Essential Dry Skin Remedies
You don't need an expert to tell you if your skin is dry—but an expert can help you heal it. Here, dry skin remedies from the experts
You don't need an expert to tell you if your skin is dry. Look for rough, scaly patches on your legs, back, arms, or waist. They're the areas that you forget about in your concentration on moisturizing your face and hands, and they can itch. A few people even draw blood scratching dry skin. Scratch too much, and an itchy patch can get infected or result in a permanent scar.
When it comes to preventing dry skin, doctors rave about moisturizers with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), originally derived from milk, fruit, or sugarcane. AHA moisturizers do double duty. "They remove dry, dead, crusty, scaly skin, and they trap moisture in your skin," says Susan C. Taylor, MD, assistant clinical professor of medicine in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.
Some over-the-counter AHA products are better than others,In general, the thicker the moisturizer, the better.
The other thing to do is bathe or shower with tepid water and mild soap. The water temperature should be lukewarm, says Dr. Harkaway. "Use a very mild soap. If your skin is dry, stay away from strong antibacterial soaps."
"There's so much that women can do for dry skin," says Mary Lupo, MD, associate clinical professor of dermatology at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. "A whole new generation of moisturizers and skin products are available to help dry skin, so it really needn't be a problem anymore."
Some golden oldies still work too. Here's what doctors advise:
Milk It Down: If your itchy winter dry skin is driving you nuts, "go to the refrigerator and get a quart of milk. Pour it into a bowl or basin. Dip a washcloth or a piece of gauze in the cold milk, and apply it to your skin for 5 minutes," says Dr. Taylor. "Milk has anti-inflammatory properties that often take the itch away. It stops the itch-scratch cycle."
"Milk is very soothing to the skin," says Dr. Harkaway. "Some milk contains lactic acid, which is beneficial to skin."
Grease up: For itchy, dry skin, the best moisturizer is one that's thick and heavy. "Watery, scented lotions are next to useless for dry skin," says Diane L. Kallgren, MD, a dermatologist in private practice in Boulder, CO. "I recommend strong, thick creams or emollients. The least expensive is petroleum jelly."
Petroleum jelly may be too thick and greasy for some women. "If so, warm it up in your hands first, then it will spread easier," says Dr. Taylor. If you find petroleum jelly messy, use it at night when you're in bed.
Moisturize While Damp: The best time of all to oil or cream your face and body is after a bath or shower, while you're still damp and your skin is plump with moisture, says Dee Anna Glaser, MD, assistant professor of dermatology at St. Louis University School of Medicine. Moisturizing lotions are formulated to lock in moisture so that it doesn't evaporate.
TakeThe Overnight Cure: This overnight treatment from Dr. Glaser "will make your dry skin feel markedly different when you wake up the next morning," she says. "First, soak in a lukewarm tub almost to the point where your fingers shrivel up like prunes. Your skin will be fully hydrated. Get out of the tub and pat yourself semi-dry, then apply a layer of oil. It doesn't have to be an elegant, expensive oil; Crisco shortening is one of the very best, because it is solid and you can slather on a thick layer. Then put on your pajamas and get into bed." It's a little messy, so use old pajamas and sheets. "Do this when your skin is very dry," she says. "You'll feel a difference."
Grease And Seal Super-dry Spots: Often, the very driest of dry skin occurs on your heels, hands, and elbows. But you can seal them with grease too, says Dr. Glaser. Wear gloves to bed over greased-up raw, sore hands. Wear socks over your cracked heels. And wear a long-sleeved pajama top or T-shirt with snugly fitting sleeves over chapped elbows.
When to See a Doctor
See a dermatologist if at-home remedies don't work, or if your dry skin bleeds or becomes excessively scaly.
You don't need an expert to tell you if your skin is dry—but an expert can help you heal it. Here, dry skin remedies from the experts
You don't need an expert to tell you if your skin is dry. Look for rough, scaly patches on your legs, back, arms, or waist. They're the areas that you forget about in your concentration on moisturizing your face and hands, and they can itch. A few people even draw blood scratching dry skin. Scratch too much, and an itchy patch can get infected or result in a permanent scar.
When it comes to preventing dry skin, doctors rave about moisturizers with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), originally derived from milk, fruit, or sugarcane. AHA moisturizers do double duty. "They remove dry, dead, crusty, scaly skin, and they trap moisture in your skin," says Susan C. Taylor, MD, assistant clinical professor of medicine in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.
Some over-the-counter AHA products are better than others,In general, the thicker the moisturizer, the better.
The other thing to do is bathe or shower with tepid water and mild soap. The water temperature should be lukewarm, says Dr. Harkaway. "Use a very mild soap. If your skin is dry, stay away from strong antibacterial soaps."
"There's so much that women can do for dry skin," says Mary Lupo, MD, associate clinical professor of dermatology at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. "A whole new generation of moisturizers and skin products are available to help dry skin, so it really needn't be a problem anymore."
Some golden oldies still work too. Here's what doctors advise:
Milk It Down: If your itchy winter dry skin is driving you nuts, "go to the refrigerator and get a quart of milk. Pour it into a bowl or basin. Dip a washcloth or a piece of gauze in the cold milk, and apply it to your skin for 5 minutes," says Dr. Taylor. "Milk has anti-inflammatory properties that often take the itch away. It stops the itch-scratch cycle."
"Milk is very soothing to the skin," says Dr. Harkaway. "Some milk contains lactic acid, which is beneficial to skin."
Grease up: For itchy, dry skin, the best moisturizer is one that's thick and heavy. "Watery, scented lotions are next to useless for dry skin," says Diane L. Kallgren, MD, a dermatologist in private practice in Boulder, CO. "I recommend strong, thick creams or emollients. The least expensive is petroleum jelly."
Petroleum jelly may be too thick and greasy for some women. "If so, warm it up in your hands first, then it will spread easier," says Dr. Taylor. If you find petroleum jelly messy, use it at night when you're in bed.
Moisturize While Damp: The best time of all to oil or cream your face and body is after a bath or shower, while you're still damp and your skin is plump with moisture, says Dee Anna Glaser, MD, assistant professor of dermatology at St. Louis University School of Medicine. Moisturizing lotions are formulated to lock in moisture so that it doesn't evaporate.
TakeThe Overnight Cure: This overnight treatment from Dr. Glaser "will make your dry skin feel markedly different when you wake up the next morning," she says. "First, soak in a lukewarm tub almost to the point where your fingers shrivel up like prunes. Your skin will be fully hydrated. Get out of the tub and pat yourself semi-dry, then apply a layer of oil. It doesn't have to be an elegant, expensive oil; Crisco shortening is one of the very best, because it is solid and you can slather on a thick layer. Then put on your pajamas and get into bed." It's a little messy, so use old pajamas and sheets. "Do this when your skin is very dry," she says. "You'll feel a difference."
Grease And Seal Super-dry Spots: Often, the very driest of dry skin occurs on your heels, hands, and elbows. But you can seal them with grease too, says Dr. Glaser. Wear gloves to bed over greased-up raw, sore hands. Wear socks over your cracked heels. And wear a long-sleeved pajama top or T-shirt with snugly fitting sleeves over chapped elbows.
When to See a Doctor
See a dermatologist if at-home remedies don't work, or if your dry skin bleeds or becomes excessively scaly.
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Become A Website Designer, Blog Creator And A Professional Graphic Designer
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