I have tried just about all I know to get my hands/knuckles to stop cracking. My pinky knuckles and my index fingers are the worst. I put lotion on all day, try to make sure I dry them completely after I wash them. I've tried using just hand sanitizer. Right now I put peroxide and neosporin with band-aids overnight. I work in a day care so I am always washing my hands. They have cracked and healed so many times that they are beginning to scar. Any ideas from you great Moms would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance, T.
Thank you so much for the wonderful suggestions! I am going to try the Aquafor (I found a sample and was putting it on my son's cheeks...worked great!)and look into the other suggestions. The water at work is very chlorinated and I'll try cutting back on the sanitizer too. We use the dial foaming soap and I have some bath and body foaming soap in the closet. Thanks again for the advice!
Happy Christmas! T. :)
Eucerin Original Cream works wonders for me. I'm a teacher and wash my hands until they're cracked too. This stuff comes in a tub and is very thick. It immediately makes my hands better! I got small containers and filled them up- it goes with me everywhere, and I use it everytime I wash my hands as well as throughout the day. Good luck!
I feel your pain! My knuckles get so cracked and dry that they bleed. I FINALLY found something that works!! My mother-in-law gave it to me and it's called "herbalind professional glycerin hand cream". It's made in Germany and it's a little pricey ($13.95 for a 6.8 oz. bottle), but well worth the cost! I put it on before I go to bed, and my hands are great for the entire next day! I noticed improvement immediately. The only problem is, I think my MIL got it at a shop in Chicago. You can check on-line and see if you can order it there. If you have no luck, just send me a message and I'll get more info. from my MIL on as to where exactly she got it. Hope this helps!!
I use Burt Bees beeswax and banana hand cream (kids love the smell) and Avon Skin So Soft Age Defying Overnight Corrective Hand Treatment. After 23 years in childcare I need all the anti-aging I can get. My hands have not cracked since I started the Burts Bee Hand Cream.
BAG BALM. You will have to ask the pharmacist for it, they usually keep it behind the counter, no prescription is required. It was originally inteded for use on cows utters to prevent drying and cracking and to keep them soft and supple. Now it is used quite often on dry and chapped skin, bed sores, diaper rash, and chapped hands. It has an antiseptic in it to prevent infection and is very greasy. Put it on at night with gloves. You can also use corn huskers lotion during the day.
Stop using the sanatizer! It does you no good if your hands are cracking and letting germs in directly! You are probably allergic to the sanatizer or tap water (most common skin allergen) due to frequent hand washing. You are putting so many chemicals on your hands and obviously they don't like it! Give em a break. Just use a gentle soap and water when washing and put on a lotion immediatley after!
Bag Balm and Corn Huskers!
Hi T.. I have a really dry knuckles too. I put on vaseline jelly (regular) before I go to bed at night. In the morning my hands feel so much smoother. I am hesitant to put it on during the day because I am constantly washing my hands and what is the point. Right? However, you can always try applying it during the day too.
I hope it helps. :-)
The best lotion I have found is VaniCream from the pharmacy. It is kept behind the counter... they use this to mix many medications with. It contains NO harmful chemicals and is extremely gentle on your skin and will add the moisture you need without being greasy or heavy feeling. Go to Vanicream.com and you can read more about it before you go to your pharmacy to get. It also is not that expensive and a little goes a long way!
Stop with the hand sanitizers unless you are only using them on the palm of your hands and fingers. Do not put on the top- it will just continue to dry the skin out! Also, try to change to a regular soap or a mild anti-bacterial one- I use Bath and Body Works foaming one and it helps... the one that looks creamy- forget the name though works great although the last inch in the bottle never comes out so a waste of money. ALso, I am really cheap, I put a rubber band on the pump neck so I only get 1/2 pumps since it is a waste to use more!
When drying your hands... do not dry completely before putting lotion on. Let the lotion trap the moisture in them. STOP with the peroxide (remember what it did to your hair as a teen lol). Neosporin is good... I use A&D ointment lightly on the tops of my hands at night right now and that helps too.
When going out in cold weather make sure you are wearing gloves. This weather will rip up the best and toughest of skin!
Good luck! I know how painful this is- I have OCD and am a hand washer! I am trying to work through the dry bleeding hands myself and those are the things that work best for me!
Blessings to you and yours!
They sell a wonderful cheap product for use at night in winter. Crisco, slather on a this layer and put on a pair of socks that you don't care about and go to bed. The vegatable molecules are small and help skin stay smooth and soft. STOP using hydrogen peroxide, good handwashing is all you need with a gentle soap(dove, ivory) no dyes, perfumes. Hydrogen peroxide breaks down the proteins which heal the skin, therefore making bigger scars. This why it removes blood from clothes. During the day simply wash hands and add lotion every couple of hours make sure it does not contain alcohol in any form. Make sure you drink plenty of water to help the skin stay hydrated, wear gloves outside and don't take showers that are too long or too hot.
Coat your hands in vasoline at night and put gloves or socks over them. During the day, use cold water to wash them with regular soap and then apply unscented lotion such as Aveeno.
These have worked for me.
Sto using the hand sanitizer. It is mostly alcohol which is so drying. If possible us a soap that has some sort of lotion in it, then always use lotion right after you wash your hands. Eucerin is good. Then at night I would put auqafor on your hands and sleep with either cotton gloves (they actually sell special gloves for just this pupose at health food stores) on or cotton socks. I know this is weird but in order to get them back to soft this is your best bet. Then once they are healed be sure to always put lotion on after you wash your hands.
A lot of people can't use hand sanitizer - it makes my son's eczema flare up. And I can't use many soaps. If you can, start using a gentle cleanser at work (Cetaphil is good, or Dove unscented). I agree with the other suggestions - I like Eucerin creme and Aquaphor. Use gloves whenever you can (like when washing dishes.) Ask if you can use surgical gloves when changing diapers instead of washing (although you may also be sensitive to latex, so buy the non-latex surgical gloves.)
If they require you to use hand sanitizer, try an alcohol-free version. I've never seen them in a store (maybe Whole Foods?) but you can buy online - try drugstore.com.
Good luck! I have often thought that I would have been in big trouble if I had gone into a field where I would have to wash my hands all the time.
