A. Winter is not kind to skin, unless, as you suggest, winter is happening somewhere where the air is warm and humid (as long as you are well covered in sunscreen!). Dry cold winds, and dry heated houses strip the skin of its natural moisture ( plain old water) as well as the oily layer that keeps that moisture in. Frequent use of soaps, disinfectants and solvents also contribute to the problem. In some people the BACK of hands, arms and FRONT of legs can become especially thickened, and eventually crackly. This is called ichthyosis vulgaris, or, roughly translated, common fishiness (imagine your skin replaced by rough fish scales!).
Some people--perhaps your father is among them--have a somewhat different problem, known as eczema, in which dry skin plus INFLAMMATION combine to create an often viscious cycle of itchiness, scratching, skin damage and more inflammation, which inevitably leads to more itching. There are many different forms of eczema. For example, in some people the problem is restricted to the hands and is a reaction to a chronic irritant, which may be as seemingly innocent as a bar of soap. In other cases, the condition begins in early childhood as a chronic or recurrent allergic reaction, usually to something common and nearly impossible to identify.
Common principles, however, apply to all cases.
And as always, if simple measures don't work or the diagnosis is uncertain, pay a visit to your family doctor. Eczema often requires a prescription for short term use of a steroid cream, or antihistamines to keep itchiness down, and there are further treatments available for really tough cases.
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