Put on moisturizer from head to toe. If an ointment is too greasy, try a thinner cream or an even more-diluted lotion. The thinner the moisturizer, the more often it needs to be applied. People who have dry skin all year could have a skin problem that needs specialized medical treatment. If a person has dry skin throughout the year, not just during the winter, and it seems to be associated with allergies, it could be atopic dermatitis, she says.
Atopic dermatitis is a chronic skin disease that usually affects children.
Characterized by red, dry, cracking, itchy skin, this disease can be caused by allergies to eggs, peanuts, milk and fish, or worsened by irritants, such as detergents, soaps or fabrics. If you wish to quote from any part of this story, please credit National Jewish Medical And Research Center as the original source.