Xeroderma (dry skin) can appear as dry, white, purple, or red flaky patches on your skin. Skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis can make you more prone to experiencing dry skin patches. Certain medications and an allergy to a skincare product can also cause dry skin. Although dry skin can affect anyone, it is most common in older adults.
A dermatologist (a doctor who specializes in skin conditions) can help you determine what is causing your dry skin and how to best treat it. Chronic (long-term) dry skin may require additional visits with your dermatologist to monitor your treatment progress.
Dry patches of skin will look different on everyone based on your skin type. Generally, dryness makes your skin appear rough, flaky, and scaly.
On lighter skin tones, some people may also notice red, pink, or white coloring on dry patches of skin. Dry patches can appear red, purple, or white on darker skin tones. Your skin may also look cracked. The size of dry patches of skin on your body may vary. Your skin may also feel more irritated or itchy when you touch it.
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There are many potential reasons why your skin may suddenly change in texture or appearance. Dry skin can be a temporary reaction to a change in your environment, a response to aging, or a symptom of an acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term) health condition.
Drastic weather changes are a common cause of dry skin. Extremely cold weather can make it more difficult for your skin to retain moisture. Low humidity in the air creates dry heat indoors and outdoors. Extremely hot weather and overexposure to the sun can also dry out your skin.
If you start using new skincare products or have recently exposed your skin to certain chemicals, it can cause inflammation. For example, using harsh soaps or recently going into a chlorinated pool can cause your skin to feel dry.
Coming into contact with substances you may have an allergy to can trigger allergic contact dermatitis. For substances that simply irritate your skin, you may experience irritant contact dermatitis.
Protect your skin when using cleaning products, tending to plants, or using antibiotics that may be harsh on your skin. Chemicals, poisonous plants, metals, and antibiotics like neomycin are all common causes of contact dermatitis.
Although dry skin affects people of all ages, it becomes more common as you get older. As you age, your skin naturally produces less sebum (oil). Sebum is what keeps your skin soft and moisturized. As you produce less sebum, wrinkles, and fine lines may become more apparent on your face as you age because of less moisture retention.
Several studies suggest that dry skin is more prevalent in elderly adults, especially people living in nursing homes or community care facilities. Older adults are more likely to have chronic or coexisting medical conditions that require medications that can increase your risk of dry skin.
Eczema, or atopic dermatitis, is a chronic skin condition that alters the protective layer of your skin. The main cause of eczema is still unknown, but researchers know it can be passed on genetically, triggered by stress and environmental factors, or may be due to the skin not producing enough of filaggrin (a protein that helps your skin stay moisturized).
Symptoms typically include itching, dryness, redness, and rashes that may ooze or crust over. Eczema flare-ups (short bouts where symptoms appear) can show up as dry patches anywhere on your body at any time.
Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease caused by an overactive immune system. Researchers don’t know exactly what triggers this overactive immune response. Psoriasis causes skin cells to grow rapidly on top of each other.
This causes red, white, or purple raised patches of inflamed dry skin. Depending on the severity of your psoriasis, some patches may crack or bleed. People with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) may also experience stiffness or pain in their joints.
Your hormonal balance has a big influence on the appearance and overall health of your skin. A hormonal imbalance can change the amount of collagen (a protein that helps form tissue) and sebum your skin produces. Pregnancy, menopause, and thyroid health conditions can all cause a hormonal imbalance.
Lower estrogen levels can also reduce sebum in your skin. Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) or hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) can cause dryness, rashes, and skin discoloration.
There are many other potential causes of dry patches of skin on your face that are less common. If none of the most common causes are the source of the dry skin on your face, a dermatologist may also consider the following potential causes:
- Chronic health conditions: Many health conditions, like diabetes, kidney disease, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and liver disease, can cause inflammation on your skin, sometimes resulting in dry patches.
- Dietary changes: Not getting enough nutrients (malnutrition) or fluid (dehydration) can cause dry patches of skin. An eating disorder like anorexia nervosa (AN) can also affect your skin. AN is characterized by symptoms like extreme food restriction.
- Precancerous cells: In rare cases, potentially cancerous cells can cause inflammation that shows up as dry patches of skin. Some people may have a precancerous skin growth called actinic keratosis—which can look like a dry, chapped, or irritated patch of skin from overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) light.
If a specific product causes your dry skin, symptoms will usually go away once you stop using the product. However, see a dermatologist if irritation continues and dry patches spread to other parts of your body. Seek emergency help if you are also experiencing fever, rash, or swelling.
A dermatologist or healthcare provider can help you make a treatment plan for your skin dryness. This usually involves soothing discomfort, replacing lost moisture, and protecting your skin so it can heal.
A dermatologist can use a lighted, magnifying tool called a dermatoscope to examine your skin more closely. They may also remove a small sample of your skin (a biopsy) and send it to a lab for examination under a microscope.
If you can’t see a dermatologist right away, your primary healthcare provider can examine your skin and refer you to a dermatologist or prescribe a topical medication to relieve symptoms.
A healthcare provider will also ask about your medical history and any preexisting health conditions you may have. To treat itching and inflammation, dermatologists often prescribe topical corticosteroids.
You can minimize or even eliminate symptoms with a regular skincare routine that restores and maintains moisture on your skin. However, if an underlying health condition—like eczema, psoriasis, or a hormonal imbalance—is causing your dry skin, you may need to work with a healthcare provider to manage your condition.
Taking certain medications can also increase the risk of dry skin on your face. Some topical and oral medications, like diuretics, can dry out your skin. Diuretics flush excess fluid from your body. Statins, commonly used to treat high cholesterol, can reduce moisture in your skin as well.
Some prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) topical medications, such as acne treatments and retinoids, can disrupt your skin barrier, causing irritation and dryness. Certain medical treatments, like dialysis, chemotherapy, and radiation used for chronic health conditions, can also cause dry skin.
Lifestyle Changes
There are many things you can do daily to relieve your dry skin symptoms, and most of them require only small changes to your routine.
As soon as you shower or exfoliate your skin, moisturize it immediately with an occlusive (moisture-locking) ointment or cream. Common ingredients in moisturizing products include glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides.
Everyday strategies to retain moisture in your skin include the following:
- Keep showers or baths under 10 minutes
- Switch to fragrance-free and dye-free soaps, laundry detergents, and skincare
- Avoid extreme heat and dry air
- Wear moisturizing sunscreen
- Use a humidifier during the winter
If you have an underlying health condition that causes dry skin, it may be hard to eliminate it completely, but you can take steps to prevent dry skin patches in the future.
In the winter and summer, it’s important to protect your skin from harsh elements. This includes covering your skin in extremely cold weather and wearing sunscreen when outside for extended periods of time.
Apply moisturizer at least once daily, even when your skin doesn’t feel dry. After seeing a dermatologist, you may notice dry patches starting to disappear completely. Even if symptoms appear managed, maintain your treatment plan for as long as your provider suggests. At your follow-up appointment, your dermatologist can determine whether or not you need to continue treatment.
Leaving extremely dry skin untreated for too long can cause it to break down over time. If you are experiencing excessive itchiness, cracks or openings can begin to form, making your skin more vulnerable to skin infections.
If your skin becomes infected, a dermatologist may prescribe a topical medication or antibiotic to treat the infection. People with other health conditions like diabetes or compromised immune systems are more likely to develop skin infections.
Dry skin is a common skin condition. Causes of dry skin can vary and may include an allergy to certain chemicals, fabrics, or metals. Chronic health conditions like eczema and psoriasis can also cause dry skin patches on your skin.
If you notice patches of dry skin appearing on your face, consult a dermatologist on how to best treat it. A dermatologist can provide you with a treatment plan and advice on how to best keep your skin moisturized.
