How to get rid of scaly skin?

once my friends saw my skin, and said "WOAH, you need some serious lotion!" but when i put on my lotion, my legs didn't change at all. They were moisturized, but you can't see the difference from when they were dry.. shorts season is coming up, and i really dont want to wear jeans the whole season. I think it runs in the family since my mom has them, but i still want to make an effort to make them look better.