Drinking at least eight glasses of water a day may certainly be important for overall health but will not be sufficient to keep your skin moisturized. You also need to reduce your skin’s exposure to water, soaps, and fragrances and maintain a humid environment at home. In addition, frequent use (at least two times a day and even more frequently if receiving a chemotherapy that causes skin dryness) of thick moisturizers is always better, so use ointments or creams over lotions.

A number of techniques can help: place pans of water near heating vents, hang damp laundry inside on racks, leave the bathroom door open after a warm shower, avoid using the “high” setting on heating or air-conditioning. Humidifiers are an efficient way to add moisture to the air. There are several types: warm-mist humidifiers (also called steam or evaporative) are preferable to cool-mist humidifiers (also called ultrasonic or impeller). The warm-mist machines create fewer pollutants, so they may be a better choice for people living with cancer. All humidifiers must be carefully cleaned and maintained to avoid a buildup of germs, which could result in infections.

Dry skin is not just a matter of appearance. In fact, it’s important to keep skin well moisturized as part of overall health. That’s because dryness may progress to itching and scratching, which can lead to infections as well as a greater loss of water from the body. Most anti-cancer treatments will make skin drier, so it is important to prevent potential complications by keeping skin well moisturized.

Washing hands with antibacterial or fragranced soaps and hot water will make your skin even drier. Be sure to use a gentle, fragrance-free soap and lukewarm water or hand-sanitizing antibacterial gels instead. Antibacterial gels are more effective at destroying bacteria and, when combined with emollients, cause less dryness than washing with soap and water. Be sure to moisturize your hands when you finish washing them.