“Our noses are the first way air enters the body,” she explains, adding “the inside skin or mucous membranes of the skin can be dry if the environment is dry and cold.” With that said, it’s not as simple as what the air around you is like—plenty of culprits can be behind the flaky, dry schnoz. Here are all of the reasons why you can be experiencing this localized dryness.
What causes dry skin around the nose
1. Environmental exposure
“The outside skin of the nose can be dry and peeling even though the rest of the skin is hydrated also due to exposure to the environment,” Dr. Patel says. She makes the case for keeping your face protected by a balaclava or blanket scarf sound appealing so that everything stays truly protected.
2. UV damage
“UV radiation can cause the skin on exposed surfaces (hello nose) to burn easily and often” Dr. Patel warns. One of the more concerning side effects of UV exposure is, of course, skin cancer. Dr. Patel says this can lead to actinic damage, which is when “UV radiation causes DNA damage to cells over time, can present as dry flaking [or] peeling on the nose.” It can be precancerous if your skin fails to heal itself, so getting your skin checked by a dermatologist regularly is a really good idea.
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3. Allergies or sickness
“If you have allergies or a cold, constant nose blowing can irritate the skin on the nose and cause peeling,” Dr. Patel says, which makes perfect sense considering how irritating frequent tissue use can be. Basically, just like your lips, your nose can get chapped.
4. A skin condition
If your nose is consistently super dry and flaky, it could be indicative of skin conditions such as rosacea or seborrheic dermatitis. Rosacea is a chronic genetic condition prone to this issue since it’s “associated with flushing, redness, sensitivity, or dryness of the nose and cheeks,” explains Dr. Patel.
The latter condition, seborrheic dermatitis “is a very common condition in which people with oily skin have dry flaking of the corners of their noses, eyebrows, scalp and behind their ears,” she says. And it’s typically caused by the existence of Malassezia yeasts.
6. Your beauty products
One way beauty products can actually create dry, flaky skin is if your skin isn’t absorbing them properly. This can create build-up, which then leads to flakiness. So they can be sabotaging your smooth skin goals if you’re using ones that are clay-based or have skin-drying ingredients such as alcohols, which Dr. Patel says can make flaking worse.
How to get rid of flakiness around the nose
1. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize
Your first line of defense against this nose flaking is a good old moisturizer. Not only does it help to repair the moisture barrier in skin, according to Dr. Patel, but it’ll also sooth the itchiness and discomfort associated with dryness—all the more reason to follow Elizabeth Hurley’s advice and keep some on you at all times.
2. Make sure you’re hydrated
This one is somewhat of a no-brainer, but make sure you’re getting enough water and keeping your body hydrated from the inside out.
3. Don’t go hard with a physical exfoliant
Dr. Patel says that you should not (I repeat, should not) scrub off the flaking skin, as satisfying as it might be—especially “with instances such as rosacea and actinic damage, [as] the flaking will come back.” Keep things gentle.
4. See a dermatologist
As previously mentioned, flaky skin could be an indication of a bigger skin condition. So, if you suspect that this might be the case, it’s best to see a dermatologist. Dr. Patel says that in general, however, for rosacea you should look for products created specifically for soothing sensitive, irritable skin. Look for ones that are “non-comedogenic” or won’t clog your pores because the nose area tends to be a place where blackheads like to post up. For those with seborrhea, your dermatologist may help you figure out certain foods and ingredients that are exacerbating the problem or give you topicals to help address the dryness.
Originally posted November 10, 2018, updated March 5, 2021
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