Dry Skin: How to Care for Your Child

Many people get dry skin. Dry skin may look scaly, cracked, or chapped, and it might itch. It might happen only on certain areas of the body, or it might be all over. Moisturizing dry skin and avoiding things that dry it out can help dry skin get better.

• Have your child moisturize with an ointment, cream, or lotion at least twice a day. Ointments and creams hold more water in the skin than lotions.

• If a heavy moisturizer or ointment is too greasy for daytime, have your child use it at bedtime.

• For bathing and washing hands, have your child:

  • Use warm (not hot) water. 

  • Avoid scrubbing the skin, which can irritate it. 

  • Use a mild, moisturizing soap or a non-soap cleanser.

  • Keep baths and showers to 10 minutes or less, and no more than once a day. 

  • Dry the skin right after bathing and handwashing with a soft, clean towel. Then, put moisturizer on right away while skin is slightly damp.

• If the air in your home is dry, try using a humidifier. Clean the filter as directed.

• Your child should keep using a moisturizing soap or soap-free cleanser and moisturizer even when their skin gets better. This will make it less likely that the dry skin will come back.

Your child:

• gets a rash or blisters

• has patches of oozing, red, or swollen skin

• can't sleep because of itchy skin

How does moisturizer work? Moisturizer makes a barrier between the skin and the air. This barrier holds the water in the skin to help keep it moist.

What makes dry skin worse? Cold weather, dry air, wind, and other irritants can make skin dry. Getting the skin wet a lot or for long periods can weaken it and lead to dry skin. This can happen with thumb-sucking, lip-licking, bathing, swimming, and handwashing.