Dry Skin Help

In My Humble Opinion
1

Please! Every winter my skin gets incredibly dry in patches. It itches and itches and itches until I am like to go crazy and sometimes I even scratch it raw if I am not paying attention. It keeps me up at night.

This is a relatively new problem; I’ve only had it for the last three winters and not my whole life, even though I have always lived up north. (It gets very cold and dry here in the winter.)

My office is also exceptionally hot and dry all day long. I’ve taken to putting baby oil on the offending skin as soon as I get out of the shower, and that helps, but not all day, and lotion is only a temporary solution.

Suggestions?

2

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula lotion for dry skin. A little goes a long way. Put it on after showering and keep some at the office. Once a day is not going to do it. I’ve found that my skin heals up best with this stuff.

3

One thing I’ve read is - even though it’s tough in winter time - knock off the hot showers/baths. It’s supposedly more drying to the skin.

4

I will, thanks, but here is the real problem. Sure, I can put lotion on my hands, or wherever, but some of these places I can’t do at my desk - the underside of my breasts get dry patches, for example. (go figure). So I have to go to the bathroom. (otherwise it’s just weird.)

I do indeed reapply lotion but as I said it’s only a temporary fix. I’ll try the stuff you say and see if it works otherwise I will be reduced to carrying a tube and putting it on every time I go to the bathroom. Tedious and annoying but necessary I suppose.

5

I’ve had the same problem in the past, and body oil doesn’t do it for me all day, either.

What has been working for me all day is Cetaphil’s moisturizing cream for dry, sensitive skin. I go through it like crazy, but I’ve had not a single dry patch since I started using it every day.

6

I favor Eucerin. Once a day on my hands, and they don’t dry out as readily.

7

These dry, itchy patches - are they eczema, or just dry skin? I have a dry, itchy patch on my chin that doesn’t respond to anything except cortisone lotion.

My dry hands and lips solution is vaseline petroleum jelly slathered on before going to sleep (I’m going to get some of those cotton gloves one day to keep the vaseline on my hands). It actually seems to undo some of the dry damage overnight.

I also try to only bathe every two days in winter - leave some natural oil on my skin.

8

Is it possible your bra is irritating your skin? I’ve been told to only use baby laundry detergent (Dreft or the store brand) and no fabric softener. Just tossing it out there. This was eczema-specific advice, but yes, this does sound like more than just typical wintertime dry skin.

I also use Cetaphil for moisturizer, with Vaseline on patches. I’ve been told to put it on immediately after getting out of the shower and toweling off. Exact words: “Not five minutes after. Immediately.”

9

My dermatologist told me to use Aveeno. It’s good stuff, if a bit pricey, but it works.

10

Cerave works on my face, and Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy Calming Creme is the best I’ve found for the body. It is really, really soothing.

11

I don’t think they are eczema, but this is something that can develop, right? Even if you’ve never had it? But then again it ONLY happens in the winter and in the dry heat, never in any other season, so I didn’t think it was eczema.

I would think it was my bra but it happens with all my bras and not just there. There’s two patches on either side of my belly that itch and get dry, and just one side of my lower back, and random miscellaneous places like that.

Gah! Even just thinking about it is making me itchy.

I hate the feel of Vaseline but I have used it in desperate situations. And I do put Vaseline or Bag Balm on my feet before I put them into socks, so they stay pretty soft, but I don’t think I want Vaseline all over my bed, either.

12

Sounds like you have ‘winter itch’ (seasonal exzema).

I have very dry skin which is prone to many rashes and reactions. I also have (very mild) icthyosis vulgaris which causes dry, peeling, scaly, skin and keratosis pilaris without rigourous maintanence. As long as I follow my daily routine I have soft, smooth, flake-free skin.

First off, diet has helped with me a ton in regards to both overall dryness and rashes, and this is my first winter in memory without itchy peeling eczema!! cheers, dances Make sure you have enough fat in your diet.

So, manual exfoliation is key for me. This is usually underemphasized in advice for dry skin, but it works better that you would think for most of us. Even though dry skin is so often sensitive skin, and my skin is extraordinarily sensitive, getting all the dead shit off seems to heal it - in part I’m sure because it’s hard for moisturizers to penetrate layers of dry, dead skin. I use a Japanese exfoliating cloth (google it) which is the best manual exfoliator I have ever used - blows all granular exfoliators out of the water.

I usually shower every night. I try not to use super-hot water but I love being warm so it’s a struggle. In the shower I soap up my cloth with a mild cleanser (usually I use Dr. Bronner’s soap - my doctor recommends Dove Moisture Therapy which is oil-based), and then I scour my entire body to get off every last bit of dead skin, paying special attention to my arms/legs/butt which are my dry areas. I do it firmly but not enough to be painful, of course. It feels great, like I am scratching an itch. Shaving is also a great exfoliator and I shave all my problem areas.

As soon as I step out of the shower I towel off briefly and while I am still damp, apply extra-virgin olive oil to all my problem areas. You do not want to apply oils to dry skin, there has to be moisture there already and you are using the oil to seal it in. Baby oil, coconut oil, any kind really would be okay but through trial-and-error I prefer EVOO. It is very rich but absorbs well, unlike mineral oil or hydrogenated oils.

I rub the oil in well and wait til I am no longer glistening (my skin absorbs it very fast) and then apply a coat of a regular body lotion. This adds extra emollients and really does the trick for keeping my skin soft for the next 24 hours. Oil alone isn’t enough; lotion alone isn’t enough; together, perfect.

No, I do not have problems with getting oil on my clothes, and my skin feels like silk afterwards. Obviously you can’t be applying so much oil that you can’t get it to absorb, and if you do, you have to wipe it off (use a paper towel).

In the morning, I put on another quick coat of body lotion. If I skip this, no big deal, but my skin feels better by the end of the day if I do.

I carry lotion to work with me (it’s also hot and dry in my building) and if I have a trouble spot I apply a little throughout the day.

13

Start reading ingredient lists. You want something with water and glycerin as the first two ingredients. Other than that you have to pay attention to find the ones which work for you.

Glycerin is the only ingredient I have found which actually absorbs into the skin, adding moisture. The others (especially anything containing mineral oil or petrolatum) are just barriers of oil or wax or both, which prevent the natural moisture from evaporating. My skin does not react well to these, but I have super-sensitive skin, so YMMV. For some people, a really strong barrier (like the liquid glove-type products) works great.

Under your breasts, you may also need to try a Clotrimazole product (look in the foot care aisle) as this area is prone to yeast infections. If it’s red and kind of glossy-looking, that’s your first choice.

For me, the Neutrogena hand cream (always get the cream, anything marked lotion is mostly water) works very well. I have to reapply it 3-4 times a day, but otherwise my hands literally crack open into a bleeding mess.

As with lips, stay away from anything which contains salicylic acid. This stuff actually causes your skin to peel, resulting in “Chapstick addiction.”

Good luck!

14

If the suggestions given here don’t work for you I suggest a visit to a dermatologist to rule out skin disorders, and also for some solid advice from a medical professional who is able to examine your skin directly. It’s worth the money, in my opinion. Usually just a visit or two is sufficient.

Yes, you can potentially develop it at any age. There is more than one variety of eczema, and diagnosing over the internet is, of course, impossible. Hence, my suggestion that if you don’t get relief to see a skin specialist.

It may be “winter itch” which, although not allergic eczema, is still just as itchy and uncomfortable and can lead to other problems (like skin infections. I’ve related my experience with skin infections several times on the Dope. You don’t want to have that life experience if you can avoid it, trust me.)

In extreme cases winter itch requires more than OTC medications. Again, a dermatologist can be helpful here.

Another thing to consider is that as we age our skin changes, often becoming more dry and more fragile.

So, again - if the suggestions here are not of help see a skin doctor. I wish I had done so years earlier than I did.

15

I swear by AmLactin. It does not require a prescription, but at the store where I bought it, it was kept in the pharmacy, so I had to ask for it.

16

I’ve had a different experience from Broomstick. I’ve consulted doctors and derms over the years, and none of them were any help at all. For instance not a one told me about exfoliating to help my ichthyosis - I had to find out how important and beneficial that is for most ich sufferers from an internet message board. And their solution for every rash and reaction is steroids - which don’t help enough for me to justify the side-effects. Now I have developed my own method of skincare and started treating my greater health which has had the biggest effect of all.

It can’t hurt to see a doctor about this though, especially if part or all of your problem is infectious in nature. With sensitive rash-prone skin, I would be careful and consult a doctor before experimenting with fungus treatments, etc. One of the worst episodes of contact dermatitis in my life was to an anti-fungal cream (this was in the early years - my mom told me my patch of eczema was ringworm). All the skin on my legs sloughed off.

17

This cold snap turned the skin on my hands to dried parchment. I’d tried a few things, and nothing worked as well as Bag Balm

(honest - not a gibe at the particular location of the OP’s distress!)

18

Wow, thank you for posting this. I have super dry skin on my arms and legs (probably some mild ichthyosis to boot around my knees) and no lotion has ever worked to get rid of it. I’m going to give this exfoliation and oil/lotion combo a try now.

19

I live in a similar wintry place, and had this bad last winter. I bought some Aveeno ultimate or sensitive skin or super dry or whatever - you know, the stuff with oatmeal? Aha! This stuff.

It’s pretty amazing. It really does last all day - I’d be undressing at night to get into my jammies and I’d still be nice and silky. Sometimes I was wondering if I was too lubed up - I could usually skip a day. I’d put it on in the morning after my shower, using (I think) a squirt per body part. (So, a squirt per arm or leg, a squirt for the torso, that sort of thing.)

It doesn’t really have any scent, but I do remember not being especially taken with its lotion-y “nose” (as it were). But it was worth it - stuff really works. I ran out and haven’t bought a new bottle yet, and I’m regretting it. Highly recommended.

20

I had a terribly itchy scalp for years after moving here (scratching so much that my scalp was bleeding), but no particular flakes. The doctor I saw for it was completely useless, too; I had to figure out what would make my scalp feel better. I was using Herbal Essence conditioner (I can’t remember which one now - it was green, it smelled great, and they discontinued it) which worked better than you’d expect a drugstore conditioner to work. Now I’m using Head and Shoulders shampoo and conditioner for dry, sensitive scalps, and it seems to be working just fine, too. I tried all the expensive, specialty treatments before that that made no difference at all.