Why is the skin on my face always dry and flaky?

What keeps making your face dry?

Your skin barrier is the outer layer that keeps water in and irritating substances out. Harsh soaps, hot water, scrubbing, too much exfoliation and skipping moisturizer can damage that layer. Flaking, roughness, itching and stinging when you apply skincare are possible signs. Repeatedly removing the flakes with a scrub can therefore keep the problem going rather than fix it.2

Cold outdoor air and dry indoor heat can disrupt the skin barrier, so changing rooms is not much of an escape plan. Low humidity makes dryness worse, particularly in winter, although dry skin can happen all year. Aging and a genetic tendency toward dryness also matter. Some medicines, including diuretics and statins, can cause extremely dry skin. If persistent dryness began after starting a medicine, bring that timing to your prescriber.134

Could the flakes be something other than dry skin?

The location and accompanying symptoms help a clinician distinguish the possibilities.

• Flakes around your eyebrows, the folds beside your nose, your beard or your ears, especially with dandruff, can fit seborrheic dermatitis. This recurring inflammatory condition affects oil rich areas and can produce both oily and dry patches, often with little itching.
• Dry, inflamed patches with marked itching can fit eczema. Atopic dermatitis, a common type of eczema, often begins in childhood.
• Dryness, itching or a rash after contact with cosmetics or another substance can fit contact dermatitis, an irritating or allergic skin reaction.
• Thick, raised patches covered with silvery scale can fit psoriasis rather than ordinary dryness.

Dry patches do not automatically mean your entire face has a dry skin type. Combination skin has both oily and dry areas, despite the skincare aisle's preference for putting everything in one category. Sensitive skin can also be dry, oily or combination; sensitivity is not a measure of oil production.7

How should you care for a dry, flaky face?

1. 1Wash gently with warm, not hot, water and a mild cleanser without soap or fragrance. Massage the cleanser on and rinse it off; prolonged rubbing adds no cleansing benefit.
2. 2Apply a facial moisturizer while your skin is still damp. Use it in the morning and before bed. A cream or balm can be more useful than a light lotion in cold, dry weather.
3. 3Look for glycerin or hyaluronic acid to help with hydration, and ceramides or fatty acids to support the skin barrier. Choose a fragrance free formula, particularly if your skin is sensitive.
4. 4Apply sunscreen over moisturizer during the day. Choose broad spectrum, water resistant protection with SPF 30 or higher; a moisturizing cream sunscreen is an option.

Reduce scrubbing and exfoliation. Retinol, glycolic acid and salicylic acid can be too drying in winter, so use them less often or at a lower strength. If a prescription retinoid is causing dryness, discuss an adjustment with your prescriber. Sensitive skin can also become irritated by benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, dyes and fragrance.37

How long should you wait before getting help?

Moisturizer softens dry skin, but sustained improvements from barrier repair habits can take three to four months. That is not a reason to postpone care for persistent or recurring symptoms. Seek medical advice for cracking, bleeding, painful sores or signs of infection. Seborrheic dermatitis can need antifungal treatment and ongoing maintenance, while eczema can need treatment beyond moisturizer.125