Dry skin on the legs

introduction

Dry skin is an annoying problem for many people, especially in winter. Like the face, arms, and entire body, the legs can have dry skin, particularly the lower legs and front of the legs.

Every person suffers more or less from dry skin in their life, whereby the subjective feeling can vary greatly. For some it is part of it, for others it is a very unpleasant phenomenon along with itching and a feeling of tension. Legs with dry skin can usually be treated well with numerous measures and thus alleviate the symptoms.

Read more on the subject at:

• Dry skin
• Skin itches

therapy

Various measures are available for the therapy of dry skin that affects the legs: Treatment with moisturizing agents is usually sufficient, with various home remedies or an application with a cream being available. It is important to reduce parallel triggering factors.If dry skin is a symptom of an underlying disease, it must of course be treated appropriately.

Home remedies

Home remedies are often a great first choice to get rid of dry spots on legs:

• Drinking a lot from within forms the basis for sufficient moisture.
• In addition, oils or fats are used for external application, which are intended to support or replace the own fat film. A well-known home remedy for dry skin is olive oil, which is spread thinly on the legs. As a bath additive, the oil, like lavender oil, can improve the skin. However, the water should not be too warm and the bath should last a maximum of 15 minutes, and fat-dissolving bath additives should be avoided.
• Another home remedy is carrot juice, which is said to have healing effects on the skin, or milk fat.
• As a home remedy, some people make a mixture of cottage cheese, cream, and pureed cucumber that is applied to the legs and washed off after 30 minutes.

Creams

In the case of mild complaints, home remedies can relieve the symptoms, but more severe cases should e.g. treated with a cream. A cream is often used against dry skin on the legs and works in different ways:

• Usually it is one Water-in-oil emulsionso that it contains watery and fatty components. On the one hand, a good cream puts a protective film over the dry skin, which reduces further loss of fluid, and on the other hand it donates the lipids it contains a replacement for lost fats.
• In addition, moisturizers in the cream ensure better elasticity.
• In general: dry skin needs fat. The fat content of the cream should be 20-30%.

The cream can be applied to the legs several times a day as needed, so that dry skin improves quickly. In the case of skin diseases, a cream is also often used, which may contain other effective substances. Here, however, a doctor, in the best case a dermatologist, should make the selection of the right cream.

For more information, also read: Dry skin therapy

Which creams work best?

Dry skin on the legs is not uncommon. The need for ointments and creams to care for the skin is therefore correspondingly great. For the care of the dry skin on the legs, rich and moisturizing creams are particularly suitable. However, for optimal care, it is important to know the reason for the dryness.

If a disease such as atopic dermatitis is hiding behind dry skin, special creams and care measures are required for healthy skin. In general, products from pharmacies such as La Roche, Vichy, Bioderma® or Eucerin® are recommended for caring for sensitive and dry skin. Which cream works best, however, varies greatly from person to person. It is therefore advisable to seek specific advice from a dermatologist or pharmacist in the case of very dry skin.

Dry skin on the legs in winter

In winter, the skin is particularly badly attacked, the legs show increased dry skin. This is mainly due to the constant cold, which upsets the balance of the skin, and the heating air. Indoor air in winter often has a low relative humidity that draws water from the skin. It is therefore particularly important in winter to take care of the correct care. The legs should be covered, a bowl of water next to the heater can enrich the air with moisture. In winter, a cream should have more than 20% fat content. A cream with the addition of urea (urea) is recommended, which prevents the itching.

Care should be taken to care for the skin, especially in winter, as it is more easily damaged by the constant external stimuli. Despite the cold, it is advisable not to take a warm shower or bath too often. You should also make sure to use a good, moisturizing shaving foam when shaving your legs.

prophylaxis

Prophylaxis against dry skin of the legs consists primarily in minimizing all harmful environmental stimuli as far as possible and optimizing one's own habits in terms of care and hygiene. In addition, you should ensure that you drink enough water and a balanced diet, especially in winter. Rather mild soaps and shampoos are better than harsh hygiene products. If you place humidifiers next to the heater in winter, the room air can also be humidified.

If you tend to have dry skin, it is advisable to care for the skin with a moisturizing cream once a day. UV protection in summer and subsequent care products are mandatory when sunbathing. With these measures you can counteract the appearance of dry skin well.

Further information can also be found at: Diet for dry skin

causes

The skin is the largest human organ and forms an important barrier to protect the body from harmful environmental influences. It is used to regulate heat, protect against dehydration and ward off pathogens.

Healthy skin contains a lot of moisture in the form of water, which gives the skin its typical elasticity. In addition, a light layer of fat ensures lasting suppleness. These mechanisms can be affected by environmental stimuli, and dry skin forms. Environmental factors and one's own behavior form the largest group of causes for dry skin; in rare cases, skin diseases can also be behind them.

A major cause of dry skin on the legs is cold weather. So it is not surprising that dry skin occurs especially in winter. At temperatures below 8 ° C, the sebum glands in the skin reduce the production of sebum. In addition, less sweat is produced, which also imbalances the ratio of fats and water. In addition, in the winter months there is the warm, but above all dry heating air that prevails in the apartment.

The legs can also be affected in summer if they are exposed to the sun without protection and subsequent care. Furthermore, excessive contact of the legs with water causes dry skin, be it during daily hygiene or during sporting activity. Chlorine in particular, as well as substances from shampoos or shower gel, attack the natural fat-water layer of the skin.

Many women shave their legs. With incorrect care, this can also lead to dry skin. An improper diet with insufficient zinc and vitamins can also cause dry skin on the legs.

Read more on the subject at: Diet for dry skin

In addition to these everyday stresses, dry skin can also be a sign of another underlying disease. Skin diseases such as neurodermatitis or psoriasis, but also systemic diseases, can cause dry skin that also affects the legs. Usually, however, other parts of the body are also affected.

Read more on this topic at: Causes of Dry Skin

Symptoms

Dry skin on the legs is accompanied by a number of other symptoms:

• Due to the dryness, the skin loses its elasticity and it begins to feel noticeably tense.
• Flaking of the skin is also increasingly observed. The fatty film of healthy skin normally conceals dead, superficial skin cells, dry skin does not have this film. This makes these layers of skin visible as scales.
• The tension on the skin of the legs also makes it more prone to injuries, so that there are more and more small cracks and other damage. She becomes brittle. In the case of small cracks in the skin, the legs can have slightly painful areas.
• Furthermore, dry skin can lead to a changed skin color, often local reddening occurs.
• In addition to these symptoms, those affected often complain of itching of the legs

Read more on the topic: Cracked skin

Skin itches on the legs

In many cases, dry skin makes legs itchy. This phenomenon occurs especially when the dry skin of the legs is caused by frequent washing. Itching is a discomfort to the skin that is probably used to remove invaders such as parasites. However, if your legs are itchy from dry skin, do not scratch them. Although this can relieve the itching in the short term, overall the already dry skin is further damaged and possibly injured.

Instead of scratching, one should counteract the itching with a cream or other soothing measures. This is how urea works (urea) as an additive in a cream soothes the itching.
Various home remedies for dry skin can also help relieve itching.

If the legs continue to itch or if it is unbearable, this and the dry skin of the legs should be checked, as itching is also a symptom of other diseases that require treatment. It can be skin diseases such as eczema or neurodermatitis, but liver or kidney diseases also cause itching. In most cases, however, the itching of dry skin is harmless.

with red spots

Spotty redness is a common symptom of dry skin. This can have different causes. Symptoms of this kind often appear on the legs after a shower. Too hot shower water promotes such redness, just like dryness and itching. The spots usually disappear a short time after showering, although the dryness and itching persist. In order to avoid such phenomena, it is advisable to shower with lukewarm water and apply cream to the skin immediately afterwards.

However, red spots and dry skin on the legs can also be an expression of neurodermatitis. The redness is often found on the flexor sides and in the hollow of the knee, whereas the dryness affects the entire skin.

with scales and wrinkles

Dry skin on the legs can have many causes. A very common cause of dry skin with flakes and wrinkles, regardless of the region of the body, is age. As people get older, they tend to have dry, wrinkled and sometimes flaky skin. These changes can also be seen in the legs. The connective tissue loses its elasticity over the years, the skin becomes slacker and has a lower water content. Especially in old age, you should therefore ensure that you drink enough water and take good care of your skin. The skin on the legs should be covered with a nourishing cream several times a day.

Another cause of dry and flaky skin on the legs is psoriasis (psoriasis). However, wrinkles would be atypical in this case.

diagnosis

As with almost every diagnosis, the doctor starts with a detailed anamnesis. In order to be able to correctly assess the dry skin of the legs, it is important to know when the symptoms began, where the dry skin occurs and how severe the symptoms such as tightness or itching are.

Then the dry skin is inspected. The extent and extent of the dry areas are recorded, and the examiner looks for small cracks or major injuries to the skin. In order to rule out a causal underlying disease, the rest of the body must be examined and asked about other symptoms such as tiredness, pain or a drop in performance. If there is justified suspicion, a skin sample can be taken and examined. Otherwise, dry skin is a visual diagnosis.

forecast

Dry skin, which affects the legs, is generally not very harmful and affects many people, especially in winter. With suitable measures, the suffering can be significantly improved.
Only in rare cases is the dry skin of the legs an expression of a disease. Nevertheless, if you have persistent or severe complaints, you should not wait too long to see a doctor, who in most cases will also get these symptoms under control.