Is it really that dry in Denver? (apartment, buying a home)

[oberon]

The first winter after I moved to Denver, I had irritated hands and had to use moisturizer. My hands also easily soaked up water and got all wrinkly. But after about a year, I adapted and have not had these problems anymore. I've also adapted to the higher elevation & don't notice it anymore. It's tougher for some people than for others. I'd recommend not using moisturizer unless you are in pain, otherwise your body might not adapt.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

My husband has a lot of trouble with his fingers drying and cracking. We've used stuff called Bag Balm, and also some heavy-duty gop he orders through the veterinarian, both specially formulated for cow's udders so that they don't dry and crack. Now we get fresh milk every morning ;-)

Bag Balm is good stuff!
I used it too.

[HighlandsGal]

Originally Posted by bigdummy

I read somewhere that the dryness can be a big problem for contact lens wearers. Anyone have any input on this? Is it true that some people can't wear contacts anymore once they move to Denver?

I wear soft lenses and they don't bother me during the day at all -- only if I accidentally fall asleep on the couch or something with them in.

On the other hand, my skin is still very dry after living here since July -- I use lotion religiously, but could drink some more water on a daily basis.

[MorningGlory]

Originally Posted by bigdummy

I read somewhere that the dryness can be a big problem for contact lens wearers. Anyone have any input on this? Is it true that some people can't wear contacts anymore once they move to Denver?

My eye doctor recommended just getting the sterile saline and using that as rewetting solution. It is MUCH cheaper. I have used it for years. Usually a couple drops in the morning (I wear Night and Day monthlies) is all I need.

[MorningGlory]

Originally Posted by lovethebigcity

I didn't think I'd have to much of a problem with the dryness, but its been mostly affecting my hands....especially the skin around my nails. The skin around my nails will suddenly crack open & start to bleed. Its bloody painful! At one point this week I had 3 band aids on 10 of my fingers.
Can anyone recommend a good hand lotion to use? I've tried to use Bath & Body Works, but it does not help at all. In fact I think it makes it worse I have a lotion that a former co-worker from back east actually makes herself & it really works, but I want to buy something that I can keep at work. Does Neutrogena work?

Go to Vitamin Cottage, get a quart of castor oil. It is very thick and has healing properties. No perfumes or anything that might sting. Rub it on hands and feet before bed. If you can suffer it, put on mittens and socks after applying the castor oil. Works like a dream.

[MorningGlory]

Originally Posted by McGowdog

Why do men even HAVE nipples? My brother Mark had Springer Spaniels and a litter of puppies and while he was sleeping he awoke to this God-aweful pain! His puppies wouldn't stop trying to nurse on him! He had to wear a t-shirt to bed! How do women deal with that?

OK, that is about as funny as when my mother traipsed through the horse pasture and a foal bit her boob, trying to nurse. Talk about ouch!

For human babies, it doesn't hurt. The first few days after the baby, its weird, but if it hurt women wouldnt do it, and none of you would exist. Enfamil would have never existed, either, because nobody would have existed to develop it.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Lovethebigcity:

For cuticles, try Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme. It's good stuff and smells really good, too.

[DenverAztec]

I am a Denver native who travels all over the country and Denver is dry. I use Lubiderm from head to toe right after I shower, use lip balm right after brushing my teeth a few times a day, and use Ocean nose spray and monthly a swab of oientment inside my nostrils. I ended up going the route of Lasik as gas permeable lens constantly bothered me. Winter is dryer then the summer months and we do have a monsoon season in June through July. Unfortunately, I have become so religiously committed to this mosturizing regime that when I end up in Miami or Houston, I forget that I don't need to do all of this and end up feeling slimy for a day or two. On the upside, I would take dry over humid any day. Wearing work clothes in a humid environment is just horrible, not to mention all the bugs and the size at which they grow in the southern part of our country. A 3 inch roach in Louisiana is still a roach, even if you try to dress it up by calling it a Palmetto Bug! You can always moisturize for our climate but there is not much you can do about humidity, other then sweat and start a bug collection!

[ditto]

The dry weather here is a pain in the ass, but it sure is comfortable! I'm male and not very feminine, so I don't spend my time putting on a bunch of lotion all day, but it's probably the right thing to do. Basically I take a shower, but on a layer of lotion (face) & I'm out the door. Once in a while I'll get real freaky and apply another layer at night before bed.

[esya]

I have been here since 1971 except 4 years in Illinois. I can't stand the dryness--it is actually painful to me now, I am 53 and never go out during the middle of the day anymore if I can avoid it. The sun is harsh and the cold is harsh, I can hardly wait until I am able to quit my job and move. I am a blonde nordic type and my skin is precancerous, wrinkled, and ugly brown and my mother who has been out here also as a child has had several lesions removed. Many people who spend a lot of time outdoors end up with skin cancer.

People who are dark skinned or of mediterranean skin type don't seem to mind it.

P.S. If you are like me, nothing works. I use sesame oil, purchased cheaply at Walgreens, and slather it on right in the shower after I dry off. I use it all over my body. I only shower twice a week to avoid drying my skin. I use ridiculously expensive French moisturizers on my face, after having tried every product known to man, including all of the ones listed above. If you have skin allergies it's even worse. In the fall, I have to put one of the vasoline-type hospital moisturizers on my feet and wear socks to bed to prevent my callouses from cracking and bleeding. Chapstick--several times a day every day, just for work. Hand lotion or creme--twice a day. Still, I am always itchy especially in winter. Sunscreen--SPF 30 on my face (special version) and hands and arms, etc.

It sounds like you might be allergic to the perfume in the stuff, as I am. Try only using the sesame oil or anything which is totally hyperallergenic

Sweat feels good compared to this.