The changing of the seasons can have a drying effect on our skin, but how do we know when a little moisturizer will do and when a trip to the doctor is in order? "Everyone has dry skin at some point in their life," says dermatologist Dr. Anne Chapas, "but if it doesn't respond to moisturizers, or it's itchy or painful, it's probably caused by a skin disease and you really should go see your dermatologist."

Dr. Chapas outlines a few of the common skin diseases to look out for:

Eczema
"It's called 'the itch that rashes,'" Dr. Chapas explains, "because what happens is that people have an itch, they scratch it, and then the rash appears. We think it's an allergic type of reaction, that there's a problem in the skin that lets irritants in that cause you to itch, and then the rash occurs."

If your eczema is mild, Dr. Chapas suggests using over-the-counter moisturizers that can soothe the itch and heal the rash, but if it's more severe, your dermatologist can prescribe treatments, either topical treatments or light treatments. "If people keep their skin nice and moisturized," she says, "they will have fewer outbreaks."

Psoriasis
This skin disease happens when the skin is growing too much and it causes silver, scaly plaques, usually on the knees, elbows and back. "The difference between eczema and psoriasis is that silver scaliness," Dr. Chapas explains. "For mild cases, you could use topical, over-the-counter ointments, and you want to use an ointment rather than creams because an ointment will go into the skin a lot better." Dr. Chapas says that psoriasis can sometimes be widespread, and it can sometimes be associated with joint pains, especially in the morning, in which case you really need to see your doctor for medical treatment.

"Face Dandruff"
If you have a bit of extra dryness or flaky skin around your nose or mouth that won't go away even with moisturizer, Dr. Chapas says you might have a condition called seborrhoeic dermatitis, or "face dandruff." "The problem is that it's a reaction to yeast that lives in your skin," she says. "You have to treat it with anti-dandruff shampoo; use it on your hair, use it on your face in the shower and it helps it go away. It's not harmful, it's just annoying."

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Dr. Anne Chapas