Thanks, I have been giving him a cortisone shot every month and he always seems depressed for a few days. I would love to find a natural alternative for him. I will sure give it a try. We have already changed him to a no beef dog food, but that didn't stop the itchiness. Glenda

Thanks everyone ... I keep one of those little 7"x 4 1/2", six ring, loose leaf notebooks for all my camping and fishing references, and made a page with all your recommendations. Went to see the ole Doc for followup on some previous tests I've been going through and sprung this cracked thumb skin business on him. Although he's a general practioner and not a dermatologist, he did prescribe a moisturizing lotion with 12% lactic acid, called AmLactin, and says it's good for dry skin that is about to crack open; says to use it only on my thumbs and finder tips, especially around the nails and especially at bed time. He says for a everyday hand lotion, he personally likes "udder cream" that they use for the milking cows! Guess he's an old farm boy at heart! Anyway, found some of that at my local Wally-Mart and it's called "Udderly Smooth" and it was only $1.50 (4oz tube). Kinda like the stuff! Thanks again, Dale

Funky: I can commiserate. I have very dry skin and really have an issue once the temperature drops in the winter. I have used the more expensive brands, but go back to OTC Neutrogena moisturizers. I like the one called "Healthy Skin Face Lotion" and also the "Oil-Free Moisture". The Healthy Skin claims to reveal new skin 4 times faster than other moisturizers. They are also rated SPF15. Sometimes I wear under foundation or dry makeup and sometimes alone. My dermatologist recommended ROC (brand) sensitive night cream which has Retinol and is also OTC. I really like it and use it most nights. We do have a humidifier on our furnace, but I still have to cover my hands and feet in vaseline once or twice a week and sleep in socks. I don't have as much of an issue with my hair, but when I do I have used some homemade deep conditioners that have worked well.

I tried Retinal... I think, and Vanicream moisturizer. Mostly I forget the retinal. Am I spelling that right? Too lazy to get up and look. I like the moisture cream a lot and it was really cheap. I bought it for my arms with the crepe paper skin. That's better. I don't know about the retinal. In the meantime I bought a bunch of Neutrogena stuff and I like that. The eye cream might be working for those black bags under my eyes. Those are once a day which is good because I'm doing really well if I remember to do it every day. And the wrinkle stuff has the sun screen in it which was also another thing I didn't think about until I was outside. But every 80 minutes is a PITA. I wonder how the neutrogena wrinkle stuff with SPF 30 works all day? Doesn't seem like it would. So that's where I'm at. The driver's license picture is 20 days away. It has to look better than the last one.