Contact & assessment

If the change has a pattern, or arrived with something else

Do not start by buying another product. Dryness confined to one distribution, itching that wakes you, a rash with a defined edge, or dryness that has come with weight change, tiredness, thirst or a new medicine needs medical assessment, and that assessment comes first. If there is fever with spreading redness, weeping or crusting, blistering, or a rapid reaction to a drug, seek care urgently rather than waiting for a routine appointment.

Arranging an ordinary assessment

Where the dryness is general, long-standing and has not responded to a simpler routine, appointments are made through the hospital outpatient line or through the appointment service described on the appointments page. Say that you are asking about your skin so that the right clinic time is booked. If you are travelling from outside Chongqing, say so when you book, because any tests can sometimes be arranged alongside the assessment in fewer visits.

What to bring

Bring a list of your current medicines and allergies, the names of any conditions you are being treated for, and the actual products you are using on your skin — bottles rather than recollections, because the ingredient list is what matters. Bring any previous test results for thyroid, blood glucose or blood counts if you have them, and note roughly when the dryness started and what has changed since.

What happens at the consultation

Expect an examination of the whole skin rather than of the part that is bothering you, because the distribution is the first useful finding and it is often visible somewhere you have not been looking. The history covers when it started, what has changed in the last year, the medicine list, family history of eczema, psoriasis or thyroid disease, and what has already been tried and for how long. You should leave knowing whether this is a barrier problem, a skin disease or something that needs investigating, and what the routine should be.

Questions without booking

Questions about the content of this site, including any correction you believe should be made to it, are welcome through the hospital administration line. Clinical questions about your own skin are best answered in person, and we will say so rather than guess.