If you have dry, sensitive skin, you know how hard it is to deal with the changing seasons.
In winter your skin gets chapped and flaky, and can be so dry that it causes pain.
I know my skin suffers when the calendar hits December. And this winter hasn’t been any easier for me.
First, my forehead, hands, and anything that touches water needs constant moisturizing. Whenever I step out of the shower and pat my face dry, my forehead is flaky. So I put on a sensitive skin moisturizer and it helps, but then my hands are dry. So I rub some lotion on them and it helps. But then my feet are chapped and flaky, so I put some more moisturizer on and try not to avoid water at all costs for the rest of the day.
That’s been my winter routine for the past few years. Sad, isn’t it? But that’s not the worst part of it: this year, my elbow–yes, my elbow–got dry.
As I was watching television, I bent my arm and felt a pinching sensation in my left elbow. I reached over to grab it and the skin on my elbow was as dry as the Sahara desert, with deep cracks on it that are sharp and coarse to the touch. I checked my other elbow to see if it was suffering from the same affliction, but it was smooth as silk.
What the heck is going on? I didn’t realize elbows could dry out, and why one and not the other? Still puzzled, I got up and grabbed some hand lotion and put it on before going to sleep. I woke up, and my elbow was still dry. Before leaving for work I tried another moisturizer, but the elbow was still lacking moisture.
After a few days of throwing every moisturizing lotion I could find at the problem, not much had changed. The chapped skin had been softened by the lotions a little bit, but I was still suffering from extreme dryness.
So I set out for the local drug store in search of something better. I headed to the lotion and ointment aisle looking for any product that said “extreme dryness solution” or “advanced penetrating moisturizer.” And after a good ten to fifteen minutes of looking over everything on the shelf, I found a product that read “advanced therapy for dry, cracked, or irritated skin.” Bingo!
The product is called Aquaphor Healing Ointment from Eucerin, and it is dermatologist recommended for restoring smooth, healthy skin. That was precisely what I was looking for, and as the price was just over $5 for a 1.75oz tube, I was happy to find an appropriate product that was very affordable.
I bought it, and read the directions as I walked out of the store: apply as needed. Simple enough. So I spread some on my elbow while I was sitting in my car in the parking lot. It’s an ointment, so it’s a bit greasy when you first put it on. But it’s unscented, which I love, and it’s a thick solution so it won’t drip all over the place like some thin, watery lotions have a tendency to do.
It was tough to keep from wiping the ointment all over my desk when I got home, but it soaked in pretty quickly–about two hours. And after it soaked in I touched my elbow, and it wasn’t nearly as dry! It was significantly softer, and the cracks were much less pronounced as they had been previously. My skin didn’t stretch or crack when I bent my arm, and that was a good thing.
I was very pleased with the first attempt, and that night before going to bed I put some more on. Upon waking up, the Aquaphor had worked so well that I had difficulty finding the area where my elbow was dry. I searched and searched with my fingers, but my skin was smooth and soft. I had to press with my fingernails to find a spot that was the tiniest bit dry, and I knew I was all but recovered. One more night of applying the ointment and I was completely healed, and I’ve been enjoying smooth, healthy skin ever since.
It didn’t sting at all when I put it on. In fact, I didn’t feel anything at all, just ointment on my elbow for a couple of hours.
This product worked wonders for me almost instantly, and my skin has been soft and smooth even after a number of weeks. And as I have sensitive skin, it’s hard for me to find a product that doesn’t burn or irritate my skin, but this product was very gentle. I’ve since offered to loan my tube of Eucerin Aquaphor Healing Ointment to family members and friends, and I highly recommend this product to anyone in need of fast-acting, long-lasting relief from extreme skin dryness.
It’s not lotion, so it isn’t suggested for use as hand cream or facial moisturizer. The label states that its uses are to protect skin suffering from minor cuts, burns and scrapes, to protect and relieve chapped lips and skin, and to help protect from the drying effects of wind and cool weather.
Its active ingredient is Petrolatum, 41%, with its inactive ingredients being mineral oil, ceresin, lanolin alcohol, panthenol, glycerin, and bisabolol.
For more information, you can visit the product’s official website at http://www.eucerinus.com/products/hb_aho.html
