is still on your skin.

Apart from that, people with dry skin problems should also use the right type of moisturizer. One should always remember to use mild moisturizes that does not contain any alcohol or perfume. When choosing the moisturizer, the moisturizer must also be thick and greasy in order to seal in the moisture on skin. Try testing it out by putting the lotion on the palm of your hand then flip it over to see if it runs or drips. If it does, it just means that the lotion is not thick enough for dry skin.

Dry air could also be a common cause of dry skin. Dry air condition areas tend to draw the moisture out of skin. This condition usuallly happens to people that are facing winter or even in air conditioned areas. The tip would be using a humidifier in the room.
Another cause of dry skin would be the prolonged exposure to hot water which can wash away all the natural oils that are protecting your skin.

Soap can also cause dry skin because soaps can strip away the skins protective oils when we use too much of it. While washing hands often is a good habit to keep, excessive hand wash can lead to dry skin causing skin to crack and bleed making infection easy. Harsh soaps that has deodorant and antibacterial functions makes it easier to remove the oil on the surface of skin. The advise is to look for milder and fragrance free soaps. Not only that, dry not to use abrasive sponges and brushes to wash yourself as it too can strip away the thin layer of natural oil that keeps skin moist.

Apart from that, dry skin causes skin to be sensitive and itchy towards certain clothing material. Clothing that are perhaps too tight would also irritate skin.

Dry skin could also be caused by the side effects of some medications and drugs such as diuretics and retinoids. Medical conditions such as eczema and psoriasis could also cause dry skin. Other diseases such as diabetes or even hypothroidism could also cause dry skin so it is best to seek doctor advice if this is the underlying problem

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