Instant Skin Fixes

Dry Spots

Rough, flaky, scaly spots are remnants of winter's dry indoor heat, which evaporates the water in skin -- especially if you take long, hot showers and don't moisturize regularly.

The Fix:

After bathing, towel off gently, then moisturize using about a shot glass's worth of a lotion that contains urea, a skin softener, and glycolic acid, which sloughs off dead skin cells and helps water stay absorbed in your skin (try Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy Plus Intensive Repair Lotion, $10, drugstore.com). Light weekly exfoliation using a loofah will also help skin retain moisture.

Razor Bumps

When your hair starts to grow back after shaving, waxing, or using a depilatory, the tip may catch the wall of the hair follicle, causing little red bumps on your legs, bikini line, or underarms. Having coarse or curly hair makes you more likely to get them.

The Fix:

If you're prone to razor bumps, ditch those razors with four or five blades: They pull hairs up to give you a superclose shave, but then the hairs drop down below the surface, so they're more likely to curl and grow into the follicle, causing bumps, says Chicago-based dermatologist Carolyn Jacob, M.D. Instead, try using a single-blade disposable razor and shave with - not against - the direction of hair growth. Then, after shaving or waxing, slather on a salicylic acid–based treatment (such as Tend Skin Liquid, $29, drugstore.com) to unclog pores and soften hairs, which treats and helps prevent razor bumps and ingrown hairs. Using a glycolic acid–based shaving cream (such as King of Shaves Woman Shaving Gel, Shave and Smooth, $7, drugstore.com) will also help to soften hairs. For a more permanent solution, try laser hair removal done by a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon. It's a pricey fix - about $1,600 for five treatments on your lower legs -- but gets rid of 80 percent to 90 percent of the hair for good (with periodic touch-ups).