Anyone with a complexion is usually on a mission to avoid dry skin at all costs. Where do we opt out of drab dullness, humiliating flaking, and makeup that refuses to adhere to your face in that professional way? Dryness can occur despite your best efforts, whether owing to the environment, heredity, or stress, which is why it's such a widespread worry. On the positive side, you can avoid it with the appropriate skin care routine, and Bustle reached out to a number of doctors for advice on the best dry skin care routine. Combating dryness is important not just because hydrated skin looks and acts better, but it's also about your general skin health, according to New York City dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe, M.D. She continues, "Hydraulic skin not only looks supple and plump, but it also helps your skin to function as a barrier and devote its energy toward rebuilding collagen and elastic fibers." When your skin is persistently dry, it causes a condition known as "subclinical inflammation," she explains. "This can speed up the aging process and make the skin more sensitive to allergens and irritants."