Dry Skin Care Essentials

Whether dry skin is your normal skin type or the result of seasonal changes, there are several steps you can take to get it under control. Start building your beauty arsenal with an effective skin moisturizer.

    Your body is wrapped in a blanket of skin - about two square yards of it. We all want hydrated and healthy skin, but that blanket can become dry, flaky, and rough. Learn what causes dry skin and how using a skin moisturizer and other treatments will help.

What's My Skin Type?

Do you have oily skin, dry skin… a combo? Understanding the difference will help you know how to care for your complexion.

   Skin is generally classified into one of four categories: normal, oily, dry, and combination, says Susan Van Dyke, MD, a dermatologist with Van Dyke Laser and Skin Care in Paradise Valley, Ariz. However, your skin type can change as you age, and other factors like genetics and even illness can play a part. “It’s multi-factorial,” Dr. Van Dyke says.

The Dry Skin Diet

A diet rich in omega-3s and other healthy fats may help keep skin supple and hydrated.

    If you have dry skin, you know that lotions and moisturizers help. But can certain dietary choices combat dry, itchy, scaly skin?

"The most important part of the skin barrier is lipids, including phospholipids, free fatty acids, cholesterol, and ceramides," says Amy Newburger, MD, an attending physician in the Dermatology Department at St. Luke's Roosevelt Medical Center. "Skin without enough fat in it has a protein predominance and is kind of like a mess made just of twigs with no glue between them." Water easily escapes through a barrier without lipids, allowing skin to become dehydrated.

How to Find the Right Skin Moisturizer

Knowing what your skin needs will help you make the right decision. (Hint: Choose one with sunscreen.)

    Feel overwhelmed when you want to buy skin moisturizer for your dry skin? That’s no surprise, as there are dozens to choose from at the drugstore and hundreds more at high-end cosmetics and department stores — creams, lotions, ointments, some with sunscreen, others with an exfoliant. Choices range from the basic $1.50 jar of petroleum jelly to a $500 five-ounce tub of designer skin moisturizer. And all the options in between can make your head spin.