The Dry Skin Remedy

Weather changes cause dry skin as cold winds and heated indoor air pull moisture out of your skin.

It happens every year. If you wait too long to switch-up your skin care, you start to see dryness and flaking.  If you wait even longer, you’ll see chapping and begin to feel itching and skin tightness.  This is impending eczema!

Below are three simple tips to battling dry skin:

1. Use only gentle soaps and cleansers.
Lather up only areas with excess oil or body odor when you bathe and use gentle, fragrance-free products.  Those are your face, ears, neck, chest, upper back, armpits, groin, and feet.  The skin of your abdomen, low back, arms, and legs often don’t need direct lathering with soap or shower gel.

2. Use warm water instead of steamy, hot water to bathe.
You’ve noticed that grease comes off pots and pans better with hot water.  The same is true for your skin – and stripping too much of your skin’s natural oil will lead to dryness.  Use warm water and rinse all soap residue off well.  Blot your skin dry with a towel instead of rubbing.

3. Apply moisturizer within 3 minutes after stepping out of your bath, shower, or after washing your face.
Within these three magical minutes moisturizer helps hold in water that your skin soaked up during the washing process.  Skin is like a sponge to water, and you want a moist sponge not a dry one!  Use a moisturizer that you love so that you’ll use it daily.  If your skin is excessively dry, opt for a cream or ointment rather than a lotion.  Lotions are much thinner and do not provide as much moisture.  For your lips, use a natural and hypoallergenic lip balm or lip stick often to prevent lip chapping.

If you are still suffering from severely dry skin after using these tips, talk with your dermatologist about other options.