Dry skin, also called xerosis, is a common problem. Your skin needs moisture to stay smooth and supple, and retaining moisture becomes difficult as we age. Our skin also looses mositure more readily in the winter. Central heating of home and other buildings is very drying to the skin.There is a lack-lustre appearance to the skin and it looks and feels scaly. This dryness occurs even in the areas of skin not involved directly with active eczema

Dry skin most often occurs on the shins, hands and sides of the abdomen. It is more common during the winter months, when humidity is low. Some people also have a genetic, or hereditary, tendency to develop dry skin. In addition, elderly people tend to have more trouble with dry skin due to the natural changes in skin that occur with age.

Common Causes

Dry skin is common. It happens more often in the winter when cold air outside and heated air inside cause low humidity. Forced-air furnaces make skin even drier.

Central heating and air conditioning. Central air and heating, wood-burning stoves, space heaters and fireplaces all reduce humidity and dry your skin.

The skin loses moisture and may crack and peel, or become irritated and inflamed. Bathing too frequently, especially with harsh soaps, may contribute to dry skin. Eczema may cause dry skin.

Signs and symptoms

Dry skin is often just a temporary problem - one you experience only in winter, for example - but it may be a lifelong concern. And although skin is often driest on your arms, lower legs and the sides of your abdomen, this pattern can vary considerably from person to person.

What is the treatment

There are many, many other types of rashes that we have not covered in this article. So, it is doubly important, if you have any questions about the cause or treatment of a rash, to contact your doctor. This article is really just as the title indicates: "Rash 101: Introduction to Common Skin Rashes."

Put a moisturizer on your skin 3 or 4 times during the day. Put moisturizer on right after you wash or bathe. This will hold in the moisture from the water. If you have very dry hands, put petroleum jelly on them before you go to bed at night and sleep with your hands in cotton-lined gloves.Dry skin is caused by a loss of water in the upper layer of the skin. Emollients/moisturizers work by forming an oily layer on the top of the skin that traps water in the skin. Petrolatum, lanolin, mineral oil and dimethicone are common emollients. Humectants, including glycerin, lecithin, and propylene glycol, draw water into the outer layer of skin.

With the emergence of the Internet there are now literally tens of thousands of web sites that offer "herbal", "at home", "holistic" and "natural" skin care treatments. While much of this information about natural skin care is very helpful and worthwhile, some of it suggests treatments that are simply not as effective as they claim to be, and in some cases can even cause more skin or other health problems than they claim to solve