Dry Skin
How Can You Prevent Dry Skin?
Have you looked at your hands lately? Chances are they are red and chapped. Washing your hands is one of the ways you can reduce your chance of contracting COVID-19. So most of us are washing our hand…
Anticholinergic Drugs | Dry Mouth and Alzheimer …
Anticholinergic drugs are generally bad for the brain. They affect the crucial neurochemical acetylcholine. One worry about anticholinergic drugs is a link to memory problems or Alzheimer's disease (J…
How Aysa, an AI App, Helped a Mother with her Ch…
Nicole Pharr is used to keeping a close eye on her daughter Madison’s skin. Madison is prone to eczema and has had highly sensitive skin since she was a baby. Still, Nicole was concerned after her d…
How to Deal with Dry Skin and Cracks from Too Mu…
Are you washing your hands dozens of times a day? That's hardly surprising. The flu epidemic that's sweeping the country has everyone freaked out. Virtually every public service announcement about how…
Overcoming Chapped Lips and Dry Skin in the Wint…
Are you licking your lips? That is the first sign they are becoming dry and chapped. Lip licking is the worst thing you can do to your lips. It may temporarily make them feel better but licking just d…
Can You Heal Sore Fingertips with Salve?
Every year, we hear from people who suffer during cold weather with sore fingertips that are cracked or even split open. This condition makes it difficult to fasten buttons, handle pen and paper, mani…
How to Get Dry Skin to Stop Itching
In the winter, when we turn on the heat and hot air blows through our houses, dry skin is common. That doesn't make it any less bothersome. This reader is hoping for a way to manage it. Itchy Dry Ski…
Does Castor Oil Clear Actinic Keratosis?
Q. I thought you should know that years ago my husband's dermatologist told him to use castor oil on pre-cancerous spots on his face. They all just sort of fell off and he never had to have any remove…
Soothing Dry Skin
Q. I know it is spring, but my hands really took a beating this winter. They are still so dry they are painful. What do you recommend? A. We are quite partial to Udderly Smooth Extra Care 20 Cream fro…
Brutal Winter Causes Excruciating Dry Skin
It is February, and we have been getting a roller coaster ride from the weather. One week the polar vortex swept into the midwest and froze a lot of folks butts. The next week some places got an …
Nurse Uses Nail Polish to Heal Split and Cracked…
Q. I'm a nurse in a hospital. Talk about hand washing! Good lord, that soap and foam dispensing anti-bacterial is evil on the hands. No time to lotion between hand washing either. And with winter here…
Frequent Hand Washing Takes a Toll
Q. My husband worries about colds because he's a bank teller. He interacts with hundreds of people a day and handles a lot of germ-laden money. Consequently, he washes his hands a lot and has very dry…
Baby, It’s Cold Outside and Our Skin is Su…
The weather has been atrocious, just in case you haven't noticed. A friend in Buffalo has sent us photos that make us very glad we live in North Carolina. But even in the south, the weather has been u…
Looking Beyond the Usual for Dry Skin Solutions
Q. My husband has VERY dry skin all year, but especially during winter. Straight mineral oil solves the problem. It IS messy, but soaks into the skin in about 5 or 10 minutes and the skin is no longer…
Suffering From Sandpaper Skin & Cracked Fin…
Dry skin is a common problem in the winter, and it can often lead to split, cracked fingertips. One of the most basic recommendations is to keep the skin well moisturized. But what moisturizer is best…
Antibacterial Soap Dried Hands
Q. I had cracked hands and fingertips for several years and found nothing that helped. Then I got rid of all antibacterial soaps. My hands cleared up immediately, and I have had no trouble since. A. T…
Dry Skin Misery Needs Oolong Tea
Q. I am suffering terribly with eczema, aka atopic dermatitis. That's what my dermatologist calls my dry, red, itchy nasty skin. The doctor thought I might have an infection as well, and I have tried …
Can Hemorrhoid Cream (Prep H) Work for Wrinkles?
Have you looked in the mirror lately? If you are like us, chances are pretty good that you have noticed a few (or perhaps more than a few) wrinkles. They come with age. Sun exposure can also cause pre…
Husband’s Obsessive Hand Washing Drives Wi…
Q. My husband is almost obsessive about washing his hands. Your columns have reinforced his worries that cold and flu germs lurk on every door knob, banister and elevator button. If he shakes hands wi…
Home Remedies for Holiday Hazards
Coughs & Colds: As much as we look forward to Christmas and New Years, this time of year can be fraught with unexpected hazards. For one thing, there is the traveling to gather with family and fri…
Healing Hands Is Hard in the Winter
At this time of year we get inundated with queries about dry, cracked fingertips. It may seem like a minor annoyance compared to health problems like diabetes or high blood pressure. For those who suf…
Protecting Dry, Cracked Skin
Q. Every winter my skin gets awfully dry and itchy. My hands and particularly my fingertips really suffer. At times they crack and bleed. I heard that you have written about solutions for these proble…
Some Solutions For Persistent Dry Skin
Q. I'm 52, and since I was a teenager I've had dry skin, or as my dermatologist puts it, “atopic dermatitis.” He tells me it is stress-related and genetic. Every three months I can…
Acid Mantle For Dry, Cracked Skin
Q. You have had questions from people with skin cracking on their fingertips. I have another option to add to your suggestions: Acid Mantle from Doak Dermatologics. I learned about it many years ago f…
Remedy for Cracked Heels
Q. I have dry cracked heels. What can I do to make them nice and smooth again? A. There are expensive foot creams on the market, but we like affordable products like Bag Balm and Udderly Smooth Foot C…
Winter Skin Problems Bring Misery
In the grand scheme of things, dry skin, rough nails and cracked fingertips are not serious health problems. But they certainly can make life miserable. Writing a check or buttoning a shirt with crack…
Vicks Vaporub Heals Sore Heels
Have you looked at your heels lately? Most people don't. But at this time of year there is a good chance they are dry and cracked like the rest of your skin. You may even have sore heels because of th…