How to manage dry skin on your face

How to manage dry skin on your face

Your face is at the forefront of everyday life! It’s much more exposed to irritants than the rest of your body, from the weather outside to cosmetics, so getting dry skin on your face is a common complaint. Dealing with this area of dry skin can be especially frustrating. It’s tricky to make makeup stick to flaky skin, and it's much more difficult to hide. Yet lots of people find that skin dryness is often more of a problem on their face than anywhere else - annoying, right?!

In this blog, we’ll take a look at the best ways to treat dry skin on your face. Read on to find out why you might be struggling with facial dryness, and how you can best hydrate your skin.

What causes dry skin on the face?

 

Before you treat dry face skin, it’s worth understanding what the root cause could be so that you can choose the most effective treatment option. So, what’s usually to blame?

Well, it all comes down to moisture and where you get it from. Your skin naturally produces sebum, a name you might recognise as the oil responsible for the pesky spots that always seem to appear before a big occasion. However, sebum can be a good thing, too: it plays an important role in making sure your skin is healthy and hydrated. When your skin doesn’t make enough sebum, or it’s stripped from your skin, it can leave your face feeling dry, flaky, and irritated.

Things that can strip the oil from your skin include:

  • Changes in temperature or weather
  • Low humidity and dry air
  • Using soaps and cleansers that contain harsh chemicals or fragrances
  • Washing your face too often or with water that’s too hot
women's face with eczema

 

Sometimes, though, a medical condition is responsible for skin dryness. The obvious culprits are skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis which can appear on your face - especially if you have it elsewhere.  But did you know that health conditions like diabetes, hypothyroidism, or deficiencies in vitamins A, D, C, and E can also contribute to dryness? Making sure you’re getting enough vitamins might be one of the easiest ways to treat dry skin on your face.

It’s possible that medication is a factor, too. If you use treatments for acne, like Accutane, retinoids, or salicylic acid, they could be the cause dry or peeling skin.  Even taking statins or certain blood pressure medications can contribute to dryness on your face!

How do you treat skin dryness effectively?

 

Clearly, dry skin on your face could be the result of a huge variety of things. Luckily, treating it begins with the same basic steps:

💙 Moisturise!: Moisturisers, creams, and ointments are the best way to hydrate dry skin and promote water retention. It’s important to choose the right face cream for dry skin, though: avoid moisturisers that contain alcohols and fragrances, which are dehydrating. It’s also important to moisturise your face every day – not just when it gets dry!

🧼 Use a gentle cleanser: The same goes for your face wash or cleanser. Try to use a product that doesn’t contain harsh chemicals and consider only using it at night rather than twice a day. Pair with a gentle cleanser with water that’s warm, rather than hot, and you’re good to go!

💦 Humidify!: Try using a humidifier indoors – especially during times when central heating is cranked up high and the air is dry (or simply placing a bowl of water near your radiators).

🚰 Drink plenty of water: Hydration comes from the inside as well as out, so make sure you drink lots of H2O to help keep dry skin at bay.

What about extra-dry skin, or skin with underlying conditions?

 

For skin that’s particularly dry or that’s dry because of eczema, psoriasis, or another skin condition, it’s important to be extra-careful with your treatment. Choosing a dry skin face cream that’s doctor-recommended, like Epaderm, is crucial in reducing instances of dry skin.

 

Girl having Epaderm cream applied to her face
Epaderm’s simple formula makes both the cream and ointment an ideal solution for faces that are extra dry. Free from fragrances colouring and steroids, Epaderm products offer hydration for even the most dry skin.
For everyday use, Epaderm Cream is a great choice. It’s non-greasy, gentle, and can be mixed with water to create an alternative to harsh-on-the-skin cleansers and face wash.

 

And, for times when your skin needs an extra boost of TLC, give Epaderm Ointment a go. Using the ointment for dry skin on your face works as a more intensive option. Although it’s only made up of 3 ingredients, this formula is really thick and hydrating, so it’s suitable as an overnight treatment for your face (get slugging). Used alongside each other, Epaderm Cream and Ointment are a tried and tested way of treating any bout of dry skin.

Hopefully, our tips on how to treat dry skin on your face have been a help. Pick up this guide when you need advice on keeping the skin on your face hydrated, healthy, and happy 💙.

References:

Dry skin on the face: Causes, treatment options, and prevention (medicalnewstoday.com)

Dry Face: Remedies, Causes & More (healthline.com)



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