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Flaky, itchy, dry skin can plague you all year, but it’s often worse in winter.
You want relief from dry skin. You want it fast. To help you give your dry skin the comfort it craves, WebMD turned to the skin care pros. We asked dermatologists for their top tips on how to combat dry skin fast. Here are their six simple solutions.
Dry Skin Tip: Warm Up to Warm Showers
As soothing as a sizzling steamy shower feels, that hot water isn’t doing your dry skin any good, says dermatologist Andrea Lynn Cambio, MD, FAAD.
The problem? Hot showers strip your body of its natural oil barrier, the same barrier that helps trap in moisture and keep skin smooth and moist.
So the next time you bathe, the skin care experts recommend short, warm showers or baths no longer than 5 to 10 minutes. When you dry off, give your skin a gentle pat dry instead of a brisk rub. Immediately moisturize your body.
Dry Skin Tip: Grab a Gentle Cleanser
While you're taking those shorter showers, wash with a soapless cleanser, advises Cambio. Or you can opt for gentle soaps that are free of fragrance, deodorant, or antibacterial additives, which can be harsh on skin.
You might also consider a cleanser containing ceramides, suggests Carolyn Jacob, MD, a dermatologist in Chicago. Ceramides, fatty molecules that make up the outer barrier of your skin, help skin hold in moisture. Some skin care products contain synthetic ceramides to replace those we lose with age.
Go easy on toners, peels, and other astringents that contain alcohol, which can further dry out troubled skin. If you crave the fresh feel you get after an exfoliation, be careful of too much scrubbing, says Jacob, which can irritate and thicken skin.
Dry Skin Tip: Use That Razor Right
Shaving can irritate dry skin. After all, you're essentially scraping off natural oils as you shave off unwanted hair. If your razor blade isn’t sharp, you're really asking for problem skin.
The best time to shave is after you shower, says the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). Hairs are softer and more pliable after bathing. And your pores are open, making shaving easier.
To protect your skin, always use a shaving cream or gel, and shave in the direction the hair is growing. Don’t forget to change your razor blades often.
Dry Skin Tip: Dress Right All Season
Sun damage is one of the main causes behind dry skin, wrinkles, and roughness, says the AAD. You can help prevent that damage by wearing an SPF 15 sunscreen year-round and dressing right.
In cool weather, be sure to "dress in layers to prevent overheating and perspiring excessively; both can irritate the skin," Cambio tells WebMD.
Don't leave your kisser out in the cold. To prevent dry, chapped lips in winter, use a lip balm with SPF 15 sunscreen, and cover your lips with a scarf or a hat with a mask.
In summer, wear light, loose, long-sleeved shirts when out in the sun, and wear a wide-brimmed hat to shade neck, ears, and eyes.
Dry Skin Tip: Humidify
Winter's cold, dry air is a common cause of dry, irritated skin. While heating your house in the frosty months may keep you snug, it also removes moisture from the air, which can leave dry skin even more parched.
To replenish that missing moisture quickly and easily, place a humidifier in the room where you sleep, suggests Cambio. Ultimately you want indoor humidity to be about 50%. You can track humidity easily with an inexpensive humidity meter, called a hygrometer.
Dry Skin Tip: Follow the Rules of Moisturizing
The fastest way to soothe dry skin is to moisturize it, and even the simplest products can help. "Petroleum jelly makes a great moisturizer," says dermatologist Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, MD, or you can use mineral oil, a favorite cream, or lotion.
If you crave an especially rich moisturizer, look for one with shea butter, ceramides, stearic acid, or glycerin, suggests Leslie Baumann, MD, director of the Cosmetic Medicine and Research Institute at the University of Miami. "All are rich moisturizers that will help you replenish your skin barrier," Baumann writes in her online article Winter Skin, "but I particularly love glycerin."
No matter which moisturizer you choose, you'll want to moisturize dry skin right. Jacob sums it up with these simple rules for effective moisturizing:
You want relief from dry skin. You want it fast. To help you give your dry skin the comfort it craves, WebMD turned to the skin care pros. We asked dermatologists for their top tips on how to combat dry skin fast. Here are their six simple solutions.
Dry Skin Tip: Warm Up to Warm Showers
As soothing as a sizzling steamy shower feels, that hot water isn’t doing your dry skin any good, says dermatologist Andrea Lynn Cambio, MD, FAAD.
The problem? Hot showers strip your body of its natural oil barrier, the same barrier that helps trap in moisture and keep skin smooth and moist.
So the next time you bathe, the skin care experts recommend short, warm showers or baths no longer than 5 to 10 minutes. When you dry off, give your skin a gentle pat dry instead of a brisk rub. Immediately moisturize your body.
Dry Skin Tip: Grab a Gentle Cleanser
While you're taking those shorter showers, wash with a soapless cleanser, advises Cambio. Or you can opt for gentle soaps that are free of fragrance, deodorant, or antibacterial additives, which can be harsh on skin.
You might also consider a cleanser containing ceramides, suggests Carolyn Jacob, MD, a dermatologist in Chicago. Ceramides, fatty molecules that make up the outer barrier of your skin, help skin hold in moisture. Some skin care products contain synthetic ceramides to replace those we lose with age.
Go easy on toners, peels, and other astringents that contain alcohol, which can further dry out troubled skin. If you crave the fresh feel you get after an exfoliation, be careful of too much scrubbing, says Jacob, which can irritate and thicken skin.
Dry Skin Tip: Use That Razor Right
Shaving can irritate dry skin. After all, you're essentially scraping off natural oils as you shave off unwanted hair. If your razor blade isn’t sharp, you're really asking for problem skin.
The best time to shave is after you shower, says the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). Hairs are softer and more pliable after bathing. And your pores are open, making shaving easier.
To protect your skin, always use a shaving cream or gel, and shave in the direction the hair is growing. Don’t forget to change your razor blades often.
Dry Skin Tip: Dress Right All Season
Sun damage is one of the main causes behind dry skin, wrinkles, and roughness, says the AAD. You can help prevent that damage by wearing an SPF 15 sunscreen year-round and dressing right.
In cool weather, be sure to "dress in layers to prevent overheating and perspiring excessively; both can irritate the skin," Cambio tells WebMD.
Don't leave your kisser out in the cold. To prevent dry, chapped lips in winter, use a lip balm with SPF 15 sunscreen, and cover your lips with a scarf or a hat with a mask.
In summer, wear light, loose, long-sleeved shirts when out in the sun, and wear a wide-brimmed hat to shade neck, ears, and eyes.
Dry Skin Tip: Humidify
Winter's cold, dry air is a common cause of dry, irritated skin. While heating your house in the frosty months may keep you snug, it also removes moisture from the air, which can leave dry skin even more parched.
To replenish that missing moisture quickly and easily, place a humidifier in the room where you sleep, suggests Cambio. Ultimately you want indoor humidity to be about 50%. You can track humidity easily with an inexpensive humidity meter, called a hygrometer.
Dry Skin Tip: Follow the Rules of Moisturizing
The fastest way to soothe dry skin is to moisturize it, and even the simplest products can help. "Petroleum jelly makes a great moisturizer," says dermatologist Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, MD, or you can use mineral oil, a favorite cream, or lotion.
If you crave an especially rich moisturizer, look for one with shea butter, ceramides, stearic acid, or glycerin, suggests Leslie Baumann, MD, director of the Cosmetic Medicine and Research Institute at the University of Miami. "All are rich moisturizers that will help you replenish your skin barrier," Baumann writes in her online article Winter Skin, "but I particularly love glycerin."
No matter which moisturizer you choose, you'll want to moisturize dry skin right. Jacob sums it up with these simple rules for effective moisturizing:
- Wash with a non-soap liquid cleanser, preferably one with ceramides to replenish the skin's outer layer.
- Pat skin dry for less than 20 seconds.
- Apply a thick moisturizer to slightly damp skin within minutes of bathing to trap in moisture.
- Moisturize your hands every time you wash them, too, so that evaporating water doesn't draw even more moisture from your dry skin.