Outwitting Winter:
Tips for Dry Skin Woes
BY RACHEL HERSCHENFELD, M.D. - DERMATOLOGIST
At this time of the year, almost every patient I see in my office has visibly dry skin, and is looking for answers to make it feel smoother, look better and stop itching. Here's what I tell them and the products I recommend:
Body Cleansers
It's not necessary to use harsh cleansers or scrub the skin in order to clean it effectively. In fact, simply rinsing with water is often enough to clean many areas on the body. When cleansers are necessary, look for handmade superfatted soap, which contains more oils than ordinary soap and for soaps containing glycerin (such as Crabtree and Evelyn Rosewater Glycerin Soap), which are milder and more moisturizing than plain soap.
Face
Cleansers mixed with moisturizers produce gentler combination products, and ones that contain ingredients such as glycolic acid or lactic acid can exfoliate and hydrate as well as clean the skin. One rule of thumb is to avoid foaming cleansers, as these tend to be very drying. Some examples of gentle facial cleansers are Dove Deep Moisture Creamy Facial Cleanser, Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Solutions Cream Cleanser, Clearly Natural Glycerin Facial Bar, GlyDerm Gentle Cleanser, Vivite Daily Facial Cleanser. Cetaphil Cleanser and Cerave Hydrating Cleanser can be used on the face and body.
Moisturizers
Gentle cleansing should ideally be followed immediately by an effective moisturizer. Moisturizers trap water in the skin, so they work best applied to damp skin -- right after a shower or bath, or right after washing your hands. During the day, spray water on your face before applying it.
Some of my favorite products for overall wintertime moisturizing are Cerave Moisturizing Cream, Aveeno Advanced Care Moisturizing Cream, Cetaphil Cream, La Roche-Posay Lipikar Body Emollient and Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturizing Lotion.
Hands, Elbows, Feet
Certain areas of the body deserve special attention. Hands are challenging because they are washed so frequently. If possible, apply moisturizer after every washing. Try Aveeno Intense Relief Hand cream, Cetaphil Therapeutic Hand Cream and DML Forte Super Moisturizing Cream. Thick scaly patches on areas such as the elbows, knees and feet can benefit from moisturizers containing glycolic acid, lactic acid and salicylic acid, such as MD Formulations PediCreme and AmLactin XL cream.
