The American Academy of Dermatology offers the following tips to help us have healthy skin year round:

• Take warm, not hot, showers

• Limit time spent in the shower.

• Use a beauty bar. Detergent in regular soaps is drying.

• Buy an inexpensive humidifier or boil a pot of water to replenish the moisture in the air.

• Keep the humidity at 30 percent. A gauge can be purchased from an electronics store for

• Use moisturizer daily, especially on the hands and face, which are exposed to the wind and cold most often.

If you have tried all of these without success, there is still hope! Some people are genetically predisposed to dry skin that is flaky and cracks. For this condition, try a therapeutic moisturizer instead of a cosmetic one. Therapeutic moistur-izers form a barrier for days, even weeks, and are often inexpensive. Try petroleum jelly that acts as a barrier for two weeks, or mineral oil that lasts for a few days.

A dermatologist can offer even more options including alpha hydroxy acids and creams containing urea for those with serious skin problems. Both are given with a prescription. With all of these options, we should be able to enjoy our winter activities without sacrificing the health of our skin.