Your skin is your body's first line of defense against the elements. When sun, wind, and cold leave skin dry and itchy, don't hide it under long pants and gloves. Replenish it!
To get the kind of smooth, sleek skin you'll want to show off, learn these eight top causes of, and fixes for, dry skin.
1. Winter Weather
When the temperature drops, the humidity level plunges too. Dry air leaves skin parched. "Once the weather starts to change, I see patients coming in complaining of dry, itchy skin," says Linda Stein Gold, MD, clinical research director for the dermatology department at Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital.
Turning up the thermostat doesn't help, either. Indoor heating strips even more moisture from the air -- and your skin.
2. Steamy Showers
Setting the shower too steamy soothes your body, but it won't do your skin any favors. "I know it feels wonderful to stand in a really hot shower... but it can dry out the natural oils in our skin more quickly," Stein Gold says.
Standing under that hot spray long enough to belt out your favorite tune is also a no-no. The longer you linger in the shower, the more you dry out your skin.
3. Moisture-Robbing Soaps
Don't put just any bar of soap into your shower dish -- they're not all the same. Wash with a harsh soap and you'll send your skin's natural moisture barrier straight down the drain.
4. The Rub-Down
Think you need to scrub your skin to get it clean? Toss that old notion, along with your scrubby sponge.
"Friction strips the skin and enhances the dryness," says Nanette Silverberg, MD, a dermatology professor at Columbia University.
5. Losing Shower Moisture
Showering bathes your skin in moisture. Drying off with a towel right afterward strips that moisture away. "The surface of your skin absorbs some of the water, which will be lost if you don't seal it in," Silverberg says.
6. Aging
As hormone levels change over the years, skin becomes thin and parched.
7. Irritants
Is your favorite sweater making you itch? It could be the fabric, fabric softener, or the detergent you're washing it in. Lots of everyday fabrics and products can irritate skin -- from dryer sheets to perfume.
8. Your Health
Is your skin especially scaly and red? It could be a skin condition, like atopic dermatitis orpsoriasis. It can also be a symptom of diseases such as diabetes or an underactivethyroid gland.
To read more click the source:
http://www.webmd.com/beauty/dry-skin-13/dry-skin-causes
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