Nobody likes itchy, dry skin.
Winter makes it worse, and spending money on expensive over-the-counter remedies often doesn’t work.
Ideally, your skin gets saturated with moisture from your sweat glands and tissues that lie beneath the skin, and oil produced by the skin’s sebaceous glands seals the deal by holding onto that moisture. But when your body has trouble holding in the water and oil that it needs to keep skin moist, you end up with dry skin.
Your skin is much more than a covering for your bones. It is a shield against the environment, protecting you from disease-causing bacteria.
The skin carries blood vessels and is a home for your nerve endings (that’s why you’re so ticklish). And the on/off nozzle for your sweat glands is found in the surface of your skin.
Of course, since it’s also the part of your body that faces the harshest outside obstacles, it tends to get a lot more wear and tear.
Why You’re So Dry
There are lots of reasons why skin loses moisture.
Sometimes you inherit the tendency to have parched skin–your skin may not be able to hold onto water very well or your sweat glands may not produce as much moisture as other people’s.