What should you know about skin products for dry skin?

Dry skin can feel tight, rough, flaky, itchy, or cracked because the outer barrier is losing water more easily. Cleansers, hot showers, dry air, frequent washing, and fragranced products may worsen that loss. A cream or ointment usually forms a stronger protective layer than a light lotion, while a humectant can attract water to the outer skin when paired with a moisturising barrier. Persistent scale, fissures, redness, or itch can also occur with asteatotic eczema, atopic dermatitis, or psoriasis.

Choose a fragrance-free cleanser and apply a plain moisturiser soon after washing, while the skin is still slightly damp. Reapply to hands and other exposed areas whenever they feel tight. Look for a cream or ointment containing barrier-supporting ingredients such as petrolatum, glycerin, or ceramides, and patch-test a new product on a small area first. Avoid abrasive scrubs and strongly scented products during a flare. Emollient Therapy may be useful when ordinary moisturising is not enough.

See a clinician when dryness is widespread, painful, intensely itchy, cracked, bleeding, or not settling with regular moisturising. Arrange an assessment for thick plaques, a recurring rash, or signs of infection such as increasing warmth, swelling, pus, or fever. Facial or eyelid swelling with breathing difficulty requires urgent help.

Ask whether your dryness is simple xerosis or a condition such as eczema or psoriasis, which ingredients to use or avoid, how often to moisturise, and whether a prescribed treatment is needed for inflamed areas.