My FIL is 90 and his skin is getting more and more sensitive. He seems very prone to rashes, he has a corn on one foot and is visiting the dermatologist a lot. They give him 2 prescription creams. Anyone have any ideas that work to prevent it rather than treat it?
I changed his washing detergent to sensitive, I had him wear White A CottonT Shirts, used only Sensitive Lotions, Sensitive Soap
Several Rx Meds and Prayed A Lot.
What ended up working besides everything I did above was to Apply
Oganic Coconut Oil on him once every day.
He hasn't had a rash now in months.
You could just use water on arms/legs, and soap on face/private area, and shampoo on the head. The arms & legs have less natural oil in he skin. You dont want to strip that. Using body washes, soaps on the arms/legs tend to strip away any natural oil there.
You could also try to get him to eat some olive oil per day, or some omega pills if he can swallow them. Or even a teaspoon of coconut oil. I put coconut oil in my coffee. Start out with a 1/2 teaspoon and work up to 1 if he can tolerate it. It can cause diarrhea so thats why starting out slow. Trying to moisturize from the inside out. In Greece they actually take a shot glass of olive oil a day. I couldnt do that much. But they are used to it.
Some of us also use way to much laundry soap. Id check that you are using the correct amount. It is usually half a capful full for a full load. I found that out by having a hot tub turn into a bubble bath. The manual said thats the culprit. I was using 2/3 cupful, when I only need a half a capful for a full load. Stop using dryer sheets if you use them. See if that helps, then try dryer sheets to see which one his skin reacts to.
An oatmeal bath may calm his skin too. He might not lay down in the bath, but sit in a bath chair. Just putting the oatmeal water on the skin. They have them at the pharmacy for dry itchy skin. They are great.
Is it dry and itchy, or is it a reaction to something? Note when it flares up. Is it after a shower, or fresh clothes from the laundry, or after a certain meal. Or wearing pj's and heavy blankets? Note tim/day nd what happened right before.
My hard water was a horrible culprit. A shower filter is such a help. Maybe 30 bucks. Easy to install. Good luck.
Maybe try
Bruising can be the result of blood thinning tendencies in medications - especially NSAIDs and food supplements.
Thinner skin is part of the aging process. Find ways to keep the skin from "rubbing" - thin, long-sleeved shirts and longer pants will reduce friction. Most senior skin doesn't make a lot of oils so go easy on soaps or switch to moisturizing bath washes followed up with heavy emollient creams. Consider using baby products since they have less allergens or irritating ingredients.
Do you use any lotion on Dad-in-laws skin? If not, try some that are hypo-allergenic, as his skin maybe too dry thus itches and he scratches.
Check his clothing for those tags that are at the top back inside his shirt. Those drive me crazy and if I don't cut the tags out, then I scratch, scratch, and scratch some more. Same with tags that are sewn on the left side of the shirt. Some pants have sewn in tags.
Food can also cause rashes but that can be tough to sort out. Quickest way is for Dad-in-law to go to an allergist and have a blood test done.
For washing clothes I use scent free detergent, dryer balls for the dryer.