dry skin patches

i have been having a problem with dry skin patches on my leg and shoulder which bothers me when i have clothing on it. the area on my shoulder gets irrated if my bra strap is directly on it. i also work in a retail store which is sometimes very hot and dry which between the clothing and the heat seem to make me perspire and irrate these areas. i also work with boxes in my receiving room and clothing where it is dusty and some of these boxes are from all over the world.sometimes when i handle these boxes i get little bites. i have tried changing detergents and soaps etc. and it starts to heal as long as i have noyhing on these areas to irrate them. what is causing this and what can i do.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

It sounds like more than just dry skin--perhaps a little touch of eczema aggravated by rubbing from your clothing.  Anything you can do to pad the area so it doesn't rub will help.  You'll also need to see a skin doctor, probably just for one visit, to get a specific diagnosis and proper therapy in case it returns from time to time.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff

[johnke]

Take a look at http://www.savemyhealth.com/Health/Eczema/tabid/79/Default.aspx, for some useful tips.

[Endow22]

On my leg I have a small dry patch and the skin is loose and peels off. I now have small bumps that get irratated when it rubs against the band of my underwear. The small bumps are sensitive to the touch and they are just pink. Like a small bug bite but they dont itch. What do you think?