Dry skin is a severe skin problem that many people face every day. Dry skin cannot hold moisture in the skin, eventually letting the skin face rough and scaly patches which peel off in certain conditions. Dry skin may bleed after cracking, such as seen in the toe heels.

Dry skin leads to itching, redness, scaling, and cracking and occurs due to several reasons. Dry skin can affect all the body or body parts such as arms, hands, and legs.

Reasons
Several reasons cause dry skin, and there is not a single cause related to this condition of the skin. Causes can be from internal as well as from external factors.

External factors: These include the contact of skin to cold temperature and low humid weather. Dry skin usually develops in the winter season due to a cold and dry environment. Dry skin also develops due to excessive usage of heaters in winters.

External factors cause dry and flaky skin due to:
• Excessive usage of harsh and poor-quality soaps made up of ingredients that make the skin dry and scaly.
• Over-usage of hand sanitizers and solvents like alcohol can be the culprit.
• Cold and low humid temperature also makes the skin dry because the rate of sweat and sebum is relatively low in winters, due to which the natural lubricants of the skin do not excrete well, and the external cold and dry environment further lead to dry skin.

Internal factors: These include age, genetics, family history, health, and certain medical conditions, including atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis. Diseases related to glands such as thyroid-related diseases also lead to dry skin.
• Contact dermatitis develops when the dry skin is prone to an agent or substance causing inflammation and redness. Similarly, seborrheic dermatitis develops when the body produces excess oil, leading to red and scaly rashes in the scalp, as seen in infants.
• Atopic dermatitis, also known as eczema, causes scaly patches to appear on the skin, making it dry. This situation is prevalent in young children.

Dry skin can be cured by following specific dry skin treatment as explained below:
• It is advisable not to take hot water baths or showers if you have dry skin. Hot water showers make the skin more dry and flaky.
• Don't take a shower daily if you have dry skin, but instead, take showers by leaving a day.
• Take a shower with a bar of moisturizing soap and apply a good moisturizer straight after the bath.
• Rather than rubbing the skin with a towel after the shower, gently pat it.
• Drink plenty of water daily and consume a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables.
• If you face dry, scaly flakes or patches, avoid scrubbing them or peeling them off.
• In the low humid and dry season, take special care of your skin by applying the best moisturizer for dry skin.

• Medical conditions like eczema or contact dermatitis also cause dry skin to develop. It is good to treat such conditions to avoid the development and spread of dry skin on the whole body.