Dr. Ben Barankin's* Dry Skin Handout
DRY SKIN AND DRY CRACKED HANDS AND FEET
Skin dries out for a variety of reasons. The environment plays a big role. Dry air will dry out your skin, particularly in the winter in institutions or homes that are heated with wood stoves or electric heat and have very low humidity.
As age reduces skin oil production, our skin becomes more susceptible to drying. Certain skin diseases make skin more susceptible to drying and irritation eczema, psoriasis, ichthyosis.. Harsh detergents and soaps further irritate us. In the winter there is a tendency to want to take nice long hot showers that further degrease the already dry skin, aggravating the situation. Using detergents and soaps with the hot water and its degreasing action adds insult to injury.
As the skin dries, it cracks and feels rough. Areas of redness develop. Scratching or rubbing the skin causes burning and itching sensations, leading to more itching and scratching.
The object of treatment is rehydration (basically wetting the skin). This is done with a good soak (three to five minutes) in plain water. The water should not be too hot, just comfortably warm. Little to no soap should be used. If a cleanser is needed one can use Cetaphil liquid cleanser, Spectroderm/jel or Dove unscented cleansing bar.
After the soak, while the skin is moist, a lubricant is needed. This is applied after patting the skin to remove the excess water but must go on while the skin is still moist. Excellent lubricants include Lipikar Balm, Taro base, Vaseline Creamy Formula, Eucerin cream, or Glaxal base. Consider adding bath oil to your baths, but careful not to slip.
The idea is to form a film or coating to keep the real moisturizer (water) in the skin.
Hands and Feet
Your hands and feet can be particularly difficult. Because the feet are in warm, moist, occlusive footwear for most of the day when the shoes are removed, the soggy skin rapidly dries out and cracks. Keep socks and slippers on in the house so the feet do not dry out too much. A special plain water soak for the feet may be necessary, followed by Vaseline or Cetaphil Therapeutic Barrier Cream or Cetraben Emollient Cream or Neutrogena Foot Cream or Aquaphor Healing Ointment. These types of products should be left on overnight, with or without socks. Take your socks to the bathroom with you and wear them immediately after applying oinment to prevent slipping on your floor as well as tracking ointment through your house, and for enhanced penetration.
Hands that are in and out of water are damaged by repeated cycles of over-drying. No wonder the fingers crack! To protect hands, use thin cotton gloves under vinyl gloves for all wet work. Around the fingernails and for deep cracked areas either plain petrolatum (petroleum jelly) or Lipikar hands or Aquaphor Healing Ointment is best. Cleansing the hands with Cetaphil cleanser rather than soap is often much safer. For a light hand moisturizer, try Neutrogena’s Norwegian Formula hand cream (unscented).
Many of the over the counter "moisturizer" products are light lotions. Avoid these. They may be adequate for lubrication in the southern parts of North America but are not adequate for harsh Northern winter climate with prolonged low humidity. Indeed, they often make matters worse.
For moisturizing the face, consider Toleriane riche, Impruv, or Hydronorme.
MOISTURIZE, MOISTURIZE, MOISTURIZE!!!
The author, Dr. Benjamin Barankin, is a board-certified dermatologist and widely published author. Dr. Barankin has published more than 200 articles related to dermatology and has gained international distinction as the author of 5 books related to dermatology. He regularly educates dermatologists, family physicians, medical trainees, and the public on dermatology and his expertise is frequently sought by the Canadian Press. Dr. Barankin combines his interest in the humanities with his knowledge of medical, surgical and cosmetic dermatology to optimize the skin care needs of his patients.