Dosage of Emollients

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Apply as much as you need to keep the skin feeling well moisturised.

For treatment of the whole body,

an infant may require up to 250g every week,
a child 500g emollient every week,
an adult may require as much as 500g emollient each day for treatment of the whole body.

Apply an emollient at least twice a day (more frequently on the hands and face) to keep the skin feeling well moisturised. Use after hand washing or bathing/showering and between baths or showers as often as necessary.

Emollients are very safe and you cannot overuse them. They are not active drugs and do not get absorbed through the skin into the body. A good time to apply emollients is five to ten minutes after bathing when the skin has cooled because this is when the water content of the skin is highest.

Use moisturisers even when the skin feels better. This will help to prevent patches of inflammation and flare-ups. The dry skin is also more prone to infection. When emollients are used effectively the need to use topical corticosteroid (steroid) may be reduced.