Most people have experienced Xerosis, or dry skin, at some stage of their life. When it becomes severe it can affect people both physically and emotionally.. Xerosis is the medical name for dry skin. Xerosis is caused by a lack of moisture in the skin, which may be the result of ageing senile Xerosis or due to underlying diseases such as Diabetes. The result is dry or very dry, rough and tight skin , which can progress to become extremely rough and scaly, flaky and itchy. If you are unsure about your skin condition consult a dermatologist for a face-to-face diagnosis.
If you're battling itchy, dry skin, chances are one of these notorious dehydrators is to blame. The general cause of itchy, dry skin might seem like a no-brainer: It's a lack of moisture. But where does that lack of moisture come from? But sometimes the dryness will be severe and may indicate an underlying skin issue or health condition more on that below. Your first thought when you experience dry skin may be to pile on moisturizer.
Severe dry skin is more than just frustrating - it can be both painful and embarrassing as well. One of the drivers of the frustration is that there is no single cause you can peg an extremely dry skin condition to, rather, it can manifest due to a variety of factors. Typically, extremely dry skin gradually progresses from normal to dry skin and then finally severely dry skin. The skin has three layers. The top layer is the epidermis.
We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. The medical term for abnormally dry skin is xerosis cutis.