Dry skin during pregnancy
A pregnancy can cause different skin reactions (see: Skin changes during pregnancy). Many women benefit from the hormones and the altered fluid balance during pregnancy and have a radiant, smooth complexion. On the other hand, the skin also becomes more sensitive during pregnancy.
The reason for this is not only due to the hormones, but also to the stretching of the skin.Soaps, detergents and washing lotions can suddenly irritate the skin, lead to dry skin or aggravate already existing neurodermatitis. If the cause of the irritation can be identified, it is important to prevent the cause during pregnancy, for example by switching to milder shower gels. In addition, the skin should be specially cared for during pregnancy by lotions or moisturizing bath additives and bath oils.
This also prevents the development of stretch marks. It is important to prevent dry skin from cracking and developing sore spots. For this reason, the dry areas should also be treated with ointments such as Bepanthen.
Dry skin for babies
A baby’s skin is particularly delicate and even more susceptible to dry skin than that of adults. It is also important to ensure that babies’ dry skin is sufficiently hydrated. Babies usually announce themselves when they are thirsty and thus demand the liquid they need to compensate for the loss of dry skin.
However, it is not enough to give the baby enough to drink, the skin must also be cared for, i.e. creamed. Bathing removes natural fats from the skin, which is why babies’ bathing time should be kept as short as possible. Soap should only be used a little.
When using bath oils, care must be taken to ensure that children do not slip and injure themselves on the slippery floor of the tub. Otherwise, however, they are perfectly suitable. After bathing, it is important to dry the children thoroughly and rub them with a moisturizer.
If the moisturizer is not enough, a greasy cream or special ointment for dry skin should be used. Since powdery or perfumed care products also dry out the skin, they should not be used. Dry skin is not a disease, but it impairs the quality of life of many people, as it is rough, cracked and brittle and therefore does not look beautiful and also tightens and often itches.
The cause is usually not exactly determinable, as many different factors usually come together and eventually lead to dry skin. These include genetic predisposition, weather conditions, incorrect personal hygiene and also simply age, as well as the presence of some diseases that are not primarily related to the skin, such as diabetes mellitus or inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. You can do a lot yourself to prevent the skin from becoming so dry (even if it is the result of a genetic predisposition or another underlying disease) by paying attention to appropriate care.
One should not take too long and too hot showers, always use moisturizing cream lotions afterwards, and avoid irritating factors such as alcohol, nicotine, excessive sun exposure or air with low humidity. A healthy lifestyle, i.e. a balanced diet and sufficient exercise, also keeps the skin healthy. Only in very severe cases or if there is a suspicion of another triggering disease, a doctor must be consulted.
