Dry skin, though usually not a serious condition, can be uncomfortable and itchy, and can look unattractive when your skin is scaly and cracked. The Mayo Clinic suggests keeping your skin moisturized, taking fewer showers, avoiding harsh soaps and buying a humidifier for your home.
Seasonal Causes
Dry skin is especially common during the winter months, according to the monthly journal Advance for NPs & PAs. Also known as xerosis, seasonal dry skin is not a serious condition, but can cause itching, scaling and painful cracks in your skin. Xerosis typically affects the lower legs, arms, thighs and the sides of the abdomen. It's believed that xerosis is caused by your skin's sudden lack of water and lubricating oils. During the coldest months, when the temperature and humidity are lowest, there's very little moisture in the atmosphere. Central heating and wood-burning stoves also remove humidity in the air. Bathing could irritate your condition, because hot water breaks down lipid barriers in the epidermis. This is especially problematic in the winter because the temperature of the water you use to shower rises. Xerosis usually clears up on its own and with home treatment. If seasonal dry skin disrupts your sleep, if open sores or an infection occur, or a large area of skin starts to peel or scale, you should see your physician.
Medications
One side effect of some medications is dry skin. While you may anticipate sudden dry skin each winter, it's likely you don't expect to wake up with dry, cracking skin a day or two after starting a new prescription. Medications that treat high blood pressure and skin conditions including acne are known to dry the epidermis suddenly. "Oprah" magazine reports that anticholinergics, used for treating gastrointestinal spasms; diuretics, drugs used to rid the body of excess water; chemo drugs; and protease inhibitors, which treat viral infections, cause skin to dry.
Diabetes
The American Diabetes Association reports that a skin condition is sometimes the first sign that a person has diabetes. Glucose level fluctuations can dehydrate your skin. For a diabetic, dry skin is a condition that is relatively more concerning compared to other people because the disease interferes with the body's ability to heal. Diabetics should treat dry skin cautiously, avoid scratching and see their doctor if an infection develops.
Hypothyroidism
Michael B. Schachter, M.D., writes that hypothyroidism is one of the most under-diagnosed conditions in the United States. Hypothyroidism, characterized by low levels of thyroid hormones, causes fatigue, weight loss, headaches, fluid retention and dry, coarse skin. Dry skin associated with hypothyroidism, according to DermNet NZ, is prone to developing into dermatitis, a rapidly evolving rash or skin irritation.
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