Whether it has developed on the backs of your hands, invaded the bottoms of your feet or spread across your entire body, dry skin can be a painful and frustrating condition. And although bath soap is meant to cleanse and rejuvenate the skin, it is often a main culprit behind dry skin. In fact, choosing the right bath soap for extremely dry skin makes a significant impact on the health of your skin.
Causes
Typically, harsh environmental factors cause the development of extremely dry skin. For example, most people experience dry skin during the winter season, when temperatures become colder and humidity levels drop. On the other hand, the heat of the sun can also dry the skin quite severely. In either situation, the low humidity level is often the main culprit of dry skin. When the air is humid, it retains moisture on its own. But when humidity levels drop, the dry air steals the moisture from your skin. Along with winter seasons and dry heat, wood-burning stoves, space heaters, fireplaces and central heat/air-conditioning all reduce humidity, potentially leading to dry skin. Dry skin might also be caused by long exposure to hot water, frequent swimming in chlorinated pools, harsh soaps and/or detergents and certain medical conditions.
Symptoms
Extremely dry skin typically appears dull, flaky, irritated and/or wrinkled. In severe cases, the skin may actually crack into small fracture lines. The skin may look dehydrated with a red or pink tint. The texture of dry skin generally feels rough and scratchy. After exposure to water, dry skin often feels tight and uncomfortable. In some cases, people with extremely dry skin experience intense itching or pain at the affected areas. If the dryness progresses, the skin may eventually split and bleed.
Soaps
When bathing, avoid bath soaps that use alcohols, harsh chemicals, antibacterial agents, deodorants or perfumes. In many cases, these substances are extremely irritating to dry skin. Instead, the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology recommends mild soaps or cleansers, such as Basis, Cetaphil, Dove and Olay. Along with Dove and Basis, MayoClinic.com also recommends Neutrogena soaps; according to the website, these three soaps have added fats and/or oils to moisturize the skin.
Considerations
Although bathing without soap may seem unusual and unappealing, it may be necessary for people with extremely dry skin. In fact, the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics website recommends only using soap where it is most needed, such as on the underarms, groin, feet, hands and face. Only cleanse the rest of the body with soap two or three times per week, if possible.
Bathing Tips
Since hot water is extremely drying to the skin, use lukewarm water when bathing. If possible, choose showers over baths, and limit your shower time to 15 minutes or less. Bathing more than once in a 24-hour period can remove your skin's natural oils, further drying the skin. When washing the skin, use only your hands or a soft loofah to apply the soap. Avoid rubbing the skin with a rough cloth or towel. Immediately after bathing, apply a thick moisturizing cream or body oil to the skin to lock in moisture.
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