Chronically Dry Skin

[FidelCashflow]

Any solutions for extremely dry skin brought in by dry weather? The back of my hands are very rough and raw and after awhile the skin starts to crack. I try using body wash instead of soap, it does nothing. I tried using cocoa butter and one or two generic lotions, they seem to do nothing other than make my hands greasy for about 15 minutes.

 

[Taxler]

Try hydrating from the inside out. My skin gets dry if I don't drink enough water. Avoiding hot water showers and baths may also help.

 

[hermes]

it's also likely low humidity levels, both inside and out
an indoor humidifier can often help along with drinking more fluids along with any moisturizer

 

[SUPER K]

+1 on increased water consumption, keeping in mind that caffeine, alcohol, etc are diuretics, so water needs to increase above and beyond to balance . Some say that Aspartame ( Equal, diet sodas, etc ) can also cause dry skin. Also for the winter, try Dove or one of those moisturizing soaps,

 

[Sartorian]

For healing, moisturize your hands with a heavy cream at night and wear gloves or socks on them while you sleep. In the winter I put stuff on my lips to keep them from being chapped.

And BTW, there are thin cotton gloves sold at drugstores for the above mentioned purpose. Look near the eye covers and ear plugs, I think.

 

[mensimageconsultant]

Good advice so far. One specific nutrition tip is to consume more Omega-3 oils, such as fish body oils. But first, is the skin on the face or anywhere else noticeably dry? If it's just the hands, pat-drying them with a soft towel, exfoliating them at night, using a product like Gloves in a Bottle or Theraplex, and gloving them when practical should alleviate the problem. The dermatologist is another option.

 

[cookieoflife]

Eucerin's been good to me since I was a little kid with eczema. Expensive, but it works.

 

[HomerJ]

Originally Posted by Sartorian

For healing, moisturize your hands with a heavy cream at night and wear gloves or socks on them while you sleep. In the winter I put stuff on my lips to keep them from being chapped. And BTW, there are thin cotton gloves sold at drugstores for the above mentioned purpose. Look near the eye covers and ear plugs, I think.
Reminds me of Mice and Men.. One idea that has not been mentioned already: This is messy but it works. After you shower, before you dry off, rub baby oil all over. The baby oil will lock the moisture in! (sounds like an infomercial). Don't shower with very hot water. If you have a house, install a central humidifier and keep relative humidity nice and high.

 

[Sartorian]

Fidel, one thing you might find good to know. The reason you need to drink so much water in the winter is because with really dry air, you actually lose water through breathing. Esp. at night if you're in a warm, hot environment (like a place with radiators or constant heating), you can easily de-hydrate in your sleep, just through your breath. So don't look to whether you're sweating as a good gauge of your level of hydration.