Health

Why is moisturiser making my skin dry?

I never had any problems with my skin until I started using a moisturiser. Now, if I don’t use it, my skin feels really dry and itchy. Have I fallen for a cunning marketing ploy by becoming dependant on grooming products?
Ed Finch, Northants

Dr Rob Hicks, GP replies: Your dry, itchy skin may not be related to using the moisturiser at all. Perhaps you’ve started using other grooming products too and these are causing the problems when you don’t moisturise. If you had eczema as a child it may have made an unwelcome return. Cold weather, stress, a poor diet with not enough vitamin C, vitamin E and zinc – all of these could be responsible for your dry skin, as could too many late nights and early mornings.

Moisturisers can become less effective over time. This is why doctors often suggest that people with eczema change their cream every six months or so. Ask your doctor to examine your skin – your problem may need specific treatment with a steroid or antibiotic cream.