Nowadays a dry skin is a very common cosmetic problem in healthy individuals. Also various skin diseases, especially atopic eczema, psoriasis and hereditary ichtyoses often result in the dry skin. Ethiopathogenesis of the dry skin is complex, but the lipid deficiency in the stratum corneum and impaired water-retention function are the direct causes of xerosis. The article presents symptoms of the dry skin, main possibilities of treatment and prophylaxis.