Extremely dry skin affects many people, especially in the winter months. This dry skin can have many consequences. Extremely dry skin can cause you discomfort as well as to lose sleep because of the intense itching. In addition, extremely dry skin and intense scratching can cause other skin conditions, such as sores and skin cracks to occur. All of this can cause additional discomfort.
Itching
One of the worst consequences of extremely dry skin is the intense itching it can cause. The itching can be severe, even when lotions or oils are used. The itching can interfere with your daily activities. It can be so intense that you may keep a device such as a back scratcher handy to get to the hard-to-reach spots. The intense itch can occur anywhere on your body, making you want to wiggle and scratch the itching body parts. In addition, excessive itching can lead to skin infections from intense scratching.
Skin Breaks and Sores
Extremely dry skin can lead to breaks or cracks in the skin. In addition, intense itching can cause raw spots or sores to develop.The most severe type of these sores is called mummular eczema. According to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, nummular eczema looks like circular-shaped scabs or dry patches. These patches can occur on the arms, legs and trunk of the body. Other breaks in the skin occur as the skin dries out. In these instances, skin will develop cracks due to the lack of moisture. This can lead to bleeding and tender skin that can become easily irritated and hard to heal.
Interference with Life
Dry skin can interfere with daily tasks. According to the Mayo Clinic, dry skin can interfere with your sleep when it is severe. Dry skin causes your skin to feel tight and this can cause itching to develop. This in turn can also cause you to have severe bouts of itching which can wake up at night. In addition, this same discomfort can interfere with working or in social situations, because of the need to scratch the itchy areas. Report this type of discomfort to your doctor. Your physician may prescribe pharmaceuticals or creams to use to treat the dry skin.
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