Q: What can we do when moisturizer alone won't make scaly skin go away?
A: When you have scaly skin on your body, Kavar says the only way to heal it is to do a combination of gentle exfoliation and moisturizing. There are two options when it comes to exfoliation: you can use a physical exfoliant like a gentle microbead scrub (try Yes to Grapefruit Exfoliating Body Wash, $9.99) or a skin care brush like Clarisonic Skin Care Brush, $195. Then, there's the option of using a moisturizer that contains a chemical exfoliant like glycolic or lactic acid (try Peter Thomas Roth Glycolic Acid 10% Moisturizer, $45). If your skin is very sensitive, you'll want to avoid a chemical exfoliant as it may sting.
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Q: What's the best way to heal chapped skin?
A: With dry, irritated skin use an oil-based moisturizer that offers "barrier repair" (try Dermalogica Barrier Repair, $36). Kauvar explains that it helps restore the lipid balance to your skin. For optimum penetration, apply it immediately after cleansing. Lightly pat your skin dry -- so it's still a bit damp -- then slather on the moisturizer.
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Q: What about chapped, crusty lips? How can we keep them soft?
A: Earle recommends removing dry skin flakes from your lips by gently buffing them off with a soft toothbrush. Follow that up with a generous amount of an intensely moisturizing lip balm, preferably one with natural waxes, shea butter and plant oils (try EOS Organic Lip Balm Smooth Sphere, $3.29).
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Q: What's the best way to remedy cracked skin?
A: Cracked skin may be inflamed, so Kauvar recommends using a cortisone cream to help soothe it (try Aveeno 1% Hydrocortisone Anti-Itch Cream, $5.99). If your skin is severely cracked and irritated though, you'll need a prescription cortisone cream to find true relief. In addition to cortisone, you'll need to seal the cracks with a thick ointment like Vaseline Pure Petroleum Jelly, $3.69 or Eucerin Aquaphor Healing Ointment, $8.69. Apply it immediately after bathing, then put socks or gloves on (if the cracks are on your hands or feet) to trap in moisture.
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Q: Is there anything we can do besides applying products to help keep skin supple?
A: "Increased water intake can also help hydrate skin," Earle says. She recommends drinking six to eight glasses a day. She also swears by vitamin E, which she says is a "skin saving antioxidant and very effective at supporting and repairing your skin from within." She suggests looking for capsules labeled "natural source" -- they are about three times more potent than synthetic versions. In addition to vitamin E, Earl explains that omega-3 fish oils and GLA (found in evening primrose and borage seed oils) also help keep skin hydrated.
When the weather turns from sunny and mild to cold and blustery, our skin often turns too -- from supple and hydrated to cracked, flaky and ashy. We know that adding moisture-infused products to our skin will help hydrate it. We also know (and have heard a thousand times) that in the winter we usually need to switch from lighter moisturizers to more intensely hydrating ones, right? Right.
So why is it that the moisturizers we slather on don't always work? Are we using the wrong products? Is moisturizer alone not enough? And when our skin goes from simply feeling dry to looking alligator-like, what do we do then?
These are questions we hear often, which is why we decided to sit down with Arielle N.B. Kauvar, M.D., director of New York Laser & Skin Care and Liz Earle, natural skin care expert. Here, they address some of your most pressing winter skin problems. They share solutions on everything from crusty lips to painfully cracked skin. Best of all, they share the key ingredients we should look for in our skin care moisturizers so we don't waste another precious dollar on products that don't work. Pretty nice, huh?
