How dry skin develops and what helps

The skin on the hands and legs in particular, as well as around the eyes and the rest of the face, tends to dry out. We explain what else can be behind scaly patches and itching, and what role nutrition plays.

Dry skin is not just a cosmetic problem: the affected areas of skin usually feel tight, burn and itch, and they also tear open easily and become inflamed.

Those affected then usually resort to the cream. And in fact, creams – if they contain the right substances – can alleviate the symptoms, but only for a short time. In order to keep the skin healthy in the long term, it is important to find and treat the exact cause of the dryness.

The skin is composed of several layers. On the one hand, the greasy “mortar” that connects the horny cells in the top layer is important for their protection. On the other hand, the skin is dependent on its protective acid mantle, which covers it as a wafer-thin film and prevents it from drying out.

The mortar between the horn cells consists, among other things, of certain proteins (keratins) as well as of cholesterol, ceramides and free fatty acids. In addition, it contains water-binding substances such as urea, hyaluronic acid and amino acids, which are also known as moisturizing factors.

The protective acid mantle consists of the secretions of the sweat glands and the sebaceous glands, which are located in the deeper layers of the skin. Its main components are various fats, proteins, water, urea and lactic acid.

Causes of dry skin

In part, the condition of the skin is hereditary: some people have an innate tendency to have oily skin, while others have a tendency to have dry skin.

Heredity determines, among other things, how much sweat someone secretes and how much fat the skin produces. However, dry skin can almost always be traced back to external influences.

Common causes of dry skin are:

dry air (e.g. in heated and air-conditioned interiors)
Cold, because the skin produces less sebum in winter and this is more viscous at low temperatures, so it is not distributed as well
Changes in the hormonal balance, since hormones influence the sebum glands: with an increased concentration of male sex hormones, they produce more sebum.

constant washing and showering

strong UV radiation that can damage the skin barrier
Smoking because it disrupts blood flow: the skin then has a poorer supply of the nutrients it needs to maintain its barrier.

Dehydration, such as when someone drinks too little
Sometimes there is a disease behind the problem. On the one hand, there are various skin diseases in which the skin becomes dry, inflamed, flaky, burns and itches, such as:

neurodermatitis
contact allergy
psoriasis

Fungal, parasitic, or bacterial infections

On the other hand, internal diseases can also lead to dry skin. For example, if they throw the hormonal balance out of balance or cause the body to excrete more water or not be able to digest food properly.

Examples of diseases that are often associated with dry skin are:

diabetes mellitus
kidney diseases
Diseases of the liver and/or bile ducts
intestinal diseases
thyroid disorders
cancers
In addition, certain medications can cause dry skin as a side effect. These include the acne drug isotretinoin, water tablets (diuretics) and antiandrogens (drugs that inhibit the effects of male hormones).

Dry patches of skin on the face: what to do with scaly patches?

Actually, the skin on the face is well protected against dryness: Along with the scalp, the chest and the genital area, the face is one of the parts of the body where the most sebaceous glands are located.

On the other hand, the face is also particularly susceptible to damage caused by strenuous environmental influences such as heat, UV radiation and dry air. In addition, many people wash their face daily or clean it with cleansing products such as toner, sometimes in the morning and evening.

All of this can lead to the skin on the face drying out – despite the high density of sebaceous glands. Sometimes the entire facial skin is not dry, but only individual skin areas. These patches can appear scaly and also itchy.

In the best case, the areas recover if those affected protect them as well as possible from irritating substances and hardship and care for them carefully. Lukewarm water is usually sufficient for cleaning. Alternatively, mild cleaning products without alcohol and soap are suitable, the acidity of which corresponds to that of the skin (recognizable by the notice “pH 5.5” or “pH skin-neutral”).

You can find out which care products can help with dry skin on the face in the chapter “Which creams for dry skin?”. It is particularly important that the cream supplies skin-like fats and moisturizing factors. In addition, a perfume-free sunscreen with a sufficient sun protection factor may be necessary.

Important: If scaly patches keep forming that become inflamed, weeping and itching, this can be an indication of a skin disease – for example neurodermatitis. In this case, commercially available creams do not help, but the problem belongs in professional hands: Only a dermatologist can assess which disease is behind it and which treatment is suitable.

What can still be behind “dry” skin on the face

Sometimes scaly patches on the face are not a sign of dryness, but on the contrary: an excessive amount of sebum in the skin. Because if the skin’s sebaceous glands produce too much sebum, the skin can become inflamed.

Then scaly, yellowish shiny and sometimes reddened spots form. The technical term is seborrheic eczema.

Skin areas with many sebaceous glands, such as

the creases between the nostrils and the corners of the mouth
(nasolabial folds),
the chin,
the hairline as well
the area around and between the eyebrows.
Unlike atopic dermatitis (neurodermatitis) and other diseases that lead to dry skin, seborrheic dermatitis is not associated with itching. And even if it flakes, it’s not dry. Accordingly, greasy creams do not help.

Instead, the dermatologist will recommend creams with salicylic acid or anti-inflammatory agents that can relieve the symptoms.

Dry skin under the eyes and on the eyelid

When the skin tends to be dry overall, it quickly forms wrinkles in the area around the eyes. This is because the skin on the upper eyelid and under the eyes is thinner than other areas of the face.

If dry skin only affects the skin around the eyes, it may be because the sufferer cleans the eyes too often or with products that are too harsh.

The cause can also be an inflammation of the eyelid skin, triggered by a contact allergy, i.e. an allergic reaction. This can be directed against irritants in shampoos, care creams, cosmetics or contact lens solution, for example.

Sometimes, however, hand soaps, hand creams, nail polish remover, disinfectants or other substances on the fingers are to blame – because many people unconsciously rub their eyes several times a day.

An allergic reaction of the eyelid skin usually manifests itself as scaling, redness, swelling and itching. Anyone who suspects a contact allergy should have the problem clarified by a dermatologist. The dermatologist can help to find the problematic substance. If you manage to avoid them, the symptoms usually subside.

Dry skin on legs

Typical reasons for dry skin on the legs are:

Regular depilation (shaving, epilation, waxing, etc.)
strong UV radiation in summer when the legs are not adequately protected from the sun
frequent showering with hot water and/or lots of shower gel
In addition, there are various medical conditions associated with dry skin, which is also evident on the legs. You can find out which diseases these are in the “Causes” chapter.

Normally, the condition of the skin improves when the causes are eliminated. This is sometimes difficult: showering is unavoidable for the sake of hygiene and regular depilation is important to many people for cosmetic reasons. But it can often help

shower less often and not too hot.
to depilate the legs as little as possible.
use products without skin-irritating substances for cleaning and depilation.
apply lotion to the legs after showering and after depilation.
adequate sun protection in summer.
The care cream should be free of perfumes and other irritating substances. Which products are recommended can be found in the chapter “Which cream for dry skin?” explained.

Dry skin on hands

Dry skin on the hands is a common phenomenon – even in people who do not otherwise struggle with skin dryness. Because no other part of the body is exposed to so much strain every day as the hands: not only are they constantly used for cleaning, carrying heavy objects or for manual work.

Washing your hands several times a day is also a massive, albeit necessary, strain on the skin on your hands. Any contact with water upsets the natural balance of the skin’s acidity. Then there is the soap: Although this is necessary to reduce the number of germs on the skin, thanks to its fat-dissolving effect, it washes the protective fats out of the skin and thus weakens the skin barrier.

Dry hands: what to do?

Dry skin on the hands is often unavoidable. However, a few simple measures can prevent the problem from getting too bad:

Use gloves when cleaning, washing dishes, and doing craft activities.
For cleaning and care, use products without perfume and other irritating substances such as preservatives.
Avoid contact with hot water.
Cream your hands after every wash. You can find tips on choosing a care product in the chapter “Which cream for dry skin?”.

Dry skin with itching

Dry skin tends to be itchy. Exactly how itching occurs has not yet been adequately researched. What is certain, however, is that dry skin is less well protected against harmful substances and invaders and is therefore more easily inflamed. In the case of inflammation, certain messenger substances get into the skin, which can irritate the nerve endings located there. This irritation is apparently interpreted by the brain as itching.

The itching can be relieved by taking proper care of the skin and – if necessary – treating the condition that caused the dryness.

Cleansing and care: which cream for dry skin?

When treating dry skin, proper cleansing is important on the one hand and care with suitable creams on the other. Basically, people with dry skin should heed the following tips when cleaning:

When washing your hands, use lukewarm water instead of hot water and use mild cleaning products with an acidity that corresponds to that of the skin. You can tell by the note “pH 5.5” on the packaging.
Don’t shower too hot and don’t shower more often than necessary. Use shampoo and cleaning products that are free from skin-irritating substances such as perfumes or preservatives.
After washing hands and showering, gently but thoroughly pat skin dry without rubbing.
Use a cream after each contact with water.
Creams containing the following ingredients can help with dry skin:

Urea and glycerine: These so-called moisturizing factors bind water in the top layer of the skin.
Ceramides and cholesterol: They penetrate the horny layer of the skin and “mend” the damaged fat layer between the horny cells.
Oils, fats or waxes based on mineral or silicone oil: These do not penetrate, but remain on the skin’s surface and thus protect the skin from drying out and from external influences.
In addition, it is recommended to choose creams without fragrances and preservatives. These substances can irritate the skin and cause or worsen itching.

If the dry skin is accompanied by itching, creams with skin-soothing and anti-itching ingredients such as these may help:

dexpanthenol
bisabolol
Licochalcone A
Polidocanol
menthol
N-palmitoylethanolamide

However, if a disease is behind the skin problems, it is important to seek advice from a dermatologist on proper cleaning and care. Certain skin conditions can be aggravated by commercially available products.

In addition, care alone usually does not help in these cases, but the symptoms only improve with targeted treatment, usually with prescription drugs.

Home remedies for dry skin

Popular home remedies for dry skin are about

vegetable oils,
aloe vera and
Honey.
Their obvious advantage is that they can be found on the kitchen shelf or refrigerator in most households anyway. They also don’t cost much compared to high-quality creams. Whether and to what extent they help with dry skin cannot be said with certainty. So far, there are only indications of this from research.

Vegetable oils for the care of dry skin

Whether vegetable edible oils care for the skin or rather damage it is a matter of debate among experts. Many dermatologists advise against applying pure vegetable oils to the skin because they can cause allergic reactions. In addition, skin fat has a different composition than vegetable oils – which is why the lack of skin fat cannot easily be compensated for with vegetable fat.

However, vegetable oil is not just vegetable oil: olive oil, sunflower oil and other popular edible oils differ in their chemical components, i.e. the types of fatty acids they contain. In turn, the similarity of an oil to skin fat depends on the composition: Vegetable oils contain fatty acids that are also found in the skin, such as linoleic acid. These fatty acids can support the skin barrier.

On the other hand, most vegetable cooking oils also contain fatty acids that do not occur naturally in the skin and are foreign to it, such as oleic acid. Studies suggest that oils that are primarily oleic acid can actually dry out and irritate the skin. Olive oil, which consists of about 55 percent oleic acid, therefore does not belong on the skin.

Vegetable oils high in linoleic acid, such as sunflower oil, are better for the skin in comparison. Whether and to what extent they are beneficial and help with dry skin is questionable, however, because this has not yet been sufficiently researched. What is certain is that comparatively “skin-related” vegetable oils also contain a certain amount of oleic acid. In the case of sunflower oil, it is still around 25 percent.

Coconut oil has probably the lowest oleic acid content of the vegetable cooking oils with about 5 to 10 percent. Coconut oil is also suitable for skin care for another reason: it consists of lauric acid, among other things, which can inhibit the spread of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.

These germs only occur in small numbers on healthy skin. In people with neurodermatitis, on the other hand, they seem to be more widespread and promote the inflammation (eczema) typical of the skin disease. Coconut oil could counteract this. The first smaller studies actually indicate that coconut oil helps to improve mild to moderate neurodermatitis.

However, these studies are not sufficient to recommend coconut oil for the treatment of neurodermatitis. Whether coconut oil helps with dry skin that cannot be attributed to neurodermatitis has not yet been sufficiently investigated.

aloe vera

The pulp of the aloe vera plant is considered a natural remedy for numerous skin problems, including sunburn, wounds, psoriasis and acne. Studies on the effect on these diseases, however, provide contradictory results. The effectiveness is not proven.

Whether aloe vera helps with dry skin has not yet been studied. Some sites on the internet claim that aloe vera moisturizes the skin. That may be so, after all, the leaf pulp consists of about 98.5 percent water.

However, the effect should not last long, because the weakened skin barrier of dry skin not only lacks moisture, but also fat. And aloe vera does not provide fat: in addition to water, the leaf pulp contains mainly sugar, minerals, enzymes and organic acids.

honey

Honey is primarily important for skin care because of its antibacterial effect: Its acidity is slightly higher than that of the skin and makes it difficult for germs to spread. In addition, honey consists mainly of sugar, which removes water from cells and thus also has an antibacterial effect. In addition, some types of honey contain larger amounts of hydrogen peroxide and methylglyoxal, which also have a germicidal effect.

These properties make honey interesting for treating wounds – but not necessarily for treating dry skin. Whether honey relieves skin dryness has not yet been researched and seems questionable since it contains no fats.

Diet for dry skin: what is the body missing?

Dry skin is only very rarely the result of a lack of nutrients caused by an overly unbalanced diet. Usually there are other reasons behind it. The chapter “Causes of dry skin” provides an overview of the most common reasons.

When the skin is dry because the body is lacking in something, it is usually due to a lack of

liquid or
Iron.

The German Society for Nutrition recommends that healthy adults drink around one and a half liters a day, preferably water or unsweetened tea. If you have sweated a lot during sports or because of the heat, you should drink more.

The body gets an additional portion of liquid from solid food, especially from vegetables and fruit. High-salt or sugary meals and alcohol, on the other hand, dehydrate the body.

A lack of liquid can therefore arise when someone does not drink enough – or the wrong drinks – or eats too little or unbalanced. In this country, this risk mainly exists for

older people,
alcohol dependent people as well
People with eating disorders such as bulimia or anorexia.
In addition, a pronounced iron deficiency can lead to dry skin because the body needs iron for blood formation. If the deficiency leads to anemia, the blood supply to the skin is reduced and it is therefore less well supplied with nutrients and liquid. Not only does it become dry, but it also looks pale.

However, anyone who suspects an iron deficiency as the cause of their dry skin should not simply take iron supplements, but should first have a doctor clarify whether there really is a deficiency. Otherwise, taking iron tablets can lead to an excess of iron, which can have undesirable effects.

Dry skin in early pregnancy and pregnancy

Many women notice that their skin changes during pregnancy. The hormonal fluctuations can beautify the complexion, but also cause and aggravate a wide variety of skin problems.

Dry skin is a common problem, especially in early (first trimester) and second trimester pregnancy. The reason is that the skin produces less oil during this time, which can weaken the skin barrier and cause the skin to lose more water than usual.

This in turn is related to the female sex hormone estrogen. During pregnancy, the level of this hormone in the body rises sharply. It is formed by the placenta (placenta) and fulfills various tasks during pregnancy. Among other things, it prepares the breast for breastfeeding in conjunction with other hormones.

However, estrogen also affects the skin: it inhibits the production of fat in the sebaceous glands. Women with oily skin usually benefit from this: their complexion can improve due to the increased estrogen level during pregnancy. Acne, in which the skin problems can be traced back to excessive sebum production, among other things, can decrease during pregnancy.

On the other hand, in women with normal skin or skin that tends to be dry, the increase in the hormone often causes the skin to become overly dry.

What to do with dry skin in early pregnancy?

The problem usually resolves itself: in many women, the skin becomes greasy again in the last trimester of pregnancy. After the birth at the latest, when the estrogen level drops, the dryness usually subsides.

Until then, it is advisable to adapt the care to the changed condition of the skin. Fatty creams in particular can be helpful. You can find out which ones in the chapter “Which cream for dry skin?”.

In addition, those affected should not wash their skin more often than necessary and avoid aggressive cleaning products. Care products or cosmetics with perfume or other irritating substances can also be problematic and even cause eczema: the skin may react more sensitively to these substances if its natural protection is impaired.