Symptoms
Dry skin is rough, dull, scaly, brittle, pale and less supple than normal skin. It may feel tight, painful, and irritated. Dry skin is a risk factor for the development of inflammatory, allergic and infectious skin diseases and is often accompanied by inflammation, tearing, bleeding and itching. It occurs mainly on the extremities and hands.
Causes
There are numerous internal and external factors that promote the development of dry skin:
- Heavy use, frequent washing, hot showers and baths, irritants (chemicals, solvents, detergents, soaps, cosmetics, powders).
- Environment: low humidity, cold, high wind speed, air conditioning (warm, dry air), high temperatures, UV radiation (eg sunburn).
- Skin diseases, often in children for example, atopic dermatitis, ichthyosis, psoriasis, inflammatory skin diseases.
- Low sebum production
- Natural aging of the skin
- Children have sensitive skin that can dry out quickly
- Internal diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, hypothyroidism, malignant diseases.
- Hormonal factors: menopause
- Medications: e.g., retinoids such as isotretinoin and other acne medications, lipid-lowering drugs, diuretics, antiandrogens.
- Alcohol, malnutrition, vitamin deficiency
Non-drug treatment
- Avoid triggers such as chemicals, harsh soaps and cosmetics or replace them with better tolerated products
- Do not clean the skin too often
- Take time off to allow healing or change jobs, give yourself enough time to heal
- Avoid too frequent and hot showers and baths, use oil baths.
- Dab the skin, do not scrub off
- Drink enough liquid
- Wear gloves
- Increase the relative humidity to 45-60%.
- Adjustment of the air conditioning
Drug treatment
Skin care products:
- Such as creams, ointments, lotions, and oils restore the natural skin barrier and moisturize and lubricate the skin. They are usually free of active pharmaceutical ingredients, but may contain moisturizing or moisturizing or regenerating substances such as urea, lactic acid, and dexpanthenol, as well as antipruritic agents such as polidocanol and menthol. They should be applied several times a day and always directly after bathing and showering, because this keeps the moisture in the skin. Oil baths are a special form of skin care products which leave an oil film on the skin. They should be used with caution, especially for the elderly, because they increase the risk of slipping in the bathroom.
Topical glucocorticoids:
- Are used for short-term treatment of inflammatory and non-infectious skin diseases. They are anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and secondary anti-pruritus.
