Dry Skin: Options for At-Home Treatment

Itchy, scaly, irritating dry skin; is there any easily obtained relief out there for those of us that deal with this desert dry skin? I have had extremely dry skin all of my 36 years on this earth and have tried numerous over-the-counter products, tips and tricks to alleviate the itching and irritation of the condition. The list of options goes on and on, with more being considered and tested all the time.

Some people will opt for medical treatment of their extreme dry skin issues, the options there are a whole another subject/article. For today, we'll just address some over-the-counter options.

Let's talk about those layman tips and tricks. It seems there are as many tips and tricks in dealing with dry skin as there are for winning the World Series or the Super Bowl. Some are old wives' tales that actually have some promise, others seem to make sense but do not really have lasting results, and then there are always those completely-not-helpful ones out there as well.

It used to be thought that simply drinking 8 or more glasses of water a dry would solve dry skin, just like that. Instead, doctors have amended that to actually soaking the skin in water to rehydrate--short, fifteen minute soaks to put water back into the skin. Dry skin afflicted people should not bathe or shower every day, it only serves to sap the already dry skin of moisture. Also, when bathing/showering, as little soap as possible should be used on dry skin--in fact, soap should only be used when a person is really dirty, the less the better for extremely dry skinned individuals.

Moisturizing extremely dry skin often is a big deal, in fact, it is the cornerstone of dry skin care. Adding moisturizing lotions to the skin, especially after a bath or shower, will help lock in moisture and rehydrate the dry skin somewhat. This is often best done several times a day--the moisturizing, not the bath/shower.