Reasons for dry skin include a variety of conditions such as too much sun, windburn, harsh soaps and cleansers, aging and even diet. Insufficient water can dry your skin overnight. Start working on dry skin problems by increasing your water intake.
About 1 in 32 people in the U.S. (over 8 million people) suffer from dry skin. Healing dry skin on the face can be far trickier than it seems. You must battle dry facial skin on three fronts. Prevent dry facial skin by finding and eliminating habits that might be causing or worsening it. Next, deeply hydrate the skin. Last, reinforce the lipid barrier.

Identify the culprit(s). Look for things that could be making your dry skin worse. Antihistamines and other medications can make skin feel tight and dehydrated. Alcohol consumption, smoking and sun exposure rob skin of moisture and break down the protective lipid barrier. Common products like whitening toothpastes can dry the area around the lips and mouth. Air conditioners and heaters can also aggravate dry skin.

Wash your face with very mild, soap-free cleansers made for dry skin, and pat your skin dry-don't rub. How you physically treat your skin is just as important as the skin care products you use.

Use a moisturizing toner (no alcohol) after cleansing. Toners and conditioners prepare the skin for better absorption of your skin care products, resulting in far better hydration.

Look for skin care treatments with both humectants and lipid barrier ingredients. Humectants are water-binding agents like hyaluronic acid that attract moisture to your skin. Lipid barrier ingredients, like ceramides, reinforce the natural protective barrier of the skin to keep moisture in. Treatments that have "time-release" ingredients are helpful. Choose a rich eye cream (not a gel) and apply to the orbital bone around the eye.

Choose products from skin care lines that are fragrance, dye and alcohol free to reduce the chances of irritation.

Wear sunscreen to combat one of the most common causes of dry skin. Minimize free radical damage from sun exposure to keep the skin's lipid barrier functioning well.

Once or twice weekly, use a creamy, hydrating mask to give your face a boost of moisture.

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