The skin is the outermost barrier of the body. It covers the body from scalp of the head to soles of feet. However, its thickness varies and skin face is thinner than other areas. This is one of reasons for why your face is more sensitive. Dry skin on face is common problem, but fortunately there are plenty of options and home remedies to get rid of it.
Though some people are genetically more vulnerable to have dry skin on face, but many times the problem is associated with lifestyle and environmental factors. In other words, the problem should be controllable.
Normally, healthy skin is sealed with a clear, thin layer of natural fatty substances (natural lipids) that can help the skin moist, soft, and supple.
Patches of dry (sometime followed with itchy) can affect any areas of the body. But it is often found on abdomen, hands, arms, lower legs, and sometime on face.
Medically, the exact cause of the problem is not fully understood yet. In general, it occurs when there is something that strips away the natural lipids, leaving the skin unprotected. And as mentioned before, it is usually related to something you are doing to your face or something in the environment.
The following are some environmental and lifestyle factors that can have contribution in causing or worsening the problem!
- Weather changes! In general, the skin tends to lose its natural moisture and dry out when the levels of the humidity go lower than normal. This is usually common in the winter – even the use of heater can make the humidity get worse.
- Excessive exposure to sunlight, particularly its UV (ultraviolet) radiation.
- The use of unfriendly cleansers, harsh soaps and detergents. In the case of dry skin on face, the problem is often associated with poor way in washing your face with wrong face cleanser products (particularly those that are rich in chemicals, alcohol, antibacterial properties, or fragrance).
- Long showers and baths, particularly with hot water! Exposure to hot water more than 10 minutes can wash away your natural skin moisture. If you experience tight skin after taking shower, this can be a sign that your skin is dried out.
- The use of face scrubs /scrubber. Rubbing and scrubbing can make dry skin get worse and may cause irritation.
- Lack of liquid – if you have dehydration, this eventually can affect the health of your skin.
- Poor diet. There are some essential nutrients to help keep your skin elastic and healthy. If you don’t get these adequately from your diet, this may also have an effect.
In addition, some medicines may also become a trigger of drying out the skin. These include some medicines for hypertension (such as diuretics) and retinoids (pretty common used for acne or other skin problems).
If you find the onset of dry skin after taking certain medicine, consult more with your doctor! He /she can switch the medicine or just change the dose
Furthermore, some skin conditions also can increase the risk of having the problem. These include eczema, psoriasis, under active thyroid ‘hypothyroidism’ (low hormone produced by thyroid can affect the production of oil in the skin).
There are many factors that can affect the health of your skin and have an effect in causing dry skin on face. Fortunately, most of these factors are controllable.
Since face is the most visible spot of your body, you can do anything to make it as healthy as possible to boost your confidence. That’s great, but before buying expensive products – try the following home remedies to help cope with dry face skin naturally.
No matter how dry your face, wash it gently before bed! This is so essential to remove any bacteria, makeup, oil build up, dirt, or even dead cells of skin on your face during the day. All of these things can go into the pores of the skin, causing inflammation or acne.
But since dry face skin is more sensitive, you need to wash it gently and avoid scrubbing! And in the morning when you wake up, you don’t need to wash it again – just rinse it with water, particularly lukewarm water!