Boots Derma Care - welcome relief for dry skin

If you suffer with dry skin, you may be feeling the onset of the colder weather more than most. Dry skin is exacerbated by lots of different factors, including cold, windy weather conditions and the effects of central heating and air conditioning.

Other triggers may include perfumed toiletries; soaps and detergents; cleaning products; excessive contact with water; hormonal changes and ageing. Did you know that dry skin can also be a feature of some seemingly unrelated medical conditions, like diabetes and thyroid disorders?

Brand new self-help regime

Now, there's a new range from Boots, containing products which can help ease the irritation and discomfort of even very dry or chapped skin as part of an ongoing Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care Daily Moisturising Regime™.

The aim of a daily regime is to help maintain the health of your skin as it changes with the weather, environment, hormones or age. The new products, which are suitable for use on the face and body are Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care Emollient Cream (always read the label), Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care Daily Moisturising Cream, and Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care Daily Light Moisturising Lotion; they complement each other and are designed to be used daily.

Derma Care Emollient Cream (always read the label) is the first defence against very dry skin, such as eczema and sore, dry, chapped skin. It's non-perfumed and non-greasy and it contains lanolin and almond oil to help make skin more supple.

Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care Daily Moisturising Cream helps to improve the condition of very dry or rough skin: you'll notice a difference in just three days. Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care Light Daily Moisturising Lotion is light and easily absorbed. Used regularly, it helps to improve the condition and appearance of very dry skin.

For ongoing care to help protect against dry skin, incorporate the products into your daily routine. For example, to avoid your skin becoming irritated by perfumed cleansing products, start your day with Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care soap-free and detergent-free, non-foaming, non-perfumed Daily Moisturising Shower Cream.

Follow up with Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care Daily Moisturising Cream to lock in moisture, and keep a bottle of Light Daily Moisturising Lotion close to hand for 'topping up'. And check out the other products in the range by visiting the Boots website.

Who gets dry skin?

Anyone can suffer, but certain groups are more susceptible, such as people with diagnosed eczema or dermatitis, and those with certain allergies, including asthma. Stress can also act as a trigger, especially among people who are already susceptible.

What are the effects?

The very fact of having dry skin can be damaging to self-esteem as well as being physically and emotionally hard to deal with. Problems can range from the embarrassment of having unsightly exposed areas of skin to the frustration of constant itching and flaking and the emotional strain of trying to cope with the symptoms.

Breaking the 'itch-scratch' cycle

Itching often accompanies dry skin, but scratching only makes the problem worse, weakening the skin and aggravating the irritation. That's why it's important to try and break the 'itch-scratch' cycle by taking care to replenish moisture levels using specialised products.

You can choose from the three specially formulated Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care moisturisers or combine them, depending on the severity of your dry-skin problem.

Treating flare-ups

There are three treatments in the Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care range specifically targeted at flare-ups, when allergens and irritants get into dry skin causing red, very itchy, scaly or flaky skin and local inflammation.

When you experience a flare-up, consider a Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care Itch Relief product. In more severe cases, consider Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care Hydrcortisone 1% Cream (always read the label) or Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care Hydrcortisone 1% Ointment (always read the label) once or twice a day for up to 7 days.

Ongoing defence against dry skin

If you think of your skin as being like a brick wall - in other words, a protective barrier - then dry skin is a wall where all the mortar holding it together has fallen out, allowing corrosion from the weather to set in.

This causes the bricks to dry out and crack, which in turn means that the protective barrier becomes ineffective. The solution is to fill the gaps left by the mortar with another barrier, and to keep on replenishing it.

In the case of your skin, this means replacing lost moisture in order to allow the skin to create its own natural barrier, or the Wall of Protection™ offered by Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care products. If your condition is ongoing, your commitment to a new skincare regime needs to be ongoing, too, and it will help if you adopt the Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care Daily Moisturising Regime™.

How Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care helps

All of Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care products are hypoallergenic and have been dermatologically tested. They help replace lost moisture and prevent further moisture loss. The Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care Daily Moisturising Regime™ helps build and maintain the skin's natural barrier creating a Wall of Protection™ against the causes of dryness for healthier skin.

Want to know more?

The most important step in managing your dry skin condition is being properly informed about the causes, symptoms and self-help measures.

You can find out more when you visit the Boots website. Or, if you have any unanswered questions about dry skin management, send your question in to the experts at Boots.

Top tips for dry skin management

Try to avoid anything that triggers your dry skin.
- Follow the Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care Daily Moisturising Regime™ so your skin doesn't have a chance to dry out.
- Smooth on moisturiser without rubbing it in, using downward strokes following the flow of the hair.
- Use warm not hot water to wash - and don't stay too long in the bath or shower.
- Pat, don't rub your skin dry.
- Break the itch-scratch cycle by treating flare-ups. Consider Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care Itch Relief (always read the label), Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care Hydrocortisone 1% Cream (always read the label), or Boots Pharmaceuticals Derma Care Hydrocortisone 1% Ointment (always read the label).

For more information, visit www.boots.com