Dear John,I don't really have much dry skin on my body, but recently I have been getting patches of insanely dry and itchy skin on my knuckles, elbows and knees. I have tried lots of products from the cheap to the expensive and nothing seems to take the itch and scaliness away. Please help me before I rip my skin off!
Marie
Marie,
If you are finding that the dryness is isolated to these areas and no cream you apply seems to make a difference, it could be that you need to see a GP. Sometimes we get a proliferation of little micro-organisms on our skin that are completely normal but that, for whatever reason, get out of control. It could be stress, diet, or being rundown. A cream with an anti-fungal, a mild steroid, or low percentage hydrocortisone applied underneath the moisturiser could clear up the dry skin in a few days and allow your skin's barrier function to repair itself. But it will take a GP to know which solution is the one that will solve your particular problem.
I have had similar patches before and have had to treat them in different ways. But when you can't get a moisturiser to clear up a patch of dry skin, there is usually something else going on. Once you get the problem solved, try a product like Bio Oil to trap moisture into the skin or a product, such as Udderly Smooth Udder Cream or Barefoot Botanicals S.O.S. Rescue Me, that will replace your barrier function and allow skin to heal. The first was originally created to protect cow's udders during milking and the second is a natural product that will also help to calm the itch. Both can be ordered from their respective websites but I have to tell you, if the dryness and itchiness are being caused by something on your skin, sealing them in with creams, like you may be doing now, could be the reason why they're not working. You can try the three products I have suggested, but really Marie, you may want to also investigate what might be causing the dryness in the first place.
Good luck,
John
Dear John,
I have had a bit of a health crisis recently. I won't go into the details, but I have lost a lot of my eyelashes and brows, and I think that I look awful and I'm so self-conscious I can barely go out. I have tried using more volumising mascaras, but there are just not enough lashes in the first place and my eyes look spidery and bare. What's more, I can't use false eyelashes because of the glue, but have been thinking of trying one of the new mascaras that are meant to help build the lashes. I'm not sure if they will work and whether I'll just be wasting my money. I have always thought the advice you gave was straight and honest. Should I spend my money on one of these products? Will my eyelashes grow back? I am scared to death that I am going to be stuck like this for the rest of my life. Help!
I hope you have time to answer,
Sarah Jane
Sarah Jane,
Sorry to hear that you have had health problems and from all of us at handbag.com let me be the one to say that we wish you a full recovery. Sadly, with a lot of different treatments for many illnesses, hair loss can be a worrying side-effect. Depending on what the reason for the treatment was and the treatment itself, you need to be prepared for the possibility that the hair will not grow back. A great deal will depend on whether the illness or treatment killed off the hair follicle or just caused it to weaken and lose the hair that was growing from it at the time. Assuming that the hair will grow back, using a boosting mascara is not - in my opinion - going to make a big enough difference in a time frame that will give you the confidence that you are looking for. And you are right about volume building mascara, all they will do is make the few lashes you have spindly and stick together.
But all is not lost. There is a product I would very highly recommend that, though more costly, is the nearest thing to a guarantee I can give you. It is a product called Revitalash that was developed by a doctor for his wife who was going through chemotherapy for breast cancer. Revitalash works. Simple as that. If there is life in the follicle the hair will grow back. If there is hair there, for women who just want long, thick, luxurious lashes, that will be the result. It will look as though you have had expensive extensions done without the cost or the upkeep. The product is applied once a day from an applicator that looks like a liquid eyeliner. You can read about it through a ream of testimonials on their website www.revitalash.com. It has been a cult product for a while now in the US, but it is now available here in the UK too.
Also be aware that there are tons of copies of the product on the market, but this is the one that started the ball rolling. To make sure you are getting the correct product from someone reputable, I found an eye specialist on Harley Street and at Moorfields Eye Hospital that sells it and have contacted them myself. They sell Revitalash for £99 and have offered to waive any postage if people say where they got the referral. Ring Jennie Bailey at Dr. Steven Bailey's surgery on 07973 691 727. There is also a stronger version for brows. I put my hand on my heart to tell you that this product is worth giving a go. I know several dozen women who have used it and in every case they have either restored their lashes to their former glory or better. Even the women that have used it just to make their lashes look thick and opulent are beyond satisfied. Again, we wish you the very best and if you should decide to purchase the product, please write back and tell me how you got on or ring me at my Studio on 020 7409 9823 - I would love to hear from you.
Warm regards,
John
Dear John,
I love to use a self-tanning product in the summer so I don't look so pasty, but my boyfriend can't stand the smell. When I use one he complains and I don't like to use daily gradual products as I don't like the idea of not knowing how brown I'll be once I'm already out for the day. Are there any self-tanning products that don't smell like "dead fish" (his description)? Believe it or not, this is really affecting our relationship and there has got to be a solution somewhere.
Thanks for your help,
Samara
Samara,
I am with your bloke on this one! What a pong. And even the ones that say they don't have a horrible smell of sweat sock stew and dead fish still stink! The obvious solution is to try to do a tanning session on a night that he is not staying over. If that is not an option, then I can tell you of a couple that are far less offensive than the rest. The best I have found is Xen Tan and they have a Luxe product that you only use once a week and it works gradually so it sort of refreshes itself along the way. It smells of chocolate, almond and vanilla. All of the girls I know that use Xen Tan absolutely love the smell - and they tell me their partners don't complain about it like they do about other self-tanning products. So that seems a pretty good bet.
Another that gets a good rating in the smell category is Rodial, which has an almond smell that is pretty inoffensive as long as you like almonds. And finally, Bronze Sheen by Institut Esthederm is pretty innocuous. You might be best to take him into the shops and try them out before you buy them. They are all a bit more expensive - between £20 and £40 - so it would be bad to get one and still end up with the same problem. Plus testing some out on your skin will help you to decide which one develops the most natural colour on you.
Thanks for your question,
John
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