Is your skin itchy, itchy, scratchy, scratchy? During the cold winter months especially, it seems that almost everyone’s hands can get a little rough. But if your lineup of lotions isn’t providing relief, there are other options to try for dry skin that can help all year round.

Knowing if your skin is just dry or if you have eczema is a good place to start. While excessively dry skin and eczema can both be uncomfortable, they look different and are caused by different things.

In this episode of the For Health’s Sake podcast, dermatologist Daniel Krakora explains reasons for our itchy hands, arms, legs and elbows – and how the location and texture of your dry skin can help tell if it’s dry skin or eczema.

Also covered in this episode:

• What causes eczema and dry skin
• How aging and eczema impact the skin’s moisture barrier
• How often you should moisturize
• If coconut oil helps eczema and dry skin
• The best beauty and cleaning products for healthy skin
• If a humidifier helps with dry skin or eczema

You don’t need to live with dry, itchy skin

The good news is most people can manage dry skin and eczema by changing the products they use and increasing how frequently they moisturize. But it’s important to seek care if nothing seems to work or if it’s affecting the quality of your life.

“If you’re having any concerns about your skin care at home or having different rashes or other problems with your skin, don’t hesitate to come in and see a dermatologist,” said Dr. Krakora.