Dear Dr. Peg,
My skin is so dry it feels like sandpaper, and my fingertips have cracks in them. I put lotion on every day but it’s not helping. What can I do?
Dear Dry and Cracking,
New Mexico is famous for its dry air. We brag about it in the summer time. “It might be hot, but at least it’s dry heat.” Right?
It’s better here than the swamps of Florida. We hardly even notice our own sweat because it evaporates off us so quickly.
Winter is a different story. As the mercury drops, so does the humidity. In frigid weather, the gas molecules huddle closer together, crowding out the water molecules. Cold air can’t hold as much water as warm air. Outdoors is a chilly desert, and indoors we seek comfort by turning on our artificial heaters and lighting our wood stoves and fireplaces. The added heat evaporates what little moisture is left.
Our bodies need moisture. After all, we are more than half made of water. We acquire it through food and drink and lose it in blood, sweat and tears, not to mention breath and skin. The oils in our skin help hold moisture in, but nature loves balance, which means dry air will suck moisture out of wherever it can, which results in chapped lips, lizard hands and cracking fingers.
To approach the problem of dry winter skin, first look at your environment. Now, obviously you can’t change the climate on a macro level, but you can work a little water magic in your own home. A humidifier or vaporizer adds moisture to the indoor environment. Run it in your bedroom with the door closed for your slumbering comfort.
Next, maximize your own moisture. Drink plenty of water and other liquids to moisturize from the inside out. Cover up when you go outside so those cold winter winds won’t whip the water out of your skin. Most importantly, think body oil. Body oil is the major player here. We are covered with tiny oil glands, one for each hair follicle. These little miracles keep our skin from flaking up and falling off. Without them, we’d be poured out in a puddle on the sidewalk.
Madison Avenue has tried to convince us all that natural body oils are at best unnecessary and at worst disgusting, to be scrubbed off daily and replaced by an expensive scented cream or lotion. I don’t have anything against lotions and creams, as you will see.
But our natural oils do a better job, so I suggest you let them do it.
Limit your bathing. Now, I’m not suggesting you never wash — filth is never in fashion. But if you scrub every inch of your body every day in scalding hot water, you will strip your oils quicker than you can say Crème de la Mer.
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Shorten your shower, lower the temperature to warm, and use a gentle soap only when and where you need it. It probably won’t surprise you to hear that the sweat glands in your armpits and genitals are deeper that anywhere else, and produce a thicker, more aromatic form of sweat than the sweat glands on, say, your abdomen or forearm. You probably want to soap your armpits and genitals every day, but lots of the rest of you can get by with a rinse. (Bonus factoid: the special sweat in your pits and pants contains pheromones that actually increase your sense of smell, as well as that of any potential mates).
After you turn off the not-too-hot water in the shower, while you’re still wet, apply a little baby oil to your palms and rub in into your skin. Then pat dry gently. Rubbing with a towel can damage your tender integument, and damaged skin loses moisture more easily. Then, if you are still parched, lotion up by all means. But you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to moisturize them. Cheap stuff often works just fine.
Finally, those frustrating finger cracks. I can totally relate. We medical providers wash our hands before and after every patient, any time we eat or use the bathroom, and many more times during the day. Finger cracks are an occupational hazard. I’m going to let you in on a little trade secret: super glue. I use it all the time. Squeeze the split skin together, apply super glue, hold for a few seconds and voila! Just be careful not to glue your fingers together.
If you do all this and your skin is still stressing you, you might have something more serious than simple seasonal dryness. Call 277-3136 for an appointment at Student Health and Counseling. We even have a dermatology clinic for the extra-tough cases.
Dr. Peggy Spencer is a student health physician. She is also the co-author of “50 ways to leave your 40s.” Email your questions directly to her at pspencer@unm.edu. All questions will be considered anonymous, and all questioners will remain anonymous.
This column has general health information and cannot replace a trip to a health provider.
