Flaky upper arms

little_miss_messiah

AAARRRRGGGH

I have generally dry skin anyway, but over the winter my upper arms get flkier and flakier - they are now at the point of being rough to the tough (I am not talking about pimply bits on the back of the arms btw, but flakes of skin I can remove with tweezers to reveal v red skin underneath)

I have used bodyscrub, thermal face scrub, exfoliating sponges and all manner of moisturiseres, even ultra rich (facial) night creams and eyecreams to no avail

I don;t get this anywhere else and not over the summer

Any ideas?

belfastgirl23

Just to say this sounds really unpleasant. I'd say you should see a doctor about it if it's this bad.

Just to suggest though I did find when I had itching...i won't go into where that stopping using fabric conditioner helped a lot. I now use white vinegar as my rinsing agent and it's got much better. Cutting back on the amount of washing powder I used helped too. But TBH what you have sounds much more serious to me and I do think it's worth getting some medical help.

i would NOT be exfoliating though or scrubbing!

Sweetpeanut

i used to get like that, then i started to use the body shop's coconut body butter, about 5 yrs ago and have never looked back, my bust used to get a flakey aswell, that was my miracle cream for me:D. its not cheap at £12 a tub, but a tub lasts me 3weeks or so, hope this helps:D

Savvy_Sue

Definitely one for the GP, although the suggestions about fabric conditioner and washing powder are also good ones. But it is possible for some skin conditions to flare up at different times of year.

fran-o

I suffer with dry skin especially at this time of year - cold weather and central heating definitely aggravates it. I would definitely see the doc about it and he will recommend a moisturiser and possibly a medicated cream for bad flare ups.
Agree with other posts about being careful with fabric softeners/washing powders. Would also say avoid certain fabrics (anything too acrylic next to my skin is bad).
You might find it helps switching from regular shower gel to aqueous cream - this stuff is dead cheap so worth it even if you only use it occasionally when you have to (its not exactly glam!).
Hope this helps

little_miss_messiah

THanks to all, guess I'll go to the GP, I didn't want to bother them with what I percieved to be a strictly aesthetic problem (it doesnt itch or hirt or anything). But I'll see what they say (and get some body shop and aqueos wotsit to try too)