Likely contributors
- Lower total food intake, which usually means lower fat and fluid intake too.
- Drinking less because you feel less hungry overall.
- Nausea or vomiting episodes affecting hydration.
- Rapid change in body composition.
- Hot showers and unchanged winter routines that were already borderline.
What dryness actually is
Dry skin is usually a barrier issue: the outer layer is losing water faster than it's holding it. That produces tightness, flaking, dullness and increased sensitivity to products you previously tolerated.
You fix it by adding water and then trapping it — in that order.
A barrier-repair routine
Step one — clean gently
Swap foaming or stripping cleansers for a cream or lotion cleanser. Lukewarm water, not hot.
Step two — hydrate damp skin
Apply a humectant (glycerin, hyaluronic acid) while skin is still damp, so there's water available to hold.
Step three — seal it
Follow with a moisturiser containing ceramides, fatty acids or squalane. At night, go richer than feels necessary.
Step four — pause the actives
Put exfoliating acids and retinoids on hold until the barrier is comfortable again, then reintroduce one at a time at lower frequency.
Body, not just face
- Shorter, cooler showers.
- Moisturise within a few minutes of towelling off.
- A thicker cream or ointment on shins, arms and anywhere that flakes.
- A humidifier in dry indoor air.
When to ask a clinician
Persistent itching, a rash, cracking skin or anything that isn't responding to a solid barrier routine over a few weeks is worth having looked at rather than self-treating.
