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If your skin gets any itchier you’re going to find a way to crawl out of it. Before you try, let’s take a look at what causes the itching and some possible solutions. According to www.mayoclinic.com, most cases of ordinary dry skin are due to environmental causes, such as:

WEATHER: In general, your skin is driest in winter when temperatures and humidity levels plummet. Winter conditions also tend to make existing skin conditions worse. But the reverse may be true if you live in desert regions, where summer temperatures can top 110 degrees and humidity levels sink to 10 percent or less.

CENTRAL HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING: These may be technological marvels, but they’re dermatological disasters. Central air and heating, wood-burning stoves, space heaters and fireplaces all draw moisture out of the air and out of your skin.

TOO MUCH CLEANSING: When it comes to your skin, water is a double-edged sword. Inside your skin, it keeps the cells plump and moist, but it has the opposite effect when you’re immersed in it. Frequent showering or bathing, especially if you like your showers hot and your baths long, breaks down the lipid barriers in your skin. So does frequent swimming, particularly in heavily chlorinated pools.

HARSH SOAPS AND DETERGENTS: Many popular soaps and detergents strip lipids and water from your skin. Products containing fragrances and lauryl sulfates are harsher and more irritating than unscented products with sarcosinates, sulfosuccinates and cocoamphodiacetates. Deodorant and antibacterial soaps are usually the most damaging, as are many shampoos, which can dry out your scalp.

Dry skin often does well with home-care remedies. Moisturizing the skin is often the key. Applying immediately after bathing — and after gently patting dry — will improve the effectiveness of the moisturizer. Consider a heavier water-in-oil moisturizer rather than one that contains mostly water.

Another help is monitoring the humidity level in your household. Keeping the air somewhat cool by purchasing a humidifier to run in your home might help.

If these measures don’t relieve your symptoms or if your symptoms worsen, see your doctor or consult a dermatologist.

Nancy Erickson, MD, practices family medicine at Franciscan Skemp’s Onalaska clinic.

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