very dry skin

[meekke]

My daughter is on accutane and has extremly dry, cracked and bloody hands and lips, and her face is very dry.  We have tried many different ointments and other lotions, nothing is working.  What do you think we should use?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
The mainstay of management is liberal use of moisturizers after washing with luke warm water. Soap should be used minimally. Moisturizers should be reapplied liberally during the day. For dry lips, she should avoid licking the lips as saliva evaporates quickly resulting in them being drier than before. Ask her to drink plenty of water and take multivitamin supplements and do not apply lipstick or other cosmetic products for some days. Use a humidifier to moisturize the air in your home and apply shea butter or Vaseline on your lips. You can also use a homemade ointment mixed from 1 tsp glycerine, 1 tsp lemon juice and 1 tsp castor oil. Spread on lips overnight, refrigerating the leftovers for future use. Eat foods high in calcium, magnesium and flaxseed oil.

I hope it helps. Take care and regards.

[CassCore]

Aquaphor is really good for severly dry skin...but I wouls honestly consider taking your daughter off the Accutane. The side effects can be so horrible and are now related to a lot of gastrointestinal issues long term. My husband is a prime example...never had an upset stomach in his life and now all of a sudden he can't eat anything without tummy trouble and he's only 24. There are other options and unless absolutly NOTHING else has worked it is the last resort. There's not a lot you can do about the dryness except moisturize like you have been doing. It is just one of the short term side effects.

[vanillacandles]

Hi Meekke,

I find Vaseline works wonders, especially on the lips. Have you tried this yet? For hands and face, I would recommend using Aveeno products.

Hopefully this helps.