Why do I have dry, flaky patches on my face?

Dry patches on the face usually mean your skin is losing water faster than it can hold on to it. The common reasons are harsh or frequent cleansing, too much exfoliating or a new active product, long hours in air-conditioning, hot showers, and cold or windy weather. Flaky skin sits on the surface, so the way forward is gentler cleansing, moisturiser on damp skin and a pause on anything that stings, not scrubbing the flakes away. Most patches look and feel better within one to two weeks of a gentler routine; if yours do not, or they are red, itchy or spreading, see a dermatologist.

Common causes of flaking and peeling

Over-cleansing. Foaming cleansers that leave skin squeaky, or washing three times a day because humid weather makes you feel oily.
Too many active products. Exfoliating acids, scrubs and retinol all speed up how fast surface flakes come away. Some peeling in the first few weeks of retinol is common; peeling that keeps going means you are using it too often.
Air-conditioning. Offices, bedrooms, cars and long flights all have very dry air. Many people in hot countries have their driest skin indoors.
Weather and water. Cold wind, central heating in winter, and hot showers aimed at the face all strip moisture.
Sunburn. Peeling after a burn is the skin shedding the damaged surface. Leave it alone, keep moisturising, and stay out of the sun while it settles.

What to change in your routine

Cleanse less, and more gently. Use a cream or non-foaming cleanser at night. In the morning, rinse with lukewarm water only.
Pat, do not rub. Wash with cool to lukewarm water, roughly 20 to 30°C, never hot, and pat dry with a soft towel. When you wash your hair, keep hot shower water off your face.
Moisturise while your skin is still damp. Look for ingredients that draw in water (glycerin, hyaluronic acid) together with ones that soften the skin and slow water loss (ceramides, squalane, shea butter). At night, add a thin layer of a richer balm on the patches themselves.
Pause the actives. Stop exfoliating acids, scrubs and retinol for one to two weeks while your skin settles, then bring back one at a time, on fewer evenings than before. If a retinoid was prescribed by a doctor, do not stop it on your own: keep to their instructions and tell them about the peeling.
Keep sunscreen. A cream sunscreen often sits better on flaky skin than a gel or a fast-drying fluid.

What not to do

Do not peel or scrub off the flakes. Pulling them leaves raw-feeling patches that flake again.
Do not change products every few days. A steady routine lets your skin settle and shows you what is helping.
Skip fragranced products and alcohol-heavy toners on the patches while they are flaking, since they often sting on dry skin.
Do not cover the patches with powder. Powder clings to flakes and makes them stand out. If you wear foundation, put a richer layer on the patches the night before, then press a thin, hydrating foundation on with a damp sponge rather than buffing.

Air-conditioning, travel and the weather

If you sleep with the air-conditioning on, a humidifier in the bedroom helps the air feel less parching. At your desk, a hydrating mist on its own can leave skin feeling drier as it evaporates, so follow it with a small dab of moisturiser pressed onto the dry areas.

On long flights, skip makeup if you can and moisturise before you board and again halfway. Heading from tropical heat into a cold winter? Pack a richer night cream and start using it a few days before you go.

What our advisers see

Mind the gap after your shower. A pattern our advisers see often: face washed first, then a long shower and blow-dry, and only then skincare, by which time skin feels tight and itchy. Wash your face last in the shower, or put your first layer on before the hairdryer, so it goes on within about 15 minutes.
Drinking more water is not the same as moisturising. Our advisers often hear from people who drink plenty yet still see dry lines and flakes by the afternoon. The water you drink does not keep the surface of your face moist. A hydrating sheet mask at night and an extra layer of cream by day usually help more.
Nostrils and mouth corners. Flaking at the sides of the nose and the corners of the mouth is common, because these areas move a lot and dry out quickly. A thicker layer of cream there at night helps them feel more comfortable, and if you exfoliate, barely touch these spots. The last paragraph of this note says when flaking there needs a dermatologist instead.
Mix, then press. Blend a hydrating serum with your moisturiser in your palm and press the mix onto flaky patches. It tends to sit more smoothly than two separate layers.
Three steps in cold, dry spells. When the weather turns, our advisers strip the routine back to cleanser, a hydrating serum and cream. Exfoliating and brightening products wait until skin has felt comfortable for about five days in a row, then come back one at a time.

This week, try

Cleanse once a day, at night, with a non-foaming cleanser.
Put moisturiser on while your skin is still damp, and within about 15 minutes of washing.
Pause acids, scrubs and retinol for a week, unless a doctor prescribed them.
Leave the flakes alone, however tempting.

See a dermatologist if your patches are red, itchy, sore, cracked or weeping; if they keep coming back in the same places, such as around the nose, eyebrows, hairline or eyelids; if the flakes look greasy or yellowish; or if nothing has improved after two weeks of a gentle routine. If you use a prescribed cream, do not stop it because of this note; ask the person who prescribed it.