1. Avoid Long Hot Showers– Hot water removes natural oils from your skin. Try to limit your showers to 5-10 minutes. Spending more time in the shower leaves your skin less hydrated than before you started. Choose a short warm shower for dry skin.
2. Apply your moisturizer right after the bath– To lock in the moisture from your shower apply your moisturizer when your skin is still slightly damp.
3. Soothe Chapped Lips: Choose a lip balm with 1% hydrocortisone for maximum relief like our Lipacort Lip Balm.
4. Use a Humidifier– Keeping the air moist in your home with a humidifier will also keep you skin moisturized.
5. Choose Ointments and Creams– When choosing a moisturizer for dry skin it is best to choose a cream or an ointment as opposed to a lotion. Creams are oil based where lotions are water based. For event better moisturizing choose ointments like Vaseline or Aquaphor. While ointments are not practical all the time choose them when you have some down time like watching TV or sleeping. Apply a layer of the ointment and cover the area with cotton gloves or socks for event better penetration.
6. Reapply, Reapply, Reapply!– Applying moisturizers once a day is not enough for dry skin. Apply you moisturizers multiple times a day for better results.
7. Make an appointment with your Dermatologist– Is your dry skin painful, itchy or not responding to moisturizers alone? You may have eczema. Eczema often times requires a prescription strength cortisone ointment. Your Dermatologist or Derm PA will be able to evaluate your condition and recommend the best treatment.
8. Visit the Hardware Store– You might be thinking how does this fits in with skin care? Well, we had a patient tell us about a hand cream he found at Home Depot and once we tried it we’ve been sold ever since: O’Keefe’s Working Hands.
Watch Dr. Sandra Lee’s video on Skin Care Tips Here