Your one absolute banker to smooth rough, dry skin

[MorrisZapp]

I'm 51 with very dry skin. My face is so rough you can actually see the flakes. I have a number of exfoliants, glow giving masks etc but I wondered if there's anything that works for you every time to get down to the smooth stuff.

Have you tried treating it from the angle of protecting your skin barrier? Speaking as someone who has awful eczema and couldn't wear foundation for about a year, I've found it much more manageable since I stopped exfoliating so often - I might exfoliate very gently with a flannel max once a week. Sali Hughes has written about the skin barrier

Never tried it on my face, but Gold Bond Ultimate healing hand cream has been a godsend for my feet, which used to get so dry they cracked regularly. Amazing stuff - the only one I've tried that genuinely lived up to the billing "non-greasy". (I first bought it in Canada where it was cheaper than in the UK)

Skin tonic from Liz Earle. Moisturiser by Lumene. In fact any skin product by Lumene. Available from M&S and not too expensive. My DD put me on to this brand and I have dry patches of skin if I don’t use products. Definitely improves using their moisturizers but you have to keep use it overnight as well as daytime.

Menopause gave me this dry skin with a really weird tough texture. Tried every serum and cream I could get my hands on. Then tried cetaphil. Within a week my skin texture had transformed! Will never use anything else ever again.

Also I found La Roche Posay Hydraphase Intense Hydrating Serum good for hydrating throughout the day without making you look greasy

Also Liz Earle hot cloth cleanse and polish is far more gentle than exfoliating.

I love Lumene and have just received my advent calendar, it's divine :)

Cetaphil cream or cleanser? I tried the cleanser and found it unsatisfying.

There's only one thing for it, Weleda Skin Food

Urea and glycerin. Anything with these high in the ingredients list help massively.
I use Eucerin Urea repair on my face, there are day and night versions, I tend to use the night most of the time if I'm not wearing makeup

Also using acid toners, the skin on my face (my face) is so thick and dry I can use these twice a day without causing skin barrier problems.
Most people should only use them a few times a week.

Also the ordinary aha/bha peel - the blood red one, I use this once a week and it strips the actual scales on my jaw line (that would be there if I didn't keep up with the above - I was in hospital for 10 days and came home like I had a white beard of skin due to just extreme dry skin)

Oldie, but goodie - Nivea Blue Creme. It is perfumed, which may not work, but you can put a thick layer on and let it soak in (overnight, ideally), or use like a mask and wipe off after 15 mins. Once you know if you tolerate it well, you can use as much or little as you need. I put it on elbows, knees, scaly legs etc.. as well as on my face.

Gentle acid toner (I like Aldi Glycolic and Sali Hughes × Revolution multi acid) and a light Moisturiser + sunscreen in the day with a rich Moisturiser at night. Where its really dry, slug a bit of vaseline over the Moisturiser at night

I had covid a few months ago and my facial skin became very dry and flakey, I had to stop using my usual facial cream as it felt like it was burning my skin so put some aveno on (as it was the only non fragranced moisturiser I had in the house) I have continued since its healed because I swapped back and my skin didn't feel as good.

@MorrisZapp moisturiser.

Drinking loads and loads, and then loads more water.

Without it, my skin is dry and breaks out no matter what products I use

I came on here to say that. I have very dry skin and at night I mix Skin Food with a couple of drops of squalane or rose hip oil. It gives it more slip and makes it easier to massage in.

I’d try this
www.ameliorate.com/ameliorate-transforming-facial-serum-30ml/12741215.html
I use the body version of this and it’s completely transformed my skin. It’s more medical smelling than cosmetic smelling but it truly works

The Urea range from Eucerin is good. Yes, it's made from pig wee but who cares! ( OK, vegans may care)

But if you're not vegan, urea is great.

Facetheory Ceraquech renewal creme. Works wonders for my very sensitive dry itchy skin.

I love sweet almond oil. Absorbs beautifully

I have horrendously dry skin. I found the following really helped:

• using a glycolic acid - I use pixi glow tonic to get rid of the dry skin flakes gently.
• use a hyalauronic acid to add extra moisture. I use beauty pie triple hyalauronic serum.
• the only moisturiser I've ever found worked recently had its formula changed and I literally cried. I've since found the hyalauronic acid moisturiser by Beauty Pie very calming and working well.
• I should add that I also add another serum under both the triple hyalauronic and moisturiser. I find layering up as many moisture barriers as possible without pilling is the only way to get from morning to night. I also have a moisture spray that I spritz when I'm in a hurry and need a bit more - usually early evening and feeling a little dry.

What I've never found is something that stops my hands splitting! By mid winter I usually have hundreds of cuts all over my hands and have to sleep in rubber gloves full of moisturiser! All suggestions for that welcome!

Thin layer of vaseline over a facial oil

Weleda skin food

I agree the Beauty Pie products are great, the Youth Bomb is amazing - but I do find the best thing for when my skin feels really dry is Bio Oil. I slather it on my body at night, a couple of drops sparingly on my face, rub it in to my hands and cuticles and wake up all plumped up!

Cetaphil cream for me