The humming of space heaters can be heard in homes throughout Mid-Michigan this time of year. All the while, that source of warmth is wreaking havoc on people's skin.

"They keep cracking right in there, you know, and they get real sore, very sore," explains Sondra Klepper. "You have to put band-aids and bacitracin on them and cover them up during the night."

Jules Foltz agrees, "I try to keep myself well hydrated, and it helps. But, yeah, it feels itchy and irritating, and it doesn't look good either."

"When you've got really cold air that you're trying to heat in your home, you bring that cold air inside and it has decreased humidity."

That's why dermatologist Dr. Marcy Street says even if you have a built-in humidifier, you should still have one in your bedroom to increase moisture.

"We can use supplements. We can drink lots of water. We can also ingest some really healthy vitamins that might have more flaxseed and fish oil and vitamin E."

Say, just like many folks, you, too, are suffering from dry skin. You go to the store to buy moisturizer only to find yourself faced with shelves of products -- lotions and creams? Which one do you choose, and which one's the best?

"A lot of times in the summer and fall, lotions are moisturizing enough, but when the weather gets colder we have to move to creams. And something that's more oil-based, even an ointment."

Another tip -- exfoliate with gloves, a loofah sponge, or a buffer.

"A lot of times these dead cell layers just sit on the skin. So we're actually putting moisturizer over dead cell layers, and they just don't penetrate."

And you want that moisturizer to penetrate, to help that dry, itchy skin until warmer temperatures finally arrive.