Symptoms

Dry skin is often temporary — you get it only in winter, for example — but it may be a lifelong condition. Signs and symptoms of dry skin depend on your age, your health, where you live, time spent outdoors and the cause of the problem. Dry skin is likely to cause one or more of the following:

• A feeling of skin tightness, especially after showering, bathing or swimming
• Skin that feels and looks rough
• Itching (pruritus)
• Slight to severe flaking, scaling or peeling
• Fine lines or cracks
• Gray, ashy skin
• Redness
• Deep cracks that may bleed

When to see a doctor

Most cases of dry skin respond well to lifestyle and home remedies. See your doctor if:

• Your skin doesn't improve in spite of your best efforts
• Dry skin is accompanied by redness
• Dryness and itching interfere with sleeping
• You have open sores or infections from scratching
• You have large areas of scaling or peeling skin