One of the most common conditions in children, especially in cold weather, is dry skin.

Young children are especially vulnerable because their skin is so sensitive.

In general, skin is driest in the winter months because heating a household causes the air to be dry, and moisture is lost from the skin to the air due to evaporation. Usually, a little dry skin is not of great concern, but it becomes more problematic if the dryness causes itching, which can cause the baby to be irritable.

In addition, dry skin may lead to eczema (with redness of the skin and sometimes swelling), and scratching may lead to a skin infection.

The treatment of dry skin consists of a three-pronged approach: keeping the skin moist, avoiding dryness, and preventing irritation.

* Keep The Skin Moist: A daily bath is fine, but avoid water temperatures that are too hot or too cold.

Immediately after the bath, and before the last drop of water is gone, quickly apply a skin moisturizer or emollient to the entire body. This locks in the water that the bath provided to the skin. If you wait until the skin is completely dry, all that new moisture in the skin will be lost due to evaporation.

The drier the skin, the thicker the moisturizer should be. In the winter, an ointment such as Vaseline or Aquaphor may work best. A cream such as Eucerin or Cetaphil is less thick but will usually be adequate. Lotions do not do a very good job of moisturizing the skin, and use should be reserved for summer, if at all.

Continue to moisturize the skin even when the dryness or redness is gone in order to prevent flare-ups.

* Avoid Drying The Skin: Use mild soaps such as Dove. Stronger soaps, especially the deodorant soaps, are drying and therefore should be avoided.

Detergents used for washing cloths should be mild.

Prevent the air at home from being too dry. A bedside humidifier may be used, but be sure to wash out the basin at least every other day to prevent the build-up of molds and bacteria.

Try to avoid using bleach. If it can't be avoided, run the cloths through the rinse cycle twice.

* Avoid Irritating The Skin: Fabric softeners, woolen clothing, and fragrances such as perfumes and bubble baths commonly irritate the skin and should not be used. In fact, no scented products should be used on a child's skin.

Pat the skin dry rather than rub it vigorously.

Wash new clothes before wearing.

If possible, prevent your child from scratching with antihistamines such as oral Benedryl and having her wear gloves at night.

If emollients fail to prevent eczema, a mild-potency topical steroid (e.g., hydrocortisone ointment 1/2 percent to 1 percent) should be tried. If that works, stop the steroid and go back to using a skin emollient, but if it fails, clinicians usually use an upward stepwise approach utilizing more potent topical steroids.

If that does not help, other causes of eczema must be considered. For example, bottle fed babies may have milk allergies and at the same time dry skin which is not actually causing the eczema. A cow's milk-free formula may then be tried for several weeks to see if that helps to clear the eczema.

Consult your physician if eczema is resistant to the above measures or a skin infection develop.

NOTE: I would like to once again thank Lydia Dershewitz for her editorial comments.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. Robert A. Dershewitz, M.D., Sc.M., FAAP, is a pediatrician at Healthy Kids Care Center in St. John and is affiliated with The Community Hospital in Munster.