Do you suffer with Dry Skin? Cracked heels?

Dry skin is a very common skin condition characterized by a lack of the appropriate amount of water in the most superficial layer of the skin, the epidermis.

What causes dry skin?

Cold seasons – The low humidity means moisture is constantly being pulled away from your skin’s surface. Without proper care, winter dry skin can crack and flake.

Inappropriate footwear – open footwear like thongs and sandals often lead to the skin being exposed to the harsh environment reducing the moisture in the skin. Also the friction and slapping of these shoes can create excessive movement and friction on skin increasing likelihood of cracking.

Long hot showers – Too much hot water removes the natural moisturising ability of skin’s surface cells. So try and limit your showers to 5-10 minutes

Soaps – Soaps and harsh cleansers remove protective lipids and damage skin proteins, weakening the skin’s surface and exposing deeper and deeper layers to additional moisture loss. Your skin isn’t just losing water. It’s losing the ability to retain water.

Artificial heating and cooling – They remove moisture from the air, which lowers skin’s resistance and makes surface cells dry out. To avoid this try using a fan instead of the air conditioner.

Other medical conditions – hypothyroidism, diabetes, malnutrition or other skin conditions such as psoriasis, dermatitis and eczema may cause dry skin.

Ageing – While dry skin tends to affect males and females equally, older individuals are typically much more prone to dry skin. The skin in elderly individuals tends to have diminished amounts of natural skin oils and lubricants.

Menopause – That reduction of estrogen, and the changing ratios of hormones in your body, don’t just slow down your body’s oil production, they also reduce your body’s ability to retain moisture.

Medications – Some medications such as certain hypertension, cholesterol lowering and acne medication may dry out the skin

Genetics – some things are in a genes and can’t be changed

For all of your Narellan podiatrist needs, contact us at Podiatry and Moore!