Dry Skin Type: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment Advice

Dry skin

It can make you feel itchy or give your skin a rough textured kind of feeling. We all recognise it, the all too familiar dry skin. And not only can it affect our confidence in a day, but dry skin can be very uncomfortable, resulting in skin tightness, redness, chafing, and possibly even cracked skin. Not to worry, though. Vaseline has a range of products designed to help add moisture back into the skin’s outer layer, to help fend off the discomfort of dry skin.

Let’s have a look at some of the causes of dry skin, and some tips on how to keep it at bay.

What Causes Dry Skin?

While you may be more familiar with hearing about dry skin in adults, as dry skin is the result of water loss from the outer layer of the skin, it is an issue that can affect people of all ages and skin types. The loss of water results in the skin being unable to retain its suppleness, causing you to experience dry skin. While there are numerous factors that may cause dry skin, certain factors can increase your chances of developing this skin condition.

The most common factors that lead to the occurrence of dry skin include excessive washing of the skin, the use of specific soaps that may react to your skin, and exposure to weather conditions with low-humidity such as cold or windy weather. Underlying health or skin conditions like dehydration and eczema can also cause dry skin to occur.

What Are the Main Symptoms of Dry Skin?

As dry skin is a condition caused by a loss of moisture from the outer layer of skin, signs, symptoms and areas affected with dry skin may vary from person to person depending on factors such as health and living environment.

Some of the most common dry skin symptoms are:

• Flaking or scaly skin
• Cracked skin
• Peeling skin
• Rough skin texture
• Itchy skin

We've done a bit of research to find some top tips on ways for you to prevent and treat dry skin. Let’s dive in!

How Can I Prevent Dry Skin?

Fortunately, there is quite a lot you can do on your own to prevent and improve dry skin, from a few lifestyle changes to making more of an effort to protect your skin from elements that may cause it to dry out. As dry skin is the result of a loss of moisture in the outer skin layer, the remedies to prevent and treat dry skin are for the most part the same. So, here are 5 ways to prevent and treat dry skin.

1. Become a Water Baby!

As dry skin is the result of a loss of water in the skin layer, I'm sure you get the idea. Drinking water goes a very long way in resolving dry skin. Dehydration can be a factor causing you to have dry skin, and so ensuring you stay hydrated can help your skin stay hydrated too.

2. Defend Your Skin

Making an effort to protect your skin from elements that can wear on your skin and cause it to dry out is absolutely necessary for healthy, happy and moisturised skin. Environmental conditions like excessive wind, sun and cold exposure can damage your skin and sap some of its moisture. Protective clothing can help to prevent or decrease your skin’s exposure to environmental elements and thus prevent dry skin.

Applying moisturisers like Vaseline Clinical Care Extremely Dry Skin Rescue Moisturising Body Lotion can also aid in protecting your skin as it is specially formulated with Barrier Repair Complex, to strengthen and help repair it. Giving your skin the protection and nourishment it needs.

3. Adapt or Dry!

You are an awesomely unique individual and that means the needs of your body and skin are just as unique as you are. If your job requires you to wash your hands multiple times a day or work with harsh chemicals that splash onto your skin, you need to adapt your skin care routine to your environment. Keep a mini moisturiser like the 50 ml Vaseline Blue Seal Cocoa Butter Petroleum Jelly in your pocket or bag for on-the-go nourishment and skin protection.

4. Get Some Relief!

With all the itchiness, flaking and chaffing that comes with dry skin, your skin needs some relief. Soothe it and relieve the symptoms of dry skin with products like Vaseline Blue Seal Vitamin E Petroleum Jelly - uniquely formulated with ingredients like vitamin E to restore moisture and elasticity for smooth, healthy skin.

5. Moisturising is King

Keeping your skin moisturised is absolutely essential for both helping to prevent and treat dry skin. As dry skin is caused by a loss of moisture in the outer skin layer, creams and lotions are ideal for restoring moisture in the skin. Keep an eye out for lotions and creams that have ingredients like shea butter, argan oil and petrolatum, like Vaseline Nourishing Argan Oil Body Lotion. These ingredients are particularly effective in replenishing and locking moisture into the skin, for nourished skin that looks and feels good.

So, don't let dry skin get you down. There are plenty of simple solutions that you can adopt to ensure you keep your skin nourished, healthy and happy. Browse here to see our range of moisturising products and reach for amazing every day.