The lower legs, elbows, and forearms are a few parts of the body that could greatly benefit from dry skin care.

When skin becomes dry, it can feel coarse, as well as scaly, coupled with a bothersome itchiness.

Causes of Dry Skin

Some of the causes that create a need for dry skin care include an overheating of the body during the winter season accompanied with low humidity.

During the summer, the effects of air conditioning create a need for dry skin care.

Factors that can affect dry skin can be the overuse of soaps or antiperspirants, as well as luxuriating in a hot bath at the end of the day.

Dry skin care is needed for individuals who experience daily stress, have been exposed to smoke, or are exposed to great amounts of sun.

Dry skin also worsens as the body ages due to the loss of sweat and oil glands throughout the body.

Itching

What makes the condition of dry skin a real inconvenience is that it itches like crazy and can be easily irritated into a flare-up of redness and itching.

Without dry skin care, a person could suffer from a loss of sleep, as well as cause mood swings.

A physician should look at very dry and itchy skin because certain conditions like kidney disease and diabetes exhibit itching as a symptom.

Moisturizers, Ointment and Lotions

The most popular forms of dry skin care treatment are moisturizers that help replace some of the water that is loss through the skin. Moisturizers also work as a soothing agent to ease discomfort. This form of dry skin care comes in an assortment of satisfying products, such as lotions, creams and ointments.

When using an ointment for dry skin care, you will encounter a combination of water and an oil-based ingredient, such as petrolatum or lanolin.

Lotions are created when powder crystals are dissolved within water. The amount of water in lotions keeps the skin from having a too greasy feeling, as well as providing that cooling effect that you notice.

Lotions are good for a quick application, but you should know that they do not possess the same level of protection.

Adding oil to water creates creams. The disadvantage of using this type of skin care is that it has to be used more often. Moisturizers should be used as a dry skin care regimen to prevent further outbreaks.

Dry Skin Care Tips

Dry skin care tips include:

? Using a humidifier in your room in order to increase the amount of moisture in the air.

? When you bath less often or minimize the amount of time you spend in the bathtub or shower - this can alleviate dry skin.

? When you have dry skin, you should avoid using hot water, opting for a warmer shower or bath.

If you are looking for some of the best moisturizers when focusing on dry skin care, you may want to check out the following products:

Eucerin Extra Protective Moisture Lotion SPF 30

Dove Sensitive Essentials Day Lotion

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer

Lancome Absolue Night Treatment

Sonya Dakar Hydrasoft Lotion

Creme de la Mer