They never tell you this in Country Life

Caelen said "so this is what life is like in the country", and of course, it is one big round of dog-walking and fun. The great thing about being out here is that when the weather is cold and crap you could be anywhere, but when you've got a sunny morning, like this morning, you can really take the dogs out and let them run their little legs off. They've stopped bickering now, anyway, and are asleep in the kitchen.

The thing they don't tell you is that you're far more likely to get some sort of cold-related skin condition. I've had this terrible dermatitis for the last few weeks. The backs of my hands are red and itchy and sore and the skin is starting to crack on them. This condition has now spread to my legs, specifically the backs of my knees. I've never had anything like this before. The chemist said that he is seeing a lot of this at the moment and it's because it's bloody freezing outside and everyone's got the central heating on, so you're going from cold to hot to cold again. So far, so normal.

The thing is that out here in sunny Laytown we've got two extra factors that exacerbate the condition. One: the wind from the sea has salt in it, which saltblasts your skin. Two: the water is really, really hard here.

The only good thing is that the treatment for this skin condition is Silcock's Base, an aqueous cream that costs €4 for an enormous great tub of it. I'm not sure I'd go putting it on my face, because it is grease city, but it seems to do the trick.

Original comments:
Yes, Big Sam Glendenning suffers from this every year and swears by this stuff. Also that Norwegian hand cream that's in the ad with the norwegian woman who is wearing a wooly jumper and wellies and NO TIGHTS in a rowing boat.
Posted by Lorraine on Mar. 01 2005, at 4:39 PM Delete
I've become very familiar with Sicock's base of late. It's Denali's fav after bath threatment
Posted by Caelen on Mar. 01 2005, at 6:21 PM Delete
It's bloody great stuff. I shall never be without it again, even if I do have dreams about swimming the English Channel when I have it on in bed.
Posted by trish on Mar. 02 2005, at 12:47 PM Delete
Silcock's Base is great. I too have to slather myself in unguents (ooh er missus) in weather like this, or else I get horrible dry cracked skin as well.

If you feel like treating yourself to something more expensive but nice-smelling, Lush do a fancified version called Dream Cream that has various skin-nicening essential oils in it as well. It is lurvely, and doesn't frighten my sensitive skin.
Posted by Lisa on Mar. 08 2005, at 12:03 PM Delete