Why do i have ashy skin

After you receive a diagnosis, your doctor can prescribe medicated topicals or other treatments to help return your skin to a healthy, moisturized state.

Consider including these skin care tips into your daily routine:. Incorporating these tips into your daily lifestyle can help to keep your skin moisturized and protected from dehydration and ashiness. Ashy skin is relatively common and happens when your skin becomes dry or dehydrated. There are many causes of ashy skin, including harsh weather, irritating skin products, or underlying skin conditions.

Treatment for ashy skin includes hydrating the skin with gentle creams and using sensitive soaps, as well as other lifestyle changes. If you feel that your dry skin is not getting better with at-home remedies, your doctor can help you find the underlying cause and treatment for your ashy skin.

Everyone can benefit from a good facial cleanser, and many products are specially formulated for dry, sensitive skin. Chemotherapy can cause side effects for your skin, including dryness, redness, and irritation. You can take steps to soothe and protect your skin that…. Dry skin is an uncomfortable condition, marked by scaling, itching, and cracking. It can occur for a variety of reasons. You might have naturally dry….

There are seven types of eczema. Each type has its own identifying characteristics. Contact dermatitis is a condition that makes skin red or inflamed after contact with an allergen or an irritant.

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Blue lips are most often caused when something is preventing you from getting enough oxygen into your body. Read on to discover some of the causes of…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. What is ashy skin? Show references Moncrieff G, et al. Use of emollients in dry-skin conditions: Consensus statement. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology. Dry skin. American Osteopathic College of Dermatology. Accessed July 2, American Academy of Dermatology.

Goldsmith LA, et al. Cosmetics and skin care in dermatology. In: Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. New York, N. The McGraw-Hill Companies; Fazio SB, et al. Pruritus: Overview of management. Accessed July 1, Berger TG, et al. Pruritus in the older patient: A clinical review. Pay attention to how your skin feels and reacts after you use your cleansers, shower gels, toners, or any other products.

Who enjoys a nice, hot shower or bath when it's cold outside? Unfortunately, your skin doesn't. Increased exposure to hot water can severely dry out your skin due to the depletion of natural oils and proteins. Not only can this leave your skin feeling tight and looking flushed, but it can also bring forth the onset of ashiness.

Making small changes in your daily habits and being mindful of the products you use can not only get rid of ashy skin but also keep it away for good. Moisturizing is important, but it's not enough to use just any type. Look for moisturizers that contain keratolytics , which are agents that gently exfoliate the skin while helping it bind to moisture. Examples of keratolytics include salicylic acid, lactic acid, and urea. You may also want to seek out lotions or creams that contain ceramides if your skin's lipid barrier has been compromised.

Building your skin's lipid barrier back up will prevent trans-epidermal water loss and limit the risk of other concerns such as acne. Plant oils such as coconut oil , shea butter, and jojoba oil are adept at relieving inflammation and repairing the skin's lipid barrier, as this study from the International Journal of Molecular Sciences discovered.

You can either use a moisturizer that incorporates one or several of these ingredients or opt for a concentrated face or body oil that you can apply right after you shower. To reduce the buildup of dead skin cells on the surface, you should exfoliate two to three times a week, at most. You can also use a physical exfoliant, a grainy scrub that can be used to manually remove dead skin cells, but only if your skin isn't sensitive or acne-prone.

If your body can handle it, you can opt for a body scrub instead. Just like with your face, make sure to limit full body exfoliation to no more than three times a week. Over-exfoliating can exacerbate existing skin troubles and possibly bring forth new ones. You may not be aware of the pH level of your skin or the products you use.

Unfortunately, overlooking the importance of pH can be the reason your skin might not be improving despite following a proper skincare routine. Skin's natural pH is around 5. Anything beyond that is too alkaline and therefore abrasive. Using gentle cleansers, toners, and other skincare products, like YORA's Rebalance Facial Cleanser , will leave your skin feeling fresh and light instead of painful and tight. If you're ever curious about the pH level of your favorite products, you can check for yourself via pH testing strips.

You'll have to give up the scalding showers during winter months if you want to maintain healthy skin. Fortunately, you won't have to drop the water temperature to below freezing. Rajani Katta, professor of dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine, recommends showering in lukewarm water for no more than 15 minutes to prevent skin from becoming dry and ashy. In addition to shorter, cooler showers, you may need to cut back on how often you shower, as well.

Robert H. Shmerling, MD of Harvard Medical School suggests that most healthy people do not have to shower every day — daily showers, he says, can lead to dry, itchy skin and even a compromised immune system. Of course, this advice will vary on a case-by-case basis.