of the affected area, the skin actually starts to thicken. So you see people with this leathery-like skin.
If people have hand dermatitis, they know that in the late fall, their hands will immediately start to dry out. You're constantly using your hands, and if you have fissures in your hands and you get water in them, it burns like crazy. For people with bad hand dermatitis in the wintertime, I may tell them to use Vaseline and sleep with cotton gloves on to try to rebuild that moisture barrier. And I tell them to try to keep their hands out of water and to use cotton-lined gloves to wash dishes.
What are other types of dry skin conditions? At this time of year, many people will notice that they get sort of chicken skin or bumpiness on the backs of their arms, upper arms and thighs and buttocks, and this is something called keratosis pilaris. I will tell people with this condition that it's time to really start laying on the moisturizers, taking quick, cooler showers, putting on a moisturizer when your skin is moist so that the skin absorbs it better, and then if that doesn't help, we can go on to prescription medications.
What does a good skin care regimen involve, during the winter especially? Quick, cool showers. You don't want to sit in a bathtub because it will dehydrate your skin more. You want to use a mild soap, preferably a moisturizing soap. There are also body washes now that have petrolatum in them, and when you use a puff to apply the body wash, it will coat you with sort of a lipid barrier, and that may be helpful for a lot of people.
When people come out of the shower, they should pat, not rub themselves dry with a towel, and then they can start out with an over-the-counter moisturizer.
I also tell people when they get undressed to go to sleep, put moisturizer on again. And for bad hands, I tell
