How to Moisturize Properly (and Save Money)

Should I use different moisturizers for different body parts?

Yes. You wouldn’t use shampoo to wash your hands, so don’t use the same moisturizer on your face that you use on your feet.

For your face, which is more delicate and often less tolerant to heavy moisturizers, try Oil of Ol ay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum for women and L’Oreal Men’s Expert Hydra-Power Invigorating Moisturizer for men.
For your hands, which take the brunt of harsh, cold weather and excessive hand washing to prevent catching the flu, use a cream that contains dimethicone (silicone). Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Hand Creme moisturizes well and isn’t greasy, so your keyboard won’t get sticky when you blog. Have multiple tubes (for your purse, office, and home) so you won’t forget to reapply every time you wash your hands. Don’t forget to massage the cream into your nails which also get dry and brittle.
For the body, my patients have had success with Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturizing Cream, made with colloidal oatmeal, an ingredient that helps hold in moisture.

For dry, cracked feet, use a moisturizer that contains a mild acid, such as lactic acid which softens thick, scaly skin. My patients like AmLactin Cream.

What is the best way to moisturize?

Shower or bathe in comfortably warm, not hot water.
Use a mild cleanser such as Dove instead of soap. I can’t tell you how often patients’ dry skin is caused by some “natural” or “organic” soap. Unless these soaps are specifically designated as moisturizing, they are often too drying for your skin in the winter.
Pat dry with a towel, leaving your skin damp.
Apply cream to your damp skin, locking in moisture. Doing this everyday will significantly relieve your dry, itchy skin in just a week’s time.

What is the best way to moisturize during an economic recession?

OK. So maybe we aren’t in a recession just yet, but skin care products can be prohibitively expensive. If you are moisturizing properly, then you could easily use 5 ounces each week. That means you could use up one Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturizing Cream every two weeks!

Simple petroleum jelly (Vaseline Ointment) — it might be old-school, but it works.

Use a thin coat right after the shower. You can blot excess with your towel. Some patients like to use it only at bedtime since it can mark your clothing.

January 23, 2008 | Filed Under Health and Beauty, Recommended Products

Comments

3 Responses to “How to Moisturize Properly (and Save Money)”

K. on January 29th, 2008 2:52 am

What about dryness caused by topical creams? I’m in my 20s and using Retin-A for stubborn acne on my forehead and mouth area. If I use Retin-A less than three times a week, the acne returns with a vengeance. If I use the Retin-A at all (and I’m using as little as possible, in problem spots only), the entire lower half of my face turns into a scaly nightmare that I can’t exfoliate away and requires heavy-duty moisturization at least 3x daily. So I have lovely clear skin, but look like I wash with sandpaper. I hate winter.

I suspect that at this point the moisturizer is probably contributing to the acne, but Retin-A is the only cream that’s consistently given me clear skin.
Dr. Benabio on January 31st, 2008 12:27 pm

Embrace the peeling.

Scaling is an expected (and to some extent desired) effect of Retin-A; it’s a sign that the cream is working.

Continue to use your Retin-A three times a week. In a couple of weeks, increase to every other day. Then after a month or so increase to every night. The scaling and peeling will improve over time.

Also be sure your face is completely dry before applying the Retin-A. Use it on your whole face, it doesn’t work as a spot treatment.
Ami on February 4th, 2008 8:16 pm

I do like the Aveeno a lot (which also has dimethicone), but it can start to add up especially in the winter and unfortunately isn’t quite enough for me. Eucerin cream is even more expensive, but reading the side, I found petroleum jelly was a major component.

So I started mixing petroleum jelly with with my ultra healing lotion. A pharmacist had once recommended lanolin for me during a particularly bad flare up of excema in my hands while I was nursing (didn’t want to contaminate newborn’s food supply). It had worked really well, so I decided to add a couple of tablespoons of that to the mess.

Overall it’s about half the cost of Aveeno and works better for me than Eucerin. My drama queen skin and I are getting through this winter so far without a single crack in my fingers.