OT - Winter Itch

My Family and I recently moved cross country (from TX to PA). My husband, a lifetime southern resident is suffering from the dry northern winters. He has a terrible itch/rash that will not respond to any treatment. He won't respond at all to cortisone cream, benedryl, or any kind of lotion that we have tried. We went to the dermitologist whose advice was, "stop scratching." He's been fighting this for about 6 months now. We're still going to the doctor for other opinions, but we're trying to solve the mystery too. Any suggestions for dealing with Winter Itch? Anyone know any herbal itch remedies?

Thu. Feb 22, 11:02am

get this stuff called "Bag Balm", originally for cows' utters, it works wonders on terribly dry skin. i aslo highly recommend Nature's Gate (animal & eco-friendly) oatmeal Lotion for Dry Skin. absolute skin saver in the harsh winter air!! i discovered these products wheni lived in NH and have relied on them during "rough" stretches of winter for many years now.

Link

Thursday, February 22, 2007, 11:12 AM

Born and raised in PA

I also suffer from terrible dry winter skin and itching. I've tried many different lotions and the two things that seemed to work best for me in combating the yearly winter dryness is:

1.) Invest in a humidifier – I couldn't imagine going through a winter without mine.
2.) Gold Bond medicated body lotion – I realize it’s not an herbal remedy but this stuff works wonders!

Thursday, February 22, 2007, 11:40 AM

OP here...got a humidifier...POS. The water is way too hard for an evaporative one. Do the ultrasonic ones work?

Thursday, February 22, 2007, 11:44 AM

how about using bottled, distilled water? not a lot of money for a gallon of store-brand.

Thursday, February 22, 2007, 12:57 PM

11:40 AM poster here

hhhmm I don't know anything about the ultrasonic ones; I just use a warm mist humidifier and haven't had any problems. I do have to clean it regularly to avoid mineral deposit build-up though. What problems are you experiencing with the evaporative one?

Good suggestion from 12:57 PM to use distilled water. I've also heard of people bottling their own distilled water (taken from a dehumidifier they use during the summer) and saving it for their use with the humidifier in the winter. But that seems like a lot of work to me.

I know growing up my parents had a large console humidifier in the house ... I wonder if they were better equipped to deal with hard water issues?

Thursday, February 22, 2007, 1:36 PM

I have extremely dry skin and used to itch terribly. My finger tips would even crack and bleed too.

I found that putting lotion on my legs as soon as I dried them EVERY day (not just when I was already itchy!) has taken care of that problem.
It doesn't work if you wait till later when you're already dried out and itchy.

And putting hand lotion on EVERY time I wash my hands (not just when they feel rough & dry or are already cracked!) has taken care of the other problem.

Thursday, February 22, 2007, 1:40 PM

Yes, definitely, good lotion all the time. There are some good hand creams, which I think are a little stronger than lotion. Or Udder Cream, like one of the above posters mentioned.

Also, definitely get a humidifier. Not one of the little, 2-gallon, 1-room, use-when-the-kids-are-sick humidifier, but, a big, whole home one. It's ugly and may have to sit out where it's conspicuous for the winter, but, you can put it away in the summer, and it'll help a lot!

Also, any dermatologist who's whole answer was "stop scratching" sounds like not a very good derm. I'd look for a new doctor!

Thursday, February 22, 2007, 2:19 PM

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