Why does dry skin appear in patches?

It might be starting at areas of the skin that don’t get as much blood flow, like the legs, or areas that are exposed to the elements, like our faces, or it might be absolutely random.

There’s not a medical explanation for why dry skin appears in patches on certain parts of your body and not others, but think of those patches as a warning from your skin: I’m ready to spread across this whole continent. Dr. Hope Mitchell, a board-certified dermatologist tells her patients that a patch of dry skin “is a time bomb waiting to explode. If you don’t address it, you’re just going to get more and more patches. It just has to start somewhere.” It might be starting at areas of the skin that don’t get as much blood flow, like the legs, or areas that are exposed to the elements, like our faces, or it might be absolutely random. The human body can be mysterious like that.