Your skin doesn’t like winter.
The combination of cold air outside and heated air inside often leads to dry, itchy, scaly skin.
There’s plenty of advice on the web about what to do and plenty of heavily marketed products that claim they’ll solve this seasonal problem, often at a hefty price. But how many of us have tried a watery lotion that made big promises and stopped working by the time we got from home to the office? How many have tried one that made the itching worse? And, really, how exactly are we supposed to slather slippery concoctions on skin still wet from a shower when everyone knows that oil and water don’t mix?
In the interest of cutting through the noise and possibly solving our own dry-skin problems, we asked three dermatologists – Jules Lipoff of Penn Medicine, Gopal Patel of Aesthetic Dermatology Associates in Media and Paoli, and Nazanin Saedi, director of the Jefferson Laser Surgery and Cosmetic Dermatology Centre – for advice. 
Q: Are there medical reasons to worry about dry skin?
A: Usually not. If you neglect it and let your skin crack, you could be at higher risk of infection. In some cases, dry skin can be a symptom of underactive thyroid, Saedi said. It is more common in people with allergies, eczema or atopic dermatitis, and asthma. Patients with neuropathy, a nerve problem common in people with diabetes, may not realise their skin is dry and may wait too long to use moisturisers, Patel said. Dry skin may also be a sign of autoimmune conditions such as Sjogren’s disease or of certain cancers, he said.
Q: Is it more common in older people?
A: Yes. Older skin becomes less efficient at attracting moisture to itself. However, Saedi said she has teenage patients with dry skin. Their faces may still be oily, but they have dry knees, ankles, and elbows.
Q: Do men and women or people of different races have different rates of dry skin?
A: Mostly not. However, dryness may be more visible on darker skin. And oil gland activity declines earlier in older women than in older men, Patel said.
Q: Will drinking more water or eating certain foods make skin less dry?
A: No. “For the average person, there’s nothing you could consume that would make your skin better,” Lipoff said.
Q: Is using a loofah or washcloth to rub dry skin during showers a good idea?
A: No. You want to be gentle to dry skin. Exfoliating “just makes it worse,” Saedi said.
Q: What about showers?
A: Sadly, these doctors want to take all the joy out of showers. Hot, steamy showers may feel good for your muscles and your sinuses and your soul, but they dry out skin. The doctors want you to take lukewarm showers that last five to 10 minutes. (Trust us, 10 minutes is a long time in lukewarm water unless you keep your house really toasty, and you’re not supposed to do that, either.)
There’s no need to lather all over. Unless you are covered in dust or mud, you only really need to soap the smelly parts.
Q: What soap should I use during my short, chilly shower?
A: Doctors like simple, unscented bar soaps with added moisturisers. Lipoff says people tend to overuse the liquid soaps. If you must use a liquid, Saedi says, go with one that is fragrance-free and says it’s for sensitive skin. Patel likes cleansers from Vanicream and Cetaphil.
Steer clear, the doctors said, of strongly scented soaps such as Irish Spring and Zest because they can irritate skin. – Tribune News Service