Painful cracked dry skin on my shins

[Schroeder]

I suffer from very dry skin and it often flares up on my shins. The skin looks red and cracked; like a dried up puddle[hhmm]; it's very sore.

Does anyone know what might trigger the flare up? It does seem to coincide with the onset of winter, I wonder if it's the cold or the central heating or switching between iykwim.

des it look like crazy paving when it is dry.

Yep It does a bit. V attractive [hblush]

Do you have the answer?

When I googled it I found a type of eczema apparently only found in the elderly[hhmm].

I've suffered on and off since my 20s btw and am 38 now.

Well, I've had this geriatric eczema since I was about 12

Get yourself some ultra heavy duty moisturiser - I would suggest E45, Simple aqueous cream, aveeno lotion etc etc. Slather yourself in it morning and night.

I guarantee that within a week you'll notice a huge difference.

FWIW mine gets worse with the onset of winter. I get another type too which is more itchy and painful. Happy days!

i've got that, and it improved massively when I cut out bread and wine from diet

i have a mild form of icthyosis. it cracks and is sometimes itchy especially if i have had trousers on and then i just scratch my shins. in summer it cracks when i have got a good sun tan and it looks horrible.

Stop using any soap at all on your body and don't let shampoo run down your legs in the shower. Shower don't bathe. I had really bad legs until doing this. It took a good six months but now my legs are as good as new with my own natural oils in balance. I honestly never would have believed it this time last year.

My shins get really bad if I've been driving with the heater going up my legs.

I have a bath with emolient, get out, and when legs are still wet, really slap on some cream, then wrap in clingfilm and go to bed. It really knocks it on the head, and then I can maintain easily