Skin knowledge Our Skin Extremely dry skin 
Extremely dry skin is a common problem with various manifestations. Depending on the respective degree of severity, a varying degree of tightness occurs, the skin is rough and tends to itch. Often there is a genetic predisposition to neurodermatitis. In the case of neurodermatitis (atopic eczema), the skin shows eczema (redness and scaling) and a particularly persistent itching in addition to the extreme dryness. Due to the disturbed skin barrier, among other things, the skin is also exposed to an increased risk of allergies.
The causes of extremely dry skin are manifold. Skin diseases such as neurodermatitis and psoriasis are associated with dry skin. Compared to healthy skin, in extremely dry skin either the integrity of the skin cells among each other is disturbed, either by excessive growth as in psoriasis or by disturbed anchoring of the skin cells among each other (e.g. by filaggrin mutation) in neurodermatitis. In addition, there is a deficiency in the skin’s own moisturizing factors, which also leads to increased transepidermal water loss. This effect is intensified by a disturbed skin barrier as a result of reduced lipid formation, which significantly increases moisture loss.
Extremely dry skin requires coordinated care to replenish lost moisture and to protect it from further moisture loss. Urea plays a particularly important role here, because urea binds water and supports the retention of moisture in the skin. Thus, care products containing urea can support the regeneration of the disturbed skin barrier.
