Ahhhhhhh dry skin

Gavin "shels"

I've tried everything, and at the moment I'm on a few pints of filtered water a day, Seven Seas multi-vitamin tablets and covering myself in st. tropez vitamin e moisturizer, and still my skin is like fecking sand paper. Can anyone suggest anything, it's getting to the stage were I'm going to have to start taking antihistameans so I can sleep at night without scratching myself every 5 minutes.

Feelgood

Keep it simple....

Vaseline..

eVeNtInE

This post has been deleted.

Zorba

Try Udo's Oil, you'll get it in the fridge of health shops and take 2 to 3 tablespoons a day, if that doesn't get rid of dry skin nothing will.

It works cos it's treating your skin from the inside out not the other way around.

Fizman

+1 on visiting a dermatologist/your GP. Staying awake at night because your scratching your itchy face would not be a regular symptom of simply 'dry skin'. I'd imagine there is some redness if this is the case? Defo a trip to a dermatologist imo.

Call Me Jimmy

I'm pretty sure it's nothing to do with how much water ye drink. I used to have extremely dry skin, red, raw as fook. But when I stopped trying loadsa **** and just washed my face with a small bitta soap (i dont rub in hard coz that wud dry my skin out right away) and then a quick rinse of water and I'm done. It takes me about 20 - 30 seconds tap to towel tops. Don't rub your face with the towel either. Also if its possible, a great thing to do is not wash yer face with anything (maybe just warm/hot water) for a few days to let it recover from what I suspect is bad cleaning habits.

I'm convinced your problems are solvable without any medication, because believe me, my skin was ridiculously dry before, now it's pretty much as close to perfect as it can be! No medication, no sun, no nothing. Don't use moisturizer either!

r3nu4l

Dermatologist for the win OP.

Vaseline is not the best choice tbh. It's made mostly of petrolatum and is fully occlusive to the skin, forming an impermeable barrier. Sounds great until you realise that your skin cannot maintain optimal levels of transepidermal water loss (TEWL). TEWL is a natural process that is necessary to maintain correct moisture levels. You need to suport TEWL, not stop it altogether.

At the moment any scratching is further damaging your natural skin barrier. Winter is always bad for dry skin, you go from hot to cold environments nd enter buildings with very dry air thanks to central heating. All of this causes lipid loss in the skin.

Keep moisturising, use an ointment instead of a cream, they feel greasier but they do last longer and generally form a semi-permeable barrier.

Try Bepanthen, marketed in UK & Ireland as a 'nappy rash' cream, used by many people with tattoos to reduce skin inflammation and moisturise the skin following getting a fresh tat, used throughout Europe as an ointment to help relieve symptoms of eczema.

/Please note: Discolosure, I've acted as a consultant for Bayer Healthcare, makers of Bepanthen. I've also worked with many key dermatologists who support the use of Bepanthen and other products for managing dry skin.

That aside, I've used the product myself and do find it effective (I tend to get dry skin on my forehead and in my eyebrows :rolleyes:. Please feel free to post if you use it and it didn't work out or help you. It's no skin off my nose (pardon the pun) :pac:

Ruthee

Is it tour face or body]

i get itchy skin on my legs and this keeps it under control, applied after a shower


http://www.eucerin.co.uk/dry_skin/10_urea_lotion.asp

wouldnt be suitable for your face but they do have a whole range of products for face and body

Ladies, this also really good if you have those tiny bumps on your upper arms.

littlemisspiggy

I have psoriasis on my body and face which gets worse when I'm stressed or have a sore throat but also have crazy dry skin all the time. I use the Aveeno products or E45 products and find they are the best and believe me I've tried everything. The dermatologist just gave me steroid cream which I wasn't keen on using longterm.

Gavin "shels"

The scratching is only due to the flaked skin btw.;)

Might give E45 a try and see if it helps.

ukgalwaymcguire

i found a solution for me... and its cheap natural so got too be worth a try.
apple cider vinegar!! yep it works.
i have excema on my ankles and face, and general dry skin, tried everything mentioned.
but a bath with a few capfulls of apple cider vinegar always sorts it out,
also can be used neat on areas, and i then go too bed with some Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream on really dry patches.

i wouldnt reccomend st tropez, or any fake tan at all.. i used too be a hairdresser, and the amount of chemicals put in fake tan, is terrible and the drying effect!! there other products arent much better either..

if your finding the dryness coming in the winter more than summer, try some vitamin d.. its the sunshine vitamin and great for the skin, ( and vitamin e )
do give apple cider vinegar a try, its amazing, i do however find my bath
boring without bubbles, but you get used too it, oh and the smell... once your dry its gone...
apple cider vinegar is ph neutral, its great for your hair helps with dandruff, fantastic for spots etc.. its a bit of a cureall
hope this helps!!

lizzyvera

Wash your clothes and bed linen in non bio. Wash bed linen at 60 C.
There's nothing wrong with taking a piriton every now and again to get you to sleep.

Also see a dr.

sgross75

As a cyclist i use E45...seems to keep me smooth and silky.....lol

Gavin "shels"

ukgalwaymcguire wrote: »

i wouldnt reccomend st tropez, or any fake tan at all.. i used too be a hairdresser, and the amount of chemicals put in fake tan, is terrible and the drying effect!! there other products arent much better either..

if your finding the dryness coming in the winter more than summer, try some vitamin d..

Meant to say St.Ives E Vitamin moisturizer instead of St.Tropaz.:D

Me and sunshine don't go well, got really bad summer burn 13 years ago (thanks P20), with needed doctor attention and stuff which I doubt has healed yet.

fonpokno

I had dermatitis on my arms and legs. The doctor gave me an ointment for it and now i'm not using soap anymore and moisturising like a lunatic! I use Aqueous Cream as a substitute for soap in the shower and use it as a moisturiser afterwards. The skin on my arms has never been in such good condition. Smooth as anything! I got a big tub for about 4euro in boots so that might make a difference to you.

Maybe see your doctor though. I had dermatitis for about 2-3years before I got it checked out cos I was itching like a lunatic. My skin was bleeding half the time I was scratching it so much!

stik

I second the Aqueous Cream! Suffered agony with dry eczema on my face but found that washing with the aqueous cream then applying Eucerin facial and E45 moisturiser has got rid of it completely.

KatCookie

For something stronger and not based on water (as Aqueous Cream obviously is) use Emulsifying Ointment, Use it with warm water as a soap and it can be used on dry skin - massage it in your hands first to make it supple and easy to apply. Needs to washed off hands after though, i wouldnt use it on the face but i would on the rest of the body. I use it to act as a barrier over my Eczema when not using my steroid cream

Gavin "shels"

Thanks for all the inputs, thank god it's getting better.

Tony Broke

Hydrocortisone cream!

It will have your dry skin cleared up in a few days.

r3nu4l

Tony Broke wrote: »

Hydrocortisone cream!

It will have your dry skin cleared up in a few days.

Aye, it will, but don't use it daily in the long-term, especially on your face. Use it for a couple of days when things get bad but revert to decent moisturisers and ointments.

People who suffer very bad dry skin/dermatits should avoid using soaps and products that contain 'sodium lauryl sulphate', it's a detergent that strips lipids from your skin. It's also best to avoid products that have fragrances or aromas added as these can irritate the skin of some people with very dry skin and dermatitis.

PrettyInPunk

I went and bought Udos oil today because i get dry skin on my scalp and face. Will it help dry scalp. Also do i have to keep it in the fridge?

stik

PrettyInPunk wrote: »

I went and bought Udos oil today because i get dry skin on my scalp and face. Will it help dry scalp. Also do i have to keep it in the fridge?

I tried the Udos oil but couldn't bear the taste of it so don't know how good it is. But I do remember that it has to be kept in the fridge.

Driina

THere is a very very cheap cream which helps on all of this.

Go to the pharmacy and it's in a medium size white plastic thingy. It costs around 2 euro...

My son had very dry skin on the face and after trying all the expensive ones the pharmacist told me to get this.

I don't know the name unfortunately.. It's nothing fancy but it helped!

lisajane

Emulsifying ointment is good. Its cheap, but its greasy. I find shea butter good also. 100 % shea butter.