Dry skin is ver common and usually not a serious condition. It happens more often in the winter when cold air outside and heated air inside cause low humidity.
Dry skin is most common in your lower legs, arms, flanks (sides of the abdomen), and thighs. The symptoms most often associated with dry skin include scaling, itching, flaking and cracking.
As we get older the skins ability to holde moisture decreases which is wy it become more important to keep your skin well hydrated.
There are many ways that you can prevent and treat dry skin. To try and stop your skin drying out you should aim to apply moisturiser once a day, in particular to vulnerable areas on your hands and face.
Also try to keep hydrated – it is recommended that you drink eight lasses of water, juice or soft drinks everyday. Protecting yourself in extreme weather conditions will also help to prevent dry and cracked skin so try and cover up with gloves and a scarf in winter weather and a hat in summer. Visit your pharmacist for advice on the best kind of protection for you.
Depending on how dry your skin is it may be best to use a relatively thin moisturising lotion or cream in the summer and switch to a thicker more oily moisturising ointment in the winter.
So what does our skin do?
Your skin is made up of three layers, the outer layer is called the epidermis and this has four layers of it’s own. This where the old, dead skin cells are shed and replaced by new cells from the skins deeper layers which are known as the dermis and subcutaneous layers.
One of the main functions of the skin is to keep the body’s temperature at safe levels at all times, so regulating it when we are too hot or too cold. Our body’s temperature should stay around 37 degrees Celsius and our skin helps us to do this, when we are hot, sweat will evaporate to help us keep cool, and when we’re cold, hairs stand up on end, trapping air which helps us to stay warm. Many outside factors influence the health of our skin and limiting their effects is one of the ways we can all help to maintain healthy skin. Your skin plays an important role in protecting you from ultraviolet rays, bacteria and dehydration.
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