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Dry skin can affect anyone regardless of age, gender or skin type and for that reason it is one of the most common skin conditions. Dry skin is the result of the lack of sufficient water in the outer layer of the dermis. The stratum corneum, the outermost layer of skin, has the job of maintaining moisture as well as minimizing contact with irritants, allergens and germs. When this outermost layer becomes too dry it loses its ability to protect as well as maintain moisture, causing water loss and leaving your skin defenseless to environmental factors. Moisturizing dry skin is all too important in treating this condition in order to maintain your skin's health and vibrant appearance.

What is Dry Skin?

Under normal conditions the stratum corneum has a water content of about ten to thirty percent. This moisture within the skin is what makes it smooth and flexible. This moisture is naturally drawn by the skin from its external environment as well as inner layers of skin and natural oils created by skin glands. At a very slow rate your skin is constantly losing water to the atmosphere by evaporation, however, at about the same pace this moisture is being replaced. When water is not replaced sufficiently enough to make up for the water that is lost, and the water content of the stratum corneum drops below ten percent is when you find yourself with dry skin. To prevent further damage from this point on, it is necessary to proactively begin using another form of moisturizer.

Causes

Cold dry air, long hot showers, and harsh soaps and cleansers are a few factors that can lower or deplete water content from the stratum corneum. Even those who have a higher genetic tendency toward dry skin conditions are affected more when in contact with these factors. Dry, low humidity environments do not provide skin with atmospheric moisture from which to draw and tend to dry out skin, and hot showers and harsh soaps strip away natural oils produced by glands. Water content falls as the damaged stratum corneum pulls water to the surface of the skin where it is evaporated. Therefore, to soothe dry skin it is important to treat it as well as to minimize contact with these harmful factors.

Symptoms

Flaking, redness, itching, scaling, and cracking are some of the common symptoms. Rough dehydrated skin can lack smoothness and vibrancy while natural lines on the skin become more apparent. There also may be affected areas that turn red and itch or can be covered with white scales or flakes. In more severe cases, the skin can crack and break open, sometimes due to scratching, in areas that are damaged to a deeper level. For these reasons, it is incredibly important to treat and hydrate skin in order to avoid these harmful symptoms.

Treatment - Dry Skin Relief

So how do you treat this common condition? What is the best product to use? The options for moisturizing dry skin seem infinite, but there are only certain products that can successfully accomplish the essential steps. To effectively get relief from dry skin, a moisturizer must repair the stratum corneum. It must also increase water content while simultaneously working to reduce water loss. And finally it should restore the skin's ability to attract water as well as maintain and redistribute its moisture. These critical steps of dry skin treatment must be addressed by any product that hopes to restore skin to its hydrated and healthy state.