Understand Dry Skin: how to identify and manage it effectively!
Do you also get troubled with dry skin and itchy sensations on your hands, legs, face any part of the body? Probably you are also struggling to manage dry skin. One in every 2 people visiting a dermatologist in India is coming to get advice related to dry skin. Studies suggest nearly 32% of Indians are struggling to manage skin issues that are related to dry skin. One of the reasons for this issue is weather conditions in India, but dry skin can be managed with the right skincare routine.
How to identify Dry Skin??
Skin structure is made up of 3 layers epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis. Dry skin is a typical condition where moisture content in these 3 layers is reduced due to various reasons. Aging, environment, chemical products, medication, skin conditions, etc affect skin moisture levels. Dry skin is usually characterized by scaly texture, skin flakes, fine lines, etc. So, identifying dry skin is not that difficult. If you experience any such complaints about your skin then consider your skin type as Dry.
Factors contributing to Dry Skin:
Environmental factors is one of the important causes for having dry skin. Cold weather, humidity, exposure to sun-wind-dry air etc affect skin moisture content. Even the use of certain chemical products such as soaps, detergents, and cleansers can aggravate skin dryness. Studies recommend that taking a bath or shower with very hot can also be a cause for dry skin.
Even you must have experienced that after a certain age your skin dryness increases. For a few individuals aging also leads to reduced moisture content. The reason behind this is reduced oil production inthe skin.
In today's time considering faulty lifestyle is also important when it comes to understanding dry skin. dehydration, poor nutritional status, use of diuretics (Medicines), and excessive use of scrubs and chemicals can be a cause of dry skin.
While examining skin moisture content also understand about few medical conditions. Eczema, psoriasis, hypothyroidism diabetes, etc can cause dry skin. In short, when we lable skin type as Dry or oily - consider all the above factors and then proceed ahead.
Signs and symptoms of dry skin.
If you find tighness and itchiness on your skin it is a sign of dryness. Scaling and flaky skin with rough texture is a typical symptom of dry skin type. Many people also expreince redness and inflammation on skin when exposed to certain triggers such as sun, air, wind, chemicals etc.
How to Manage Dry Skin.
One of the first thing to do to manage dry skin is take care or moisture levels. Start using right moisturizer specially after washing face, taking bath or cleaning your face. In your moituriser look for ingreidnts which help in reducing skin dryness such as ceramides, hyaluronic acid, glycerin etc.
While selecting cleansing products make sure you avoid harsh chemical base products. Use lukewarm water for taking baths and face washing instead of hot water. After washing try to pat dry rather than harshly scrubbing a towel on your skin. This helps a lot in retaining moisture.
Drinking enough water is very important for beautiful, flowing skin. Try to drink 2-3 lit water daily and increase or decrease it as per the weather change. Can also use good quality humidifier in the room to retain moisture in the environment. Back it up with pleasant aroma oil to boost your experience.
While going out during the daytime use appropriate sunscreen which has spf 30 and above. Dont forget you need to use sunscreen on cloudy days too.
In the end, if you are troubled with dry skin and unable to understand “How to handle it” don't hesitate to meet a specialist and get a recommendation from him or her. Managing skin moisture level is very important for dry skin. Do follow these steps and enjoy flawless healthy skin all around the year.
