What Causes Dry Skin? Prevention Tips and Treatment

Dry skin is an extremely common skin condition that is characterized by the lack of an appropriate amount of water in the epidermis, the most superficial layer of the skin. The epidermis is generally composed of fat (lipid) and protein. The lipid portion of the epidermis, coupled with specific epidermal proteins such as filaggrin, work to prevent skin dehydration. When there are deficient proteins and/or lipids, the skin moisture will evaporate more easily, resulting in dry skin.

While dry skin affects both men and women at about the same ratio, older individuals are specifically more prone to dry skin. This is because the skin of elderly individuals tends to have a diminished amount of natural skin oil and lubricants. Areas such as the arms, hands, and particularly the lower legs tend to be the most affected by dry skin, but it can occur anywhere on the body.

Environmental factors, like humidity and temperature, will have a profound effect on the amount of water that is retained by the skin. For example, cold air is drier, and when heated by a furnace it will produce dry skin by evaporating the moisture on the skin.

Frequent hand washing and sanitizing can also cause evaporation and dryness.

In some cases, dry skin may be a side effect of some medications or possibly a byproduct of certain skin diseases.

Some of the other most common causes of dry skin include:

• Being middle aged or older: As skin ages it will produce less sebum, which is an oil that helps to keep skin soft and youthful. During your 40s, the amount of sebum that your body produces will drop dramatically and continue to drop as you get older.

• Skin tone: Research shows that people with darker skin tones or fairer skin are more likely to develop issues with dry skin than people with a medium complexion.

• Taking certain medications: There are several medications, including statins and diuretics, that may result in extremely dry skin being a side effect.

• Having a job with “wet work”: A job that will require you to frequently put your hand in water throughout the day, or use harsh chemicals, can strip your skin of its protective layer. Hairdressers, nurses, housekeepers, construction workers, cooks, florists, and metal workers will all commonly develop excessively dry skin.

• Low outdoor temperatures: When the temperature outside falls, the air will hold less moisture. This is a very common reason for seasonal related dry skin.

• Having a vitamin or mineral deficiency: Skin requires nutrients in order to keep it healthy. If you are lacking vitamin D, vitamin A, niacin, zinc, or iron you are more likely to develop dry skin.

• Smoking: Cigarettes contain lots of harmful chemicals that will speed up how quickly your skin ages along with helping it to dry out faster.

• Having a skin condition: Some of the more common skin conditions are atopic dermatitis, ichthyosis, perioral dermatitis, psoriasis, and seborrheic dermatitis.

• Having diabetes, thyroid disease, or kidney disease: All of these conditions are known to result in accessible dry skin.

• Are undergoing dialysis: Kidney disease will increase the risk of developing dry skin, but undergoing dialysis will greatly enhance the risk of it because dialysis works to remove water from your body. People that are receiving dialysis treatments will also need to limit how much fluid they drink daily, consuming only roughly 32 ounces. This will also contribute to dry skin.

• Are undergoing cancer treatment: If you have ever had chemotherapy, are receiving targeted therapy, or getting radiation treatments then you may develop dry skin.

• Having anorexia: If you are not eating enough food, then you will not be getting the nutrients required to keep your skin hydrated.

• Are HIV positive: Having excessively dry skin is common for people that are HIV positive, even those undergoing antiretroviral treatments.