Dry patches on face: 18 Causes, Symptoms and Remedies

Some people have a naturally dry skin tone.  Such individuals need to take care of their skin accordingly.  This is a common and not a serious problem.

Dryness in the skin becomes abnormal if one experiences tightness in the face after showering or for irregular and short periods of time. These dry patches on face are ugly and can cause a lot of irritation or pain.

The reasons could be much dry weather, allergies or underlying skin problems.

Characteristics of dry patches on Face:

Some of the characteristics of dry patches on face are:

• Irregular areas of dryness on face
• Flaky or peeling skin
• Color could be red or white

Symptoms of dry patches on Face:

• Stretchy or tight feeling of skin after a shower or round of swimming
• You are unable to blink immediately after showering
• The face has Shiny scales which does not cause itches
• Itchy and irregular dry patches in colors red, white, brown or pink.
• Leathery flakes
• Peeling skin on the face
• Leathery scales on the face
• Gray patches on an ash colored face

18 Causes of Dry Patches on Face:

While weather conditions form the main reason for dryness, there are some special situations where parts of skin on your face experiences dryness.  Here are few of them:

Extreme weather conditions:

Two extreme weather conditions are one of the main reasons for Dry Patches

During the hot and dry season, the humidity is low, and the temperature is high, so your skin loses all its moisture.  Thus patches of dryness appear on your skin including your face.

Dry and cold winter, in turn, can dehydrate your skin leaving dry patches on your Face

Hormonal imbalances:

The endocrine system which helps in production of different types of hormones is responsible for some disorders in the body.  The dry patches on face are sometimes caused due to a reduction in thyroid hormone, produced by the Thyroid gland, a part of the endocrine system.

Allergic conditions:

Dust mites, moulds and animal dander can cause skin allergies like wool, dry patches on face in some people. Food allergies can also trigger these problems.

Hot Shower baths:

Long and hot shower baths remove the essential oils on the surface of your skin and dehydrate it.  The areas with highest dehydration display dry patches.

Hot water, especially with high chlorine content, can burn your skin and cause patches or rashes as well.

Fungal infection:

The fungus is the culprit for some types of dry patches on face.   Yeast infection causes white dry patches.  Tinea Versicolor is a type of fungal infection that causes scaly red dry patches on face that make you itch constantly.

This condition occurs during hot and humid climatic conditions. It is common among teenagers and children who are prone to heavy sweating.   It can also happen due to greasy makeup, weak immunity, and poor hygiene.

Atopic Dermatitis or Eczema:

Eczema is a skin rash that occurs mainly in babies and toddlers.  It happens in all parts of the body including your face.  You experience an itching sensation followed by rashes on your face and other skin areas.

The skin is itchy dry, red scaly with bumps that contain liquid.  This ailment is inherited from your ancestors. There is an interconnection between Atopic Dermatitis and allergies.  Eczema triggers include these allergens, harsh chemicals, stress, sweating or washing constantly.

Psoriasis:

Psoriasis is a skin problem that results in dry patches all over the body including your face, neck, hands and scalp.  Psoriasis creates white scaly skin at first and then becomes pink or red. It occurs due to the defective working of your immune system.

Exposure to Sun:

Prolonged exposure to the sun causes severe damage to your skin.  The UV rays can create dry patches and also a skin condition called Idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis.

Polluted environment:

Pollution caused due to soot, acid emissions, smoke, smog and other pollutants can cause dry patchy skin, dark spots, rashes, sensitive skin and early aging.  This is because they cause oxidation that increases free radicals and damage skin.

Rosacea:

Rosacea is a chronic skin disease.  The symptoms of this disease are dry, scaly skin and swelling along with irritating broken blood vessels.  These symptoms are seen on your nose cheeks and forehead.  It can cause problems for your eyes as cysts are developed on the eyelids due to this disease

Use of chemical riddled soaps, detergents and skin products:

We use soaps and cleansers to remove dust and oil from our face.  Some soaps have anti-bacterial ingredients that may not be suitable for certain skin types causing dry patches on Face.

Using soaps and cleansers that are full of chemicals or harsh ingredients can damage skin. The result will be dry, patchy and scaly elements on your face.

Check if your soap has harsh elements. If you have a feeling of a stretchy skin or tightening, then it means your soap has harsh ingredients.

Some medicines:

Few medicines have side effects that causes dry patches on face and skin.  This is true especially for medicines that are taken for heart problems.  A doctors advice is mandatory to know how to combat this problem.

Diabetes:

Diabetes is a condition where the blood sugar levels in our body are not normal.  There is severe drainage of water out of your body at regular intervals, and this causes dehydration.  Dehydration reflects on your face as dry and scratchy patches.

Cholera:

Cholera causes diarrhea and vomiting cause dehydration, and this leads to dryness.

Vitamin deficiency:

Vitamin deficiency is also one of the causes for Dry patches on face.  They cause temporary patches on skin or serious changes like skin aging, yellowing of skin, Vitiligo, scurvy or psoriasis.

• Vitamin A deficiency causes dry scaly skin
• Vitamin B6 deficiency  causes dry skin ulcers
• Vitamin C and E deficiency causes skin aging plus dryness
• Vitamin B 7 deficiency leads to eczema and
• Vitamin D causes psoriasis

Skin cancer:

Skin cancer is the very commonly seen type of cancer prevalent!  It can occur without warning.

One of the important symptoms of skin cancer is the formation of asymmetrical, dark and semi-blurred patches of dry skin in various colors from brown, black, blue, red or pink.

Acne:

Sometimes your face is full of dry Acne patches.

Acne usually occurs due to oily skin surfaces.  At times, dryness may also lead to Acne patches.  How?  It occurs as a result of using wrong and harsh skin care ingredients that dehydrate skin.

Vitiligo:

Vitiligo is an immunity disorder.  Your body’s immunity system attacks the pigment creating cells. As a result white dry spots occur in different parts of the body including your face.

It is caused due to extreme stress or genetic reasons.  It has no permanent cure.

Remedies for Dry patches on face:

Use the right products for skin care:

Dry patches on face can be remedied using the right skin care products.  In this regard consider the following:

• Avoid harsh soaps and cleansers that may harm your skin
• Choose right moisturizers
• Dry your face thoroughly after washing and moisturize after cleaning

Lifestyle changes:

• Follow some practices daily to maintain moisture as prevention is always better than cure
• Shorter showers to maintain oil balance in the body
• Follow a moisturizing regime daily

OTC medicines:

Doctors may suggest medication such as steroids, creams, injections etc. if the dry patches remain for an extended period of time.

Surgery for malignant cells:

If the dry patches are due to cancerous cells, surgery method will be adopted to destroy them.

Home Remedies:

There are various home remedies for Dry patches on Face.  They all help in re-hydrating your face to normal levels.  Here a few products that are available at home that you can use to solve this condition:

• Coconut oil: has fat content and locks moisture in areas where there are dry patches.  Apply at least twice a day for few weeks to get the best results.
• Lemon juice and honey: You can also add them to lemon juice or honey and apply on the affected area
• Milk Cream:  You can exfoliate your skin and the dry patches on your face using lactic acid rich milk cream.  The skin becomes hydrated and supple on applying milk cream alone or in combination with lime juice.
• Apple cider vinegar: It is another natural remedy that has ingredients to ward off dryness on your face.
• Aloe Vera: If the problem is dehydration, aloe vera is the best remedy.  It has vitamins and minerals and moisturizing agents to keep your skin hydrated and devoid of dry patches on face.  For best results, apply more than twice a day.
• Horsetail: is another home remedy that can cure dry patches on Face. Just boil a cup of the herb with water for some time.  Cool it and apply the mixture on dry skin to rehydrate it back to its original shape.

Eat vitamin and mineral rich foods such as:

• Milk products like fortified milk, cheese, yoghurt, cream;
• Cod;
• Animal products such as fish, liver, eggs, meat, kidney;
• Wholegrain cereals;
• Peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts;
• Vegetables like with sweet potato carrots;
• Mushrooms;
• Tomatoes;
• Green vegetables like Broccoli, spinach, cabbage, green pepper and kale;
• Fruits like apricots, squash, oranges, mangoes, papaya

Eat a balanced diet, give importance to Hygiene, avoid exposure to sun and remain hydrated.  This sums up all the remedies that can cure the condition of dry patches on face.

References:

1. http://www.thehealthsite.com/news/the-delhi-smog-can-cause-wrinkles-dry-skin-and-pigmentation-here-are-skin-care-tips-to-reverse-the-damage-done-by-air-pollution-x1117/
2. https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/eczema/understanding-eczema-symptoms
3. https://www.curejoy.com/content/vitamin-deficiencies-that-show-up-on-your-skin/
4. https://www.skincareguide.com/article/skin-conditions/other-conditions/vitiligo-and-dry-skin