Can you take any vitamins for dry skin?

[SteveO]

It is not even really winter yet and my poor wife is already getting dry skin, especially on her hands/fingers. She drinks a lot of water -- 6-7 glasses a day or more. Just wondering if anyone has any vitamin recommendations. I thought maybe Vitamin E might be good for this. She wears linen gloves at night over lotion slathered onto her hands when things get really bad. TIA!

[Racer X]

Vit E sure won't hurt.

[rgG]

Flax oil supplements and a humidifier would be good additions, too.

[Marc Anthony]

Is she taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement? I'd do that before megadosing any single nutrient, which may be the wrong one. She probably could also add some extra oil to her diet; a handful of nuts or a spoonful of olive oil is good. I find that a few drops of olive oil added to a bath can also help with winter skin. Switch to a shea butter or honey-based soap; they are better choices than commercial deodorant soaps.

[guitarist]

Stevo-O, what region do you live in?

Also, what kind of heating does your home have?

Those factors are more relevant than diet, I'm sure.

YWIA!

[Speedy]

Eucerin Cream. Right after she washes her hands but before they dry.

[Doc]

Try fish oil supplements.

Recent studies have debunked the omega-3 myth, but it still seems to help with my dry skin in the winter.

Also, put a heated evaporative-humidifier next to the bed. The moist air will help both against winter illnesses and against dry skin and the heat will retard bacterial and mildew growth in the unit. (Until I switched to a heated humidifier, my humidifiers all had stink problems.)

And make sure that she puts on moisturizer immediately after a shower when it will help trap moisture in her skin.

[Mike Johnson]

Fish, flax, or borage oil supplements; they all help me. I also use Shi Kai borage oil lotion after I wash my hands.

I used to get eczema on my hands, so bad the skin would crack and bleed every winter. My hands were like super-senstive sandpaper. Even folding laundry was miserable. Taking the supplements and using the lotion have worked wonders. I haven't needed the prescription lotions since I started with the froufrou stuff. I'm thankful it has worked for me.


SteveO, I hope you don't let her do the dishes when her hands are bad!

[$tevie]

I have a dreadful time with dry skin. I have stopped using any bar soap except sometimes olive oil soap, and more often I use bath and shower gel. My favorites are Kiss My Face Olive Oil soap and shower & bath gels, Crabtree & Evelyn Aloe Vera anything, and Bath & Body Works' White Tea & Ginger bath products. Bar soaps make me dry and itchy regardless of their claims. I use Tide Free for my laundry. I drink plenty of water. I eat 2 teaspoons of Olive Oil every day. Last winter I was pleasantly surprised at how the itching had lessened for me: I have been known to scratch myself raw during the night because I would itch so badly, but I hardly had any problems last year. I really think that most of the products we use exacerbate any skin conditions that we have, and it can take time to figure out which ones we personally can use without problems.

[Dennis S]

Flax oil is good for lots of ailments.