Your patient complains of dry, itchy skin. You would advise her to?

• A. Use hyper fatted soaps and lotions
• B. Use regular soaps and lotions
• C. Avoid moisturizers
• D. Use hot baths

Answer: (A)

Dry skin is best treated by supporting and restoring the skin’s protective lipid barrier. Hyperfatted soaps and lotions are formulated with extra fats to replace lipids that get stripped away during cleansing, helping to reduce transepidermal water loss and soothe itchiness. That combination both cleanses gently and moisturizes, addressing the root of dryness.

Regular soaps tend to strip lipids from the skin, which can worsen dryness and itching. Avoiding moisturizers isn’t helpful because locking moisture in is key to barrier repair. Hot baths pull out oils and dry the skin further, so milder cleansing and shorter, lukewarm bathing are preferred.