Health & Beauty Tips

Dry skin is an extremely common condition that can affect anyone regardless of age, gender or skin type. It occurs when the outer layer of the dermis is lacking sufficient water. The stratum corneum, the outermost layer of skin, has the job of maintaining moisture as well as minimizing contact with irritants, allergens and germs. When this layer dries out, it loses its protective function not only causing greater water loss, but leaving your skin susceptible to environmental factors. Moisturizing dry skin is all too important in treating this condition in order to maintain your skin's health and vibrant appearance.

What is Dry Skin?

Under normal conditions the stratum corneum has a water content of about ten to thirty percent. This moisture within the skin is what makes it smooth and flexible. Moisture naturally comes from a variety of sources including the environment, the underlying layers of skin as well as oil and sweat produced through your skin's glands. The skin constantly loses moisture to the atmosphere through the process of evaporation, however, the rate is extremely slow and the moisture is effectively replaced. Dry skin is the result when water is not sufficiently replaced and the water level of the stratum corneum drops below ten percent. To prevent further damage from this point on, it is necessary to proactively begin using another form of moisturizer.

Causes

Many factors can cause the depletion of water from the outermost layer of skin. These can include cold dry air, long hot showers, and severe soaps and cleansers. When in contact with these factors, even those who have higher tendencies genetically toward dry skin experience heightened symptoms and problems. Dry, low humidity environments do not provide skin with atmospheric moisture from which to draw and tend to dry out skin, and hot showers and harsh soaps strip away natural oils produced by glands. Water is evaporated from the skin as the damaged stratum corneum attracts moisture to its surface, causing water content to decrease. So, you should stay away from these factors in order to soothe dry skin as well as treat it with further moisturizing products.

Symptoms

Usual symptoms of dry skin can include redness itching, flaking, scaling and cracking. Normal lines in the skin can appear more pronounced while skin is rougher and dehydrated. Skin may redden and itch, or be covered with white scales or larger flakes. In more severe cases, the skin can crack and break open, sometimes due to scratching, in areas that are damaged to a deeper level. For these reasons, it is incredibly important to treat and hydrate skin in order to avoid these harmful symptoms.

Treatment - Dry Skin Relief

So how do you treat this common condition? What type of products offer the most successful treatment? The options for moisturizing dry skin seem infinite, but there are only certain products that can successfully accomplish the essential steps. To effectively get relief from dry skin, a moisturizer must repair the stratum corneum. The treatment needs to reverse water deficit by preventing water loss and providing moisture to reestablish sufficient water content. And lastly, the product should successfully restore the skin's ability to attract water and maintain its moisture. To restore your skin to its hydrated and healthy state, a moisturizing product must effectively address and fulfill these essential steps of dry skin treatment.