Q: I am a software professional. Nowadays my skin develops white cracks which I initially thought was due to the cold season but the skin becomes red or purple when I press it or scratch or shave etc. It becomes normal after 2-3 minutes. This has been happening for a year now. Can this be due to our pet dog or because of the odd hours I keep (work until 3-4 AM) and irregular meals? Our pet dog sleeps with us and is always playing with us and we have him for one and half years. Could it be a sex related disease or ordinary allergy? Is it serious?

A:It is due to winters that your skin gets dried up and results in fissures and cracks. I recommend using Emollient creams preferably containing Vit-E and Aloe vera. Regarding your itching and redness, it is possibly due to urticaria - a form of allergy; it has to be investigated and reasons have to be found. Blood & urine investigations may detect the cause. A visit to a nearby dermatologist will be helpful in diagnosing this. If itching is severe I recommend Loratidine tablets (anti histamine) to be taken once at night. It is relatively non sedative.