--- title: "Dry, Itchy Skin in Winter | Sutter Health" description: "What is the best way to deal with dry, itchy skin in the winter?" url: "/ask-an-expert/answers/dry-itchy-skin-in-winter-1051061221" --- 1. Home / 2. Dry, Itchy Skin in Winter # Dry, Itchy Skin in Winter * * * Medically reviewed by - Tomi Wall, M.D. ## Question What is the best way to deal with dry, itchy skin in the winter? ## Answer The best way to deal with dry itchy skin during the winter is to take the time to moisturize your skin daily and minimize hot showers. As the temperature drops, we start to take longer and hotter showers, which is actually detrimental to our skin. I recommend keeping showers to less than 10 min, and to use lukewarm water. When you get out of the shower, pat dry and IMMEDIATELY apply a CREAM (not lotion) to your entire skin. There are now some with ceramides or oatmeal which are over the counter and very helpful for dry, itchy skin. ## Explore related topics Skin and beautySkin Care ## Related questions View all questions - Health Q&A ### Adult Acne: Best treatments for adult acne What are the best acne treatments for women over 35? - Health Q&A ### Body Acne Causes and Treatment I'm a woman in my 20s who gets acne on her back and chest. What is causing this (as I rarely get acne on my face), and what can I do to treat and prevent it? - Health Q&A ### Can Children Get Rosacea? Can children get rosacea? I just read your article about it and think my 13-year-old might have it. Please let me know if that is possible. She has fair skin and red cheeks almost all the time. Sometimes her cheeks burn and they feel warm to the touch. - Health Q&A ### Can Coconut Oil Be Used As a Moisturizer? I have dry skin and have read that using coconut oil can be used as a moisturizer for my face and body. 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View all questions ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/dry-itchy-skin-in-winter-1051061221#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Dry, Itchy Skin in Winter"}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalWebPage","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/dry-itchy-skin-in-winter-1051061221#medicalwebpage","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/dry-itchy-skin-in-winter-1051061221","name":"Dry, Itchy Skin in Winter","description":"The best way to deal with dry itchy skin during the winter is to take the time to moisturize your skin daily and minimize hot showers.","inLanguage":"en-US","medicalAudience":{"@type":"MedicalAudience","audienceType":"Patient"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/dry-itchy-skin-in-winter-1051061221#breadcrumblist"},"mainEntity":{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/dry-itchy-skin-in-winter-1051061221#question","name":"Dry, Itchy Skin in Winter","text":"What is the best way to deal with dry, itchy skin in the winter?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/dry-itchy-skin-in-winter-1051061221#answer","text":"The best way to deal with dry itchy skin during the winter is to take the time to moisturize your skin daily and minimize hot showers. As the temperature drops, we start to take longer and hotter showers, which is actually detrimental to our skin. I recommend keeping showers to less than 10 min, and to use lukewarm water. When you get out of the shower, pat dry and IMMEDIATELY apply a CREAM (not lotion) to your entire skin. 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