Ok, so with all this talk on other threads on aging and body changes and such, help a girl out and give me advice on my super dry skin. It’s gotten progressively worse in the past few years, especially on my legs. I’m sure its hormonal changes related to aging. Cold temps and winter heating sure don’t help. I only wear long pants these days.
I drink A LOT of water and moisturize but its been a losing battle. I’ve used a couple different lotions. My MD suggested trying Crisco or vaseline. Helps a little but also incredibly messy/greasy.
organic coconut oil…It’s a good and economical product.I did learn a hard lesson though…it melts at a warm temp. I left it in my downstairs bathroom and it melted from the original solid form …splashed it on myself today when I tried to get it away from my dog ( apparently it smelled like food ) It’s very moisturizing
Some products we’ve had luck with:
She uses the Cetaphil moisturizing cream (in the tub) - a bit greasy but not too bad
Also try Eucerin, Skin Calming, Dry Skin Body Wash instead of soap.
Climate has a lot to do w it. If it’s causing an unbearable burden to your quality of life, then consider moving to warmer & moister climes.
I’ve had terribly dry skin my whole life-- so dry I even missed the pimples stage as a teenager. Now as an adult, age + frequent air travel makes it worse. I’ve tried a lot of different things. Here are some products that have helped.
Shea butter. L’Occitane sells 100% pure shea butter in a tin-- best xmas gift I ever got. I only use it it on target rough spots because of the greasiness. The shea butter lip balm stick is great-- the best of any lip balm I’ve tried.
The Body Shop’s shea Body Butter also is nice and smells great. Use this all over your body.
Aveeno lotion (the regular formulation w oatmeal) is also very good, and the price is right! It feels light, and I can even use it on my face because it doesn’t irritate my eyes. It’s soothing to my chapped hands. Keep a pump bottle of it at the kitchen sink.
Are you showering w soap? If so, stop. Use a bath gel-- much, much less drying. The Body Shop’s ‘Shea Shower Cream’ is gentle and moisturizing, plus smells great.
@GMTplus7 I am a big fan of Aveeno and that’s what I’ve been using mostly. Good for some parts of my body but isn’t cutting it for the most troublesome parts. We always have tons around the house because its not greasy, no real odor, and its one of the few products that has worked on my son’s eczema.
Good point about the soap. I’ll get some of the products you and @happy1 have recommended.
When u nix the soap on your body, you will notice the difference IMMEDIATELY.
Also be aware that not all shower gels are created equally. I’ve tried different brands including ‘pH balanced’ ones. I’ve had the best results with the Body Shop ‘Shea Shower Creme’. It’s the only Body Shop body cleanser that is formulated as a cream and not a gel.
Ditto on the Shea butter…but it has to be 100% Shea butter…which I can only find at whole foods. Lots of things say “with Shea butter”, but it’s not it. I only use it on my lips, an occasionally a really dry spot. Their chap stick is amazing and I have to buy that online…Alafflia…or something like that. It’s expensive and for your legs I wouldn’t do it everyday…and only at night. I was on meds once that was drying my lips and I was suffering…it was the only thing that was giving me relief.
When I was beginning radiation treatments, my doctor told me to get some Aquaphor and use it religiously. It’s thick, like Vaseline. And it’s a miracle drug.
You can find it in your local drugstore, in the same aisle as the Jergens and other skin creams.
Buy some mineral oil for babies. While in the shower, but after you’ve lathered amd rinced, rub the baby oil all over and rub it in well. Then quickly rince off. After you towel off, apply one of the other lotions posters have recommended. Good luck.
I like a lot of the L’Occitane products. Currently, I’m using the whipped body cream even as a face moisturizer. Very heavy stuff, but I like to slather it on my face (and rub in) before bed. I also use their body wash, shower gel and shower oil. They discontinued my favorite body wash - Gentle Body Wash Milk. I stock piled after being told it was on the way out and am working on that stash.
As noted above, I notice if I haven’t been drinking enough water - shows up immediately in my face in the form of extra wrinkles.
MaterS beat me to it. Of all the gazillion things I’ve tried, petroleum jelly seems to be the best. It is greasy, though, so I use it , when I remember, at night.
I have eczema on my face, and the CeraVe is really helping. When my husband had radiation burns from cancer treatment, he used Aquaphor. If you have eczema on your skin other than on your face, you need a prescription corticosteroid cream.
Do you have any other symptoms of thyroid issues such as dry thinning hair, peeling nails, tired, weight issues? If so get tested. My dry skin got noticeably better when I started treatment for low thyroid.
Well, my hair has thinned somewhat but I thought that was typical of the aging process post 50. No peeling nails. I am not thin, none of the other symptoms. I did have my thyroid tested about 2-3 years back (had the dryness even then) and results were normal at the time. Seen by several PCPs and a pulmonologist and rheumatologist for a pulmonary issue at the time where they were running a whole battery of tests to figure out the cause - pretty much everything you could think of both horses and zebras. Health issue was dealt with and hasn’t returned. They said I was in the 10-15% of cases where they never figured out what caused it. But anyhow, all the testing came back fine then. None ever had a diagnosis for the dryness which is pretty severe. Guess I should go to a dermatologist but its a very long wait in my area.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I am going to pick up a few items and give them a try today.
