Is dry skin a normal part of aging?

[UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme]

My lips and hands particularly are very dry no matter what I do, and I have to use lip balm frequently just to stop my lips peeling (hands are more understandable as I have to wash them frequently and have to wear plastic/ laytex gloves some of the time at work).

I'm nearly 46 and this has been an issue for a while - a year, two years, I'm not completely sure!

Is this something most people experience with aging? What do people find ate the best lip balm and hand creams?

are not ate!

Same here and I'm a couple of years younger than you.
A few years ago if my skin got dry I could 'fix' it by exfoliating and using a heavier moisturiser. Nothing much seems to help now.

Yes dryer skin normal part of ageing everything cell turnover sebum production etc slows down as we age.

I'm 43 and suddenly gone from combination to dry skin.

Think so. In my 40s and contemplating washing up gloves for the first time ever. Don’t discount the effect of hand gel though if you are using more than usual - even my 5yo has the hands of a washerwoman right now.

Thanks everyone. 1frenchfoodie as you say the hands are less surprising. Its my lips that really bother me. I guess I'm spoilt because until a few years ago I did nothing to my skin, ever, and it was clear and in pretty much perfect condition. I don't think I'd ever bough or used lip balm before I turned 40. I was baffled by friends seemingly addicted to it when we were in our 20s, I secretly thought it was an affectation/ pose, like having a bottle of water or take away coffee cup permanently in their hand

Mine doesn't seem to have changed, to be honest.

I'm 56 and post menopause - yet my skin feels pretty ok. I had combination skin in my teens/20s - and still seem to have a fairly oily t zone.

Yes to dryer skin with age. I’ve had great success with using emollient ointment on my lips at night - just the cheap stuff sold in the chemist and usually used for eczema. I would really recommend it. It’s also brilliant when used on hands overnight.

Watchingthetelly thank you, that's a great tip. I have a good almond oil based lip balm atm but it's far too expensive for the astounding rate I seem to need to use it at (it was a random purchase in an organic supermarket and cost 9€ for a tiny pot). I've tried liafs of things recently and many seem to actually make it worse, while others do next to nothing. A long term economical solution would be excellent.

The ointment works for me in part because it’s so bland. I find my lips prone to irritation which exacerbates the dryness. I hope it works for you now if you try it 🤞🏻

This is me in just the last few months. Never had dry skin, now my face feels tight and painful a lot of the time. Bah.

Me too. My skin feels dry and tight and sensitive in the way it might if exposed to too much sun.

No 7 serum has helped a bit. I seem to be really allergic to any eye cream so am having to avoid putting anything near my eye area. It's a bloody pain.

Another suggestion, I find that taking cod liver oil daily and eating a couple of avocados a week also helps. I don’t know if this one is scientifically verified but it does seem to work