Winter skin soothers
When cold temps and dry indoor air leave your child with irritated rashy skin, try these kitchen cures doctors “prescribe” to their own kids
For chapped lips & skin
Yogurt this way
“The first time I took the kids skiing, the cold outside air coupled with the forced dry heat inside left their lips and skin chapped, inflamed and cracked,” says Sonia Batra, M.D., a mother of two and a dermatologist in Santa Monica, California. Away from home and in need of a remedy, Dr. Batra made a beeline for the dairy aisle at the local grocery store. “I got whole-fat yogurt,” she says. “A higher fat content means it’s more moisturizing.” She applied a thin layer directly to her kids’ skin and wiped it off after 15 minutes. “It soothes irritation and its lactic acid acts as a natural exfoliant,” explains Dr. Batra. To further help on the moisturizing front, she ran a humidifier day and night. “By the end of the week, the kids’ lips and dry patches had healed!”
For eczema
A sweet salve
“My older son has a history of eczema. While it’s fairly mild now, he still gets small outbreaks in the winter,” says Robin Evans, M.D., a dermatologist in Stamford, Connecticut, and a mother of two. To cool the itch,
Dr. Evans turns to Manuka honey. “It has natural antiinflammatory properties, which can calm any mild skin inflammation,” she says. Plus, it helps prevent infection and moisturizes. You can buy lotions containing Manuka honey at the drugstore for larger outbreaks, but for smaller flare-ups, Dr. Evans suggests dabbing a bit of the honey on problem spots. “It’s very soothing as soon as it’s applied.”
For dry, cracked hands
A pantry staple
“Last winter, my daughter’s hands were almost cracking, thanks to all of her outdoor soccer games,” says father-of-three, Jeremy Allen, D.O., a family physician in Birmingham, Alabama. Luckily, he always has Crisco in the house. “It might not be healthy to cook with, but my wife grew up with it and we’ve found that it’s a wonderful moisturizer.” Its soybean and palm oils lock in moisture when applied to the skin. But since Crisco melts with body heat, it can make for a greasy mess if used in excess. “A little goes a long way,” notes Dr. Allen. “For tough-to-treat cases, we use plastic wrap with a cotton sock or glove over it.”