Battling Dry Skin in the Winter

James Thompson, MD Health Professional Board Certified Allergist and Asthma Specialist I am a board certified allergist and belong to a large single... Send Message Subscribe: James Thompson, MD

Wednesday, February 25, 2009
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Seasonal allergy sufferers are still enjoying the absence of outdoor allergy triggers as the days of winter come and go. If you are fortunate enough to have avoided severe colds, sinus infection and flu symptoms up to now, the outlook is good. On the other hand, those who are sensitive to indoor alle...

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Thanks for the Advice
Kathleen MacNaughton
Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 11:27 AM

Thanks for this advice and the info on xerosis. Even though I am a nurse, that's not a term I was familiar with. I suspect that it applies to my significant other. He has a terrible time with dry skin, itching and skin breakouts every winter. He does tend to take daily, long, hot showers, which is probably not going to change.

Dove has definitely helped Jim in the past. He also applies Cetaphil cream, which is the best thing we've found... as long as he uses it regularly. I'm going to share this article with him, though, to see if any of the other suggestions are something he'll be willing to try.

Thanks so much,

Kathi

I'm Back with More Suggestions
Kathleen MacNaughton
Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 11:50 AM

Just talked to my significant other, Jim, and he had a couple more suggestions.

1. If you can stand it, linger in the shower with the curtain closed for 5 minutes or so after you turn off the water to absorb the steam and moisture in the stall.

2. Keep your fingernails cut short, so that it's harder to do damage when scratching, if you do forget and scratch. (Of course, scratching is a no-no, but it's not always easy to control when itching is severe.)

3. Make a daily commitment to applying lotion (or Vaseline). Letting it go even one day can result in a signficant worsening of the skin's condition. If that happens, committing to applying twice a day may be needed.

4. As soon as you notice an itchy dry patch anywhere, make the time to apply lotion to it immediately. The itchiness or scratching are a warning sign and should not be ignored or action postponed.

5. Jim tries to drink as much water as he can each day, to help avoid dehydration. He struggles with getting in the 8 to 10 glasses experts recommend, but figures anything he does do is beneficial for his health in a lot of ways.

As I mentioned in the previous comment, Jim uses Cetaphil lotion. Actually, though, for several years now, we've been buying a generic equivalent, at CVS or Walgreen's. This generic form is slightly less creamy but seems to work just as well. It's a huge cost savings to go generic. You just want to be sure you're truly buying the equivalent. I know there are generic equivalents for the other lotions you mention as well.

Thanks again,

Kathi

re: I'm Back with More Suggestions
James Thompson, MD
Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 08:10 PM

Thanks Kathi,

Some of my patients have sworn by particular lotions and creams which is great. Despite the requisite chemicals for processing, inherent in all lotions and most creams (in contrast to Vaseline) some do work for people. As they say, you don't need to fix a wheel that's not broken.

Many of the patients I see have tried almost everything but either overlooked petroleum or did not use it properly (apply to the skin is damp). For more than 90% of them petroleum Vaseline for the body works the best. This leaves more than a few who still respond better to a particular lotion or cream.

Jim has found his right match for moisturizing. From what I have read, Cetaphil cream has no lanolin, fragrance or parabens so it goes on my "good" list. I like all of your suggestions. It's amazing how much you can do to address such a common and quite annoying problem.

Thank you for sharing his tips and your comments.

JT