Dry skin occurs when your skin loses too much water and oil. Dry skin is common and can affect anyone at any age.

Symptoms of dry skin include:

• Scaling, flaking, or peeling skin
• Skin that feels rough
• Skin tightness, especially after bathing
• Itching
• Cracks in the skin that may bleed

You can get dry skin anywhere on your body. But it commonly shows up on the hands, feet, arms, and lower legs.

Skin - dry; Winter itch; Xerosis; Xerosis cutis

Dry skin can be caused by:

• Cold, dry winter air
• Furnaces that heat the air and remove moisture
• Hot, dry air in desert environments
• Air conditioners that cool the air and remove moisture
• Taking long, hot baths or showers frequently
• Washing your hands often
• Some soaps and detergents
• Skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis
• Certain medicines (both topical and oral)
• Aging, during which skin gets thinner and produces less natural oil

You can ease dry skin by restoring moisture to your skin.

• Moisturize your skin with an ointment, cream, or lotion 2 to 3 times a day, or as often as needed.
• Moisturizers help lock in moisture, so they work best on damp skin. After you bathe, pat skin dry then apply your moisturizer.
• Avoid skin care products and soaps that contain alcohol, fragrances, dyes, or other chemicals.
• Take short, warm baths or showers. Limit your time to 5 to 10 minutes. Avoid taking hot baths or showers.
• Bathe only once a day.
• Instead of regular soap, try using gentle skin cleansers or soap with added moisturizers.
• Only use soap or cleansers on your face, underarms, genital areas, hands, and feet.
• Avoid scrubbing your skin.
• Shave right after bathing, when hair is soft.
• Wear soft, comfortable clothing next to your skin. Avoid rough fabrics like wool.
• Wash clothes with detergents that are free of dyes or fragrances.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Ease itchy skin by applying a moisturizer and cool compress to irritated areas.
• Try over-the-counter hydrocortisone creams or lotions if your skin is inflamed.
• Look for moisturizers that contain ceramides.

Contact your health care provider if:

• You feel itchy without a visible rash
• Dryness and itching keep you from sleeping
• You have open cuts or sores from scratching
• Self-care tips do not relieve your dryness and itching

American Academy of Dermatology Association website. Dry skin: diagnosis and treatment. www.aad.org/diseases/a-z/dry-skin-treatment#overview. Accessed July 25, 2023.

Dinulos JGH. Atopic dermatitis. In: Dinulos JGH, ed. Habif's Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide in Diagnosis and Therapy.  7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 5.

Lim HW, Gelfand JM. Eczemas, photodermatoses, papulosquamous (including fungal) diseases, and figurate erythemas. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 405.