I tried taking high-dose niacin to control my cholesterol. In some people, it causes dry skin. it usually resolves after a period of time. I was one of those people. I kept taking niacin, waiting for my skin to get better and it never did. I stopped taking the niacin and my skin returned to normal in a few weeks' time. I did all of those things that you did. I even cut my showering to one time per week, but I did a whore's bath every morning. I ended up looking forward to my daily whore's bath. It was sort of erotic, sitting on a towel thrown over a stool in the bathroom, nothing on, with the heat blasting, washing in the sink and getting oiled up, sitting and waiting for the oil to dry. It was good practice for the stage of life you are at.