Our Veterinarian explains how to prevent a seven-year Winter itch.

Courtesy of Susanna Spangberg

Dry skin. It is the plague of all Canadians in our cold, dry climate with central heating and poor humidification.  If you find your skin starts appearing rough, itchy, or pink you are likely seeing the beginnings of Eczema. So here’s what to do:

First, figure out where the moisture loss is coming from – check your humidifier, heating systems etc. in case anything has broken. Next, limit your showers to once every other day and stop applying soap to all of your body parts (your arms and legs are not dirty and don’t sweat much so leave them alone). Also, stick with mild cleansers like Cetaphil for your face.

As you step out of the shower and towel off, there’s a layer of water on the skin. The aim of lotions and creams is to trap this layer against you as a sort of barrier action. Lotions are less effective and contain more alcohol, whereas creams are thicker but a little more difficult to apply. You may find your dry skin disappears at this point, but for those experiencing a more dramatic case – we’ve got another option.

There are products that contain humectants that bind the moisture to the skin. These humectants such as urea and lactic acid are found in products such as Uremol and Lac-hydrin. The concentration of the humectant varies and there are lotions and creams with the price increasing accordingly. Be aware that if you have cracks in the skin these products may sting.

Another symptom you mind have is scaling skin which will improve with the softening effect of a cream, but may be more actively removed with products that contain an exfoliant such as salicylic acid (several foot creams have this in them) or glycolic acid (Neostrata products).

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If you are looking at pink patches that itch, then the problem has probably evolved to eczema. Try an antihistamine by mouth to stop scratching and see your doctor for some steroid cream or ointment.  You can buy a mild hydrocortisone ointment over the counter so you might want to try that first.

Lastly, wear cotton against your skin (not wool) and don’t use bleach and fabric softeners as they make the fibres stand up and irritate the skin.

– The Veterinarian.