Short answer: Several things change at once. The oil glands in the skin tend to produce less oil with age, the outer layer becomes easier to disrupt and slower to recover, and for many women the hormonal changes around menopause add to the shift. Hot water, harsh cleansing, low humidity and wind can make it worse. You cannot stop the age-related part, but you can avoid adding to it. Gentle, thorough cleansing, warm rather than hot water and a suitable moisturizer applied to clean skin can make a visible difference to how dry skin looks and feels.
Some of the change comes from inside the skin, and some comes from the bathroom tap.
Less oil at the surface
The skin makes its own oil, called sebum, and part of its job is to slow the loss of water from the surface. The glands that produce it tend to produce less as the years pass. Less oil at the surface makes it harder for skin to stay moist, which can leave it feeling tight, looking dull and sometimes itchy.
This is a tendency, not a timetable. The routine that suited you at 35 may feel like too little at 60.
An outer layer that recovers more slowly
The outermost layer of the skin works as a barrier. It helps hold water in and keep irritants out, and it depends on a mix of fats between its cells to do both. What Is the Skin Barrier? explains how that layer works.
With age, that barrier tends to become easier to disrupt and slower to recover. In one small study published in 1995, researchers compared adults aged 20 to 30 with adults over 80. At rest, the older skin’s barrier seemed to hold up. When the researchers disrupted the barrier on a small area of forearm skin in a controlled test, the older skin’s barrier gave way more easily and took considerably longer to recover. The researchers suggested this may help explain why older skin is more easily affected by its surroundings.
Hormones play a part
For many women, the years around menopause bring a noticeable change in how dry skin feels. The details vary a great deal from person to person, and Menopause and Skin: What Changes covers them.
Environment and habits add to it
Hot water. Hot water takes more oil off the surface than warm or lukewarm water does. Long, hot showers are a common contributor to dry skin. Are Hot Showers Bad for Your Skin? looks at this in more detail.
Harsh cleansing. A cleanser that leaves your face tight long after washing is worth reconsidering. Suitability depends on the whole formulation. Foaming alone tells you little.
Low humidity. Dry weather and indoor heating can both lower the moisture in the air around you. Cold weather is often drier, though not always, and very dry climates can be dry at any time of year. In particularly dry indoor environments, a humidifier may help increase ambient moisture.
Wind and sun. Wind carries water off exposed skin, and years of sun exposure change how skin behaves as well.
What helps
Cleanse gently and thoroughly in the evening. Remove eye makeup first with a dedicated eye makeup remover, then cleanse your face with light pressure, lukewarm water and a cleanser that leaves your skin comfortable rather than tight. Go to bed with a completely clean face. After a thorough evening cleanse, a warm-water rinse in the morning may be enough for some skin.
Follow a steady order. Cleanse, use an appropriate toner or mist, then serum, then moisturizer, each according to the individual product’s directions, plus daytime sun protection. Apply leave-on products to clean skin with clean fingertips, and use the amount the directions call for. More product does not mean more moisture.
Choose by how your skin responds. Whether a moisturizer suits you depends on its complete formulation and on your own skin, not on how thick or light it looks. If you have known sensitivities, check the complete ingredient list, not only the key ingredients.
Dry skin and dehydrated skin are not quite the same thing, and they can happen together. Dehydrated Skin vs Dry Skin explains how to tell them apart.
When it is more than dryness
Age-related dryness often responds to gentler habits and a consistent moisturizer, but not always. If dryness comes with persistent itching, a rash, cracking, soreness or changes you cannot account for, see a dermatologist or another appropriate healthcare professional.
Victoria’s approach
Victoria Nash, founder of Esenté Skincare, has been a licensed aesthetician since 2003. She also owns and operates Younger You Clinique and is an experienced skincare educator. She draws on her professional experience at Younger You Clinique when evaluating skincare products and their performance. Victoria emphasizes responding to the environment your skin is actually experiencing. Cold winter climates can increase dryness, but very dry climates may create similar concerns at other times of year, so adjustments should be guided by the condition of your skin rather than simply by the calendar. Her evening advice applies at every age: remove eye makeup with a dedicated remover before cleansing your face. Whatever your routine, don’t go to sleep wearing makeup.
Examples from Esenté’s moisturizers include the Hydra-Plus Night Crème, the Recovery Crème and the Hyaluronic Hydration Crème. They are options among other suitable Esenté formulations, and the right choice depends on your skin and your regimen. Follow the directions for whichever you use, and use a clean spatula to take the crème from its jar. Esenté works with boutique manufacturers to develop and select formulations that meet the brand’s ingredient, performance and quality criteria. If your skin has changed and your routine has not, the Ask Victoria page is a good place to talk it through.
Frequently asked questions
Oil glands tend to produce less oil as you get older, and the outer layer of the skin tends to become easier to disrupt and slower to recover. Hormonal changes, hot water, harsh cleansing and low humidity can all add to it.
It is common, and many people find their skin drier as they get older. It varies a great deal from person to person. Dryness that comes with persistent itching, a rash or cracking is worth showing to a dermatologist.
Apply moisturizer to clean skin with clean fingertips, using the amount its directions call for. Choose a product that leaves your skin comfortable, since suitability depends on the complete formulation and your own skin, and use it consistently.
In particularly dry indoor environments, a humidifier may help increase ambient moisture. It works alongside gentle cleansing, cooler water and a consistent moisturizer rather than replacing them.
Not in the evening, because sunscreen and makeup need to come off before bed. Look instead at how the cleanser leaves your skin. If it feels tight long after washing, a gentler formulation and lighter pressure are worth trying.
About the author. Victoria Nash, founder of Esenté Skincare, has been a licensed aesthetician since 2003. She also owns and operates Younger You Clinique and is an experienced skincare educator.
Reviewed by Victoria Nash, licensed aesthetician, founder of Esenté Skincare and owner of Younger You Clinique. This article is educational and is not medical advice. Ask your dermatologist or licensed skincare professional about products appropriate for your own skin and medical history.
