Kids and Dry Skin

Winter has barely started and we are dealing with dry skin mania at our house. A dermatologist told me to use scent free Vaseline(which is actually pretty hard to find!) My two-year-old has had a rough, red rash around his mouth for weeks. It finally looks better today. We have also used Eucerin lotion and Lanolin to cure his dry skin. Is anyone else dealing with this? What works for you? And how often do you give your kids your kids a bath? I have been trying to do every other night, but they love bath time so it often ends up being every night.

FROM ABOUT.COM:

Treating Dry Skin

If your child's skin has already gotten dry, it can help to:

• apply an over-the-counter (OTC) hydrocortisone cream to areas of your child's skin that are red or itchy.
• if you have been using a lotion, switch to a cream or ointment. Remember that in general, the greasier the moisturizer, the better.
• try a different moisturizer, such as Lac-Hydrin (available in both OTC and prescription strengths) or Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy Plus Intensive Repair Creme. These moisturizers contain lactic acid, which promotes hydration of the skin.
• try a "speciality" moisturizer, which contain multiple ingredients and tend to be more expensive than more common brands, and which include:
  • Cutemol Emollient Cream
  • Mustela Dermo-Pediatrics, Stelatopia Moisturizing Cream
  • Vanicream Moisturizing Skin Cream
  • Burt´s Beeswax Lip Balm
• consider using a nonsteroidal prescription cream or lotion, such as Hylira, Mimyx, or Atopiclair, instead of an OTC moisturizer.
• consider using a wet-to-dry skin dressing, for example, by wetting your child's hands, applying a generous amount of moisturizer to them, and then covering them with wet cotton gloves, which you can leave on for a few hours or even overnight. You should also put some dry cotton or rubber gloves over the wet gloves to complete the wet-to-dry dressing. For other areas of your child's skin, you can simply apply a wet gauze over his moisturized skin and then apply another dry gauze over it for a few hours.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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