Why Do I Have Scaly Skin? 12 Possible Causes

What does it mean if your skin is scaly? There are several causes of dry, scaly skin: cold weather, indoor heat, hot water, aggressive washing, and aging. These triggers allow moisture to escape your skin, causing flaking, scaling, and peeling. You can treat dry skin by moisturizing regularly and staying hydrated.

Dry skin can crop up anywhere. Some body parts—like the extremities, which do not have as many oil glands as the face—are more prone to dryness. Read on to learn what causes scaly skin and dry patches and how to treat it.

1. Psoriasis

Plaque psoriasis is the most common type of psoriasis. This chronic skin condition speeds up the process by which skin cells mature and reach the skin's surface. The rate at which old cells are shed is unchanged, so the new cells build up and become thickened patches. Dead, flaking skin covers these patches.

The precise cause of psoriasis is not known. Some evidence suggests that something occurs in T-cells (immune cells) that tell the skin to overproduce. Psoriasis can be genetic, meaning it can affect people with a family history of the skin condition.

Psoriasis can begin at any age. There are two points at which most people develop it: the first, at the age of 20–30 years and the second, at the age of 50–60 years.

Symptoms

Plaque psoriasis symptoms include:

• Dry skin
• Silvery-white coating over your knees, elbows, lower back, or scalp
• Thick, raised red patches

Psoriasis can come and go with varying degrees of severity. Emotional stress, skin injury, and bacteria or viral infections may trigger attacks.

Treatment

There's no cure for plaque psoriasis. A healthcare provider can recommend treatment based on the degree of your psoriasis and where it occurs.

Treatments depend on several factors and might include:

• Creams and ointments
• Light therapy
• Medications (e.g., methotrexate)

2. Eczema

Eczema, which affects about 30% of people in the United States, is an umbrella term for several skin conditions. It's unknown what causes eczema, but research has shown it likely involves a combination of environmental factors and genetics.

People with eczema tend to have very dry skin, possibly due to a mutation of the gene that controls filaggrin. This protein helps create a healthy barrier on the top layer of skin. The barrier keeps moisture from escaping and bacteria from entering.

If you have eczema, your immune system tends to overreact to allergens or irritants and mistakenly attack healthy cells. This inflammation leads to red, itchy, and painful skin.

Symptoms

Eczema is often called "the itch that rashes" because of symptoms like:

• Blisters that ooze and crust
• Itching
• Red, scaly patches

Certain triggers can worsen eczema symptoms. These include dry skin, excess sweating, hot baths, and stress. Everyone's eczema triggers are different, so it's important to identify yours.

Treatment

There's no cure for eczema, but there are many treatments, including:

• Antihistamines 
• Biologic medicines
• Immunosuppressant drugs
• Light therapy
• Oral steroids (for short-term use)
• Topical and oral antibiotics
• Topical medicines (e.g., steroid creams and ointments)

Self-care is key to managing eczema flares. Regularly use an unscented moisturizer with a high oil content to hydrate your skin.

3. Seborrheic Dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis causes white or yellowish greasy scales on oily areas of the body. Symptoms usually affect the scalp, face, chest, back, armpits, or groin.

This type of eczema occurs in 5% of the global population. People often get seborrheic dermatitis for the first time as a young adult or after age 50. Men are slightly more prone to developing seborrheic dermatitis than women. Once you get seborrheic dermatitis, you tend to have it for life.

The cause of seborrheic dermatitis is not entirely understood. Yeast that naturally lives on your skin can flourish in oily secretions to the degree that your skin gets irritated. Seborrheic dermatitis comes and goes, often clearing and flaring without warning. Sudden weather changes and stress can trigger flares.

Symptoms

Seborrheic dermatitis can appear anywhere on your body where there are oil glands. Common symptoms include:

• A rash that is dark on brown or black skin and lighter on white skin
• Flaking skin or dandruff
• Itching
• Patches of flaky white or yellow scales on top of oily skin

Treatment

Use a dandruff shampoo that contains zinc pyrithione, selenium sulfide, or ketoconazole. These ingredients have antifungal properties that keep the yeast on your skin at bay. You may need to try several shampoos to find the best one for you.

Massage the shampoo onto your scalp and other affected areas. Leave the shampoo in place for a few minutes before rinsing to give the active ingredient time to work. Seborrheic dermatitis can be stubborn. See a dermatologist for other treatment options if shampoo is not working.

4. Tinea Versicolor

Tinea versicolor (pityriasis versicolor) is a fungal skin infection caused by an overgrowth of yeast that naturally lives on your skin. Yeast thrives in moist environments, so it might overgrow when you sweat.

Tinea versicolor is very common in tropical or subtropical areas. Some people who live in these areas have it year-round.

Symptoms

Tinea versicolor causes light or dark patches of skin that are round or oval-shaped. These patches typically occur on the:

• Back
• Neck
• Shoulders
• Upper arms
• Upper chest

These patches can be pink or brown. After spending time in the sun, patches may be more visible than usual.

Treatment

Treatment is similar to that for seborrheic dermatitis: an antifungal shampoo. Use the shampoo from head to toe every day for one month and then once or twice per week afterward.

An antifungal shampoo may not be enough to treat tinea versicolor. Other treatments include:

• Antifungal creams, lotions, and soaps
• Antifungal oral medications (for short-term use)
• Medicated cleansers

Tinea versicolor often returns if you live in a warm, humid environment. Use an antifungal cleanser once or twice per month to help prevent the yeast overgrowth.

5. Actinic Keratosis

Actinic keratoses (AKs) are precancerous growths that develop slowly. Long-term exposure to the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays, as well as artificial UV rays from sunlamps and tanning beds, causes AKs.

Symptoms

These growths are initially felt rather than seen. You may feel like you are running your finger over sandpaper. You may later develop rough, scaly, discolored patches on sun-exposed areas, such as the face, neck, bald scalp, chest, shoulders, forearms, and back of the hands. These patches are usually red, light or dark tan, white, pink, flesh-toned, or a combination.

Several AKs often show up at the same time. If left alone, about 10% of AKs will become cancerous. AKs are linked to a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma.

Treatment

Dermatologists usually treat AKs with surgical and non-surgical procedures, such as:

• Chemical peel: A medical-grade procedure that removes the top layers of skin
• Cryotherapy: The freezing of lesions with a substance like liquid nitrogen
• Curettage: Scraping with a sharp instrument
• Photodynamic therapy: Involves applying a solution to the AKs and then treating with blue or red light

It's important to get routine skin exams even if you have treated AKs. These growths may disappear and then reappear later.

6. Allergic Contact Dermatitis

Allergic contact dermatitis is a skin condition caused by exposure to allergens on the skin. These allergens cause an immune response that creates inflammation.

Nickel is a common allergen: About 10% of people are sensitive to this metal. Other common allergens include certain foods, cosmetics, dyes, medications, poison ivy, and rubber.

Symptoms

Allergic contact dermatitis symptoms typically include:

• A red rash that's patchy or streaky
• Blisters that ooze, drain, and crust
• Burning
• Pain
• Red bumps 
• Scaly, raw, and thick skin that's warm and tender
• Severe itching

Treatment

It's essential to avoid allergens to alleviate symptoms and prevent flares. Other treatments may include:

• Emollients and moisturizers
• Oral steroids (for short-term use)
• Topical medicines
• Topical steroid creams and ointments (for short-term use)
• Wet dressings with anti-itch lotions

7. Skin Cancer: Basal Cell Carcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are some of the most common types of skin cancer. Both types of cancer are caused by long-term exposure to radiation and sun exposure.

Symptoms

Skin cancer symptoms typically appear on sun-exposed body parts (e.g., face, ears, neck, lips, and back of hands). These symptoms might include:

• A pinkish patch of skin
• Flesh-colored round growth
• Pearl-like bump

Superficial BCC can look like early-stage SCC, which causes scaly patches on body parts that receive a lot of sun exposure. SCC also causes spots that look like warts or open sores with a raised border and a crusted surface.

These lesions—which range from pea-size to chestnut-size—can bleed if you bump, scratch, or scrape them. Some lesions persist, while others heal and then return. Anyone can develop BCC or SCC, but those with fair skin, light hair, and light eyes have the highest risk.

Treatment

Dermatologists typically treat these types of skin cancer using:

• Chemotherapy
• Immunotherapy
• Local treatment (e.g., cryotherapy, topical chemotherapy, or laser surgery)
• Radiation
• Surgery

Both skin cancer types can become disfiguring and sometimes deadly if cancerous cells continue to grow. Be sure to see a healthcare provider if you notice any changes to a preexisting skin growth or the development of a new one.

8. Hypothyroidism

An underactive thyroid, or hypothyroidism, can affect many body parts, including the skin. The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland at the center of the neck that produces hormones that help regulate metabolism.

The most common reason your thyroid gland cannot make enough hormones is due to an autoimmune disorder like Hashimoto's disease. This disease causes your immune system to mistakenly attack your thyroid gland.

Symptoms

Hypothyroidism may cause symptoms like:

• Depression
• Dry skin
• Fatigue
• Feeling cold
• Weight gain

Treatment

A healthcare provider can diagnose an underactive thyroid with a series of blood tests. Hypothyroidism treatment typically includes medications, such as levothyroxine, to replace the hormones your thyroid does not make. These medications can help relieve symptoms, including dry, rough, or scaly skin.

9. Ichthyosis Vulgaris

Ichthyosis vulgaris is a genetic skin condition that usually begins at birth or in the first year of life but can affect anyone of any age. People inherit the genetic mutation from one or both parents, neither of whom needs to have the disease to pass on the mutation. There are more than 20 types of ichthyosis, but 95% of people who develop it get the mildest form.

Ichthyosis vulgaris is caused by the same mutation that may cause eczema, resulting in too little filaggrin in your skin. Skin cells do not shed as normal without enough of this protein, piling up on the skin's surface.

Symptoms

Ichthyosis vulgaris typically causes thick, scaly skin patches, especially on the legs. You may also develop dry, itchy skin.

Treatment

There's no cure for ichthyosis vulgaris. Dermatologists can recommend ways to manage symptoms, including:

• Applying moisturizer to damp skin after bathing to help seal in water
• Choosing a moisturizer that contains urea, glycolic acid, or lactic acid, which hydrate your skin
• Taking long baths to soften the scales
• Using a washcloth, loofah, or pumice stone to gently slough away the scales

10. Athlete's Foot

You do not have to be an athlete to get this fungal infection. The warm, dark, moist environment inside your shoes is the perfect place for fungus to grow. Fungus thrives in the warm, damp areas around swimming pools, showers, and locker rooms.

Symptoms

Athlete's foot is particularly common between the toes, though it often spreads to the soles, the heels, and the edges of the feet. Typical symptoms include:

• Blisters that crack and peel
• Dry skin
• Inflammation and swelling
• Itching and burning between the toes or soles of the feet
• Scaling and peeling skin

Treatment

Treatment usually includes oral or topical antifungal creams, gels, or sprays. These treatments typically clear the infection quickly. You'll need to use the antifungal medication as long as a healthcare provider says to be sure the fungus is gone.

Athlete's foot is highly contagious and is difficult to get rid of. Ways to prevent athlete's foot include:

• Change your shoes and socks regularly
• Wash your feet daily and dry them completely
• Wear flip-flops around community swimming pools, locker rooms, and showers
• Wear light, airy shoes and synthetic, moisture-wicking socks to keep your feet cool and dry

11. Sunburn

Sunburn is short-term skin damage caused by unprotected exposure to UV rays. Scaly skin from a peeling sunburn might not seem like a good thing at the time, but it's actually how your body gets rid of the UV-damaged cells.

This process is not always perfect. Some damaged cells stick around and cause further mutations that may become cancerous. A single blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence more than doubles your risk of melanoma, the most severe type of skin cancer.

Symptoms

Sunburn symptoms include:

• Blistering, peeling skin
• Headache, fever, or chills if the sunburn is severe
• Inflamed skin that's hot to the touch
• Itching
• Painful skin
• Swelling

Treatment

Take quick action to treat sunburned skin:

• Cool your skin with cold compresses or take a cool shower or bath
• Drink plenty of fluids
• Moisturize skin while it's still damp
• Take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to decrease pain and inflammation

Do not use moisturizers that contain petroleum or oil-based ointments. These ingredients can trap heat and worsen the burn. To prevent sunburns, apply broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher on all sun-exposed skin. Cover with hats, sunglasses, and UV-protective clothing, and seek shade outdoors.

12. Pityriasis Rosea

Pityriasis rosea is a rash that follows a distinct pattern. One telltale sign of pityriasis rosea is a rash that forms a pattern that resembles a Christmas tree.

The rash first appears on the body as a single, oval, scaly patch, known as the "herald" patch. This isolated spot usually develops. Several days later, you'll erupt in smaller patches from your neck to your thighs.

The cause of pityriasis rosea is unknown. The condition is harmless; it is neither contagious nor sexually transmitted. The rash usually clears up without treatment after one to five months.

Symptoms

Pityriasis rosea symptoms may occur in the following order:

• Feeling ill for a couple of days
• Developing a large patch on the skin
• Developing smaller patches or bumps on the skin
• Skin clearing up on its own

Treatment

See a healthcare provider if you think you have this distinctive rash. A healthcare provider may prescribe topical steroids for itchy skin. Getting overheated can worsen the rash, so take lukewarm showers and baths.

Prevention

It's important to moisturize daily to prevent dry, scaly skin. Your entire skincare regimen can help you avoid skin concerns:

• Apply sunscreen daily. UV rays can also lead to dryness.
• Cleanse your skin with a mild cleanser.
• Take short showers with lukewarm water.

Opt for moisturizers with ingredients that supplement those found naturally in your skin. These include lipids, ceramides, cholesterol, and hyaluronic acid. See a dermatologist to determine treatment options if you are still having issues with your skin or difficulties with skin conditions.

When To Seek Immediate Medical Attention

You can typically treat dry skin at home by moisturizing regularly and staying hydrated. You'll want to see a healthcare provider right away if you have:

• Dry skin and itching that does not go away with home remedies
• Dry, itchy skin that disrupts your sleep
• Itching with no rash
• Open sores from scratching

A Quick Review

Cold weather, indoor heat, hot water, aggressive washing, and aging typically cause dry, scaly skin. These triggers cause your skin to flake, scale, or peel. Certain health conditions, such as eczema and hypothyroidism, can also cause dry skin.

See a healthcare provider if your symptoms do not improve with home remedies, such as moisturizing and staying hydrated. They can help figure out the cause of your symptoms.