Any good dry skin remedies, apart from moisturizing?

[gmoney]

wondering if anyone knows of some sort of dietary supplement or something that will help relieve dry skin. It's tough for me to apply lotion head to toe six times a day at the office, and I'm not sure if that would help anyway.

Fish oil? Raw eggs? 19 glasses of water a day? Mainline Jergen's Intensive Care?

It's driving me nuts!

(I don't think this would count as soliciting medical advice, would it? Might it fall under "personal grooming" or something?)

[Robeson]

1. Drink lots of water....

...most people never drink as much as they should. After that, your guess is as good as mine. In the wintertime, I suffer from non-stop dry skin. I use all the moisturizers, etc., but my skin is as dry as sandpaper. Maybe our Northern European cousins in here could come in with some advice.

[mcscajun]

20. Check the humidity levels in your home/apartment.

Get a few inexpensive battery-powered humidity indicators; you'll probably find your place is WAY too dry, and it's leaching the moisture right outta your skin! I've got one upstairs and one downstairs; I found that in heating season, this place gets down to 15% humidity! That's half of what the minimum number is to be in the "comfort zone" (between 30% - 50% humidity).

If you find that's the case, get one or more cool-mist humidifiers, and keep 'em filled. :D

Finally: Use Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Lotion. It works. Oh man, does it work!

[FloridaJudy]

2. Crisco

I'm serious. This was recommended to me by a dermatologist. It's a completely allergen-free vegetable product. We used to use in the hospital on people with extremely dry, delicate skin. Apply it right after showering/bathing to seal in the moisture.

And it's dead cheap. My vet also recommends fish oil supplements for my dog who has dry skin and multiple allergies, but those are expensive.

edited for spelling

[stuntcat]

4. that's what Aquaphor is I bet

Crisco/Vaseline combination, and teeny little tubes of it are a dollar x(
Crisco would do me just as good I bet, if I could carry it in my pocket.

[youthere]

22. I used to use that on my kids' butts when they were babies...

better than ANY diaper ointment on the market.

[Crabby Appleton]

32. My dermatologist recommended the same thing

right after shower or bath.

[LynzM]

3. Will ask for you tomorrow...

I have a friend at work who's a naturpathic doctor :)

:hi:

[gmoney]

8. Scored a pretty sweet couch tonight!

sort of an old-school design, in good shape, nice solid color, big and comfy... perfect for, oh, I don't know...

and thanks for asking!

[LynzM]

16. LMAO....

Awesome :D

[rosesaylavee]

5. Fish oil and milk thistle both aid the liver

and from what I understand, dry skin is a result of a low functioning liver. Some good books to review would be the Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis/James Balch and Michael Murray's The Healing Powers of Herbs.

In the interim, try finding a couple tubes of Zim's Crack Cream. Best stuff for cracked skin on your hands. Our postman recommended it to us.

[gmoney]

6. Crack Cream is SO habit forming...

it's like... crack!

but the smell... UGH!

[rosesaylavee]

11. I know...

but I bet crisco is pretty special too. I hope it gets better for you. Dry skin is painful.

[mcscajun]

21. If dry skin is seasonal only, it's also the result of a dry personal environment.

See my posts elsewhere in this thread. :hi:

[rosesaylavee]

35. Absolutely...

my husband has dry hands only during winter. You are very right.

[IndianaJones]

7. rubbing alcohol. nt.

[gmoney]

9. drink it?

soak my sheets in it?

[IndianaJones]

10. scrub with soap....apply to wet face. nt.

[gmoney]

12. oh, it's not my face so much...

it's my arms, legs, back, front, bum, everywhere... but thanks!

[RebelOne]

23. You must be kidding! That would only make dry skin worse.

[IronLionZion]

13. Have you considered homeopathic or chinese medicine?

Go get a checkup at a place that does this, like an acupuncture clinic.

My girlfriend does that stuff for a living, she told me to eat cucumbers, yogurt, watermelon, tofu, among other things and avoid spicy food, alcohol, and salt.

For the external lotion, have you tried 100% aloe vera gel? It's great for healing damaged skin. Try using this before putting on your lotion. It absorbs very quickly. Try using a different soap that won't dry your skin as much. Cheap soaps are very drying.

[Hatchling]

14. Have you sought medical advice?

It sounds pretty painful and a doctor would be able to find underlying causes. I had a thyroid problem that was hurting me.

Keeping hydrated, keeping the dry skin cells scrubbed off and using product of your choice should keep dray skin under control.

I do ceramics which desiccates my hands and arms. I like Aveeno's Skin Relief, it seems to promote healing. When it gets really bad I use a coating of Bag Balm and cotton gloves overnight. But your sheets could get really messy using it all over. Also when dry skin builds up I find it just makes every thing worse so I occasionally use a product called Pretty Hands and Feet which just peels the dead skin off. Then the skin I'm moisturizing is actually live skin.

[Whoa_Nelly]

15. good article re: pH balance and dry skin

http://www.womenof.com/Articles/bf_8_20_07.asp

The article above refers to a shielding lotion, so here is one:
http://www.glovesinabottle.com/

A holistic approach external and internal
http://www.1stholistic.com/Beauty/skin/skin_dry.htm

I have dry and sensitive skin.
Have found St. Ives Collagen and Elastin body lotion to be the most effective.

[mcscajun]

17. Take in lots of water, humidify your residence/apartment...

...with a good cool mist humidifier...or more than one! Get a few inexpensive battery-powered humidity indicators; you'll probably find your place is WAY too dry, and it's leaching the moisture right outta your skin! I've got one upstairs and one downstairs; I found that in heating season, this place gets down to 15% humidity! That's half of what the minimum number is to be in the "comfort zone" (between 30% - 50% humidity).

Finally: Use Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Lotion. It works. Oh man, does it work!

[raccoon]

18. Don't use deodorant soaps. Use as mild a soap as you can,

maybe baby wash (I use that).

Don't shower so much, if you don't really need to. You may need to wash, um, strategic areas, but if you're not dirty and right now it's cold where you live, don't shower every day if you don't have to.

[Arkansas Granny]

29. To add to your advice, when you do shower or bathe, use warm

water, not hot. Hot water strips away too much of your skin's natural oils.

[zanne]

19. Eucerin.

You can get it anywhere. My doctor recommended it to me about ten years ago. I only have a problem on my hands and feet, but it's a bad problem. (My skin cracks, etc.) If I keep using Eucerin, though, everything heals. It's greasy, but I have never been able to find a good moisturizing agent that wasn't.

[BlueIris]

24. I moisturize with macadamia oil in the shower (then rinse most of it off),

and take oral aloe vera (this can alter blood sugar, so check with a doctor first before you do that). And I second all the recs re: getting enough water. 90% of us still don't get anywhere near enough.

[gmoney]

25. Thanks everyone...

Sounds like I have some shopping to do...

[CBHagman]

26. For the hands...

...Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream is a good bet. A little dab'll do ya.

[WolverineDG]

27. Vaseline

works wonders for me.

dg

[seemunkee]

28. Corn Huskers

Glycerin based and very effective. It that doesn't work I go with Vaseline.

[IzaSparrow]

30. bag balm

[1gobluedem]

31. Flaxseed oil caplets

I used to have terrible dry, itchy skin all winter long; used Eucerin, aloe, Vaseline anything I could find to help it and nothing really did until a friend recommended flaxseed oil caplets. I take one every morning and use a body butter with shea butter in it after my shower in the morning and I haven't had any problems in two years.

[LaurenG]

33. This is exactly what I was going to say.

It works for me as well. :thumbsup:

[Tektonik]

34. vaseline

I've come to the understanding that between Vaseline and WD-40, any problem can be overcome.

[WolverineDG]

37. you forgot duct tape n/t

[La Lioness Priyanka]

36. water. fish oil