Besides a moisturizer what else can l do to treat my dry skin?

Besides the face, hands suffer from dryness. Thus, avoid contact with water while washing dishes and wear gloves. If your hands are constantly cold and wet, apply a moisturizer and wear warm gloves. When you come home from the cold, change your socks/gloves since cold garments can worsen the itching and cracking of skin.

At home, you must use a humidifier to moisten the air. Humidification will ease your breathing and help you sleep comfortably. Finally drink lots of water. Drinking ample water keeps the skin hydrated and prevents itching and wrinkling of skin. If your skin is peeling and dry, keep away from all alcohol based skin care products and peeling agents. These substances will only worsen your skin.

While it is fun to soak in a hot tub at the end of long day, limit exposure to hot water in the winter. Too much hot water can lead to itching and dryness of skin.

Why is my skin dry in the winter?

Many people forget that during winter the skin requires little bit more care. The cold weather and wind often causes severe dryness of the face, hands and feet. This dryness often causes skin to crack, flake, peel and itch. Moreover, this problem is worsened by indoor heating. Skin dryness is a major problem during winter but there are many ways to prevent the damage. First and foremost you do not need to see a doctor. Common sense home remedies can help you prevent and treat dry skin. The treatment of dry skin begins with the use of a moisturizer. There are hundreds of moisturizers on the market. For winter skincare, go with oil based moisturizers. Baby oil is as good as any product. Remember the more fancy moisturizers which smell great also have many synthetic chemicals and thus the chances of contact dermatitis are increased. If you prefer, buy moisturizers which contain glycerin and alpha hydroxyl acids. These moisturizers must be used liberally everyday.

How can I remove my skin tags?

Skin tags are simplest lesions to remove. Because these skin lesions are attached by a small stalk, they can be easily sniped off. Other methods of removing them include freezing, laser or heat (electrodessication). Plastic surgeons always recommend the laser because it costs the most.

Because skin tags are no big deal, many types of doctors remove them. However, skin tags located near the eyelids should be removed by a plastic surgeon or an eye doctor. This part of the body is very delicate and the regular doctor can easily mess up your eye and eyelid. 

No matter who removes your skin tags, make sure they do give you numbing medication because these darn things hurt as hell during removal (personal experience)

I have been told that I have skin tags on my neck and upper eyelid. Do I need to get them removed?

Of course not. The more you go around looking for trouble from surgeons, the greater is the chance you will find it. Skin tags are very common growths that commonly occur in areas of the body where there is friction. Skin tags usually measure a few mm, are painless and may be multiple. Skin tags tend to occur under the armpit, neck, groin areas and inner thigh. There is no fancy test required to make a diagnosis of skin tags. 

An astute physician can easily make a diagnosis by looking at them. Skin tags may increase in number with age but rarely disappear on their own. Skin tags may get pinched, squeezed or scraped. Occasionally they may bleed. However in most cases skin tags are only of cosmetic nuisance. If you do not mind your skin tag, you really do not require any treatment.

Why does my skin itch?

The most common cause of an itch is dry skin. There are many causes of dry skin but in many people, the cause is the environment. This usually includes cold weather with low humidity or prolonged used of air-conditioning in warm weather. During wintertime, central heating is a common cause of dry skin. Individuals who frequently shower or bath are also prone to dry skin.

Other causes of dry skin are the following:

Skin disorders: Many conditions can result in skin dryness. The most common are dermatitis (eczema), scabies, psoriasis, chickenpox or lice infestation. In these disorders, the dry skin may be localized to a specific area of the body and may be accompanied by other features like redness, irritation or blisters on the skin.  Itching can also cause an intense desire to scratch and excoriations are not uncommon.

Systemic disorders can also cause dry skin. These include liver or kidney failure, iron deficiency anemia, certain cancers like lymphoma, low functioning thyroid or celiac disease. In these disorders, itching is constant and the entire body itches.

External causes of itching include certain detergents, soaps, cosmetics, fragrances, contact with plants, foods or certain clothing fabrics. Chemicals in these substances can irritate skin and induce itching. Most often, these substances induce an allergic response that manifests itself as itching. A very common cause of itching and flushing is eating spicy foods.

Drugs are a common cause of itching. There are hundreds of both non-prescription and prescription drugs that can cause rashes, itching and allergic reactions. Many of the drugs are made with other synthetic chemicals that act as preservatives or stabilizers. In addition, there are many herbs, minerals and health supplements that contain many unknown chemicals that cause irritation and allergic reactions.

Itching is quite common in women who are pregnant. The itching usually starts in the first trimester and often gets worse until the late second trimester and then subsides. The itching in pregnancy is often localized to the breast, abdomen, thighs or arms. The itching is often most severe in the skin creases or folds of the body. Pregnant women who have dermatitis or allergies frequently develop an extra ordinary hypersensitivity to external chemicals or foods and develop intense itching. For some unknown reason, itching during pregnancy only occurs at night. Once the baby is delivered, the itching subsides.

However, in the majority of individual no cause of itching is ever found. In such cases, the cause is always blamed on the environment. In most cases, there is no need to see a doctor if there is an itch. Common sense home remedies can help immensely. If you known the offending agent, avoid it. If your home is dry, use a humidifier and avoid excess heat in the home. You can start by applying a moisturizer and if that does not help, use a topical over the counter steroid cream. When this fails, then you may need to see a doctor.

Moisturizers may mess up your skin!

Moisturizers are widely used by both men and women. The majority of us buy moisturizers by looking at the shape of the container and the fragrance. Very few of us read the label to determine the contents. While this may not matter for most skin disorders, people with eczema had better pay attention what they apply on the skin. 

Recent studies indicate that use of water-based moisturizers that contain detergents may be harmful to the skin. These moisturizers may make the skin thinner and more prone to damage.

It is now recommended that people who have chronic eczema start using oil based moisturizers, which appear to protect the skin. Oil based moisturizers decrease skin thinning and cause less irritation. Finally, select a fragrance free moisturizer as these products contain fewer synthetic chemicals and thus, the chances of developing skin reactions is much less.

What are keloids?

Keloids are an over growth of scar tissue. Anytime skin is injured, cut, burnt or traumatized, the result is a scar. In most people, the scar is limited. However, in some people the scar continues to have exaggerated growth. Keloids commonly occur after tattoos, ear piercing, acne, ingrown hair and even minor trauma. In most cases, the trauma is so minor that one does not realize it and yet the body’s response is an ugly-looking large scar. However, the most common cause of keloids is after surgery. Keloids usually appear raised, thick, irregular and always have a poor cosmetic appearance.

Who is prone to keloids?

African American, Asians and Middle Easterners are prone to Keloids. Why this occurs is not understood. These same individuals also have a tendency to have recurrent Keloids.

How does one treat keloids

No matter what any doctor or surgeon claims, Keloids are very difficult to treat. Despite the glut of treatments, there is no satisfactory treatment and in fact, the majority of available treatments make Keloids appear worse than the original scar.

One of the most common treatments for Keloids is injection of potent corticosteroids into the scar tissue. The number of injections vary but most individuals require at least 3-6 injections spaced over 4-6 months. The success rate of corticosteroids is about 50-60 percent. The results are better for small scars but at least 40% see no benefit.

Surgical removal of Keloids is the least recommended treatment. In almost all cases, the resultant scar is many times worse than before. Other treatments include laser, compression garments, electrodessication (heating) and cryotherapy (cooling). Except for laser, none of the other treatments work well. Even though the laser does work, there is no guarantee that the Keloid will not come back. On average about 50-70 percent of individuals do see some benefit from laser. While laser is the preferred treatment, it is also very expensive, painful and there is no guarantee that it will work.

In the last decade, novel dressings and compression garments have also been used to treat Keloids. However, these treatments do not work instantly and have to be applied for long periods. In addition, these treatments are very expensive and the results are mediocre at best.

A relatively new treatment for Keloids has been the use of drugs like imiquimod, bleomycin or interferon. These potent drugs work by stopping cell growth and decrease size of scar. However, very few reports exist about efficacy of these treatments. Moreover, these chemicals also have nasty side effects that include burning, stinging and intense pain. These last resort treatments should only be done when all other treatment modalities have failed.

Final Point

Anyone with Keloids who wants treatment should avoid surgery at all costs. If you do undergo any type of treatment, be realistic and start with corticosteroid injections. If that fails, search for a competent health professional who has experience with the more invasive methods and is affordable.