dry hands! (Full Version)

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hisannabelle -> dry hands! (1/19/2008 12:17:20 AM)

my hands look like i'm 60.

not that there's anything wrong with 60-year-old's hands, but they've gone through several stages of dryness, cracking, bleeding, etc. to end up looking all weird and wrinkly and turning alternately the consistency of leather and tissue paper, which is not very attractive and is quite painful and annoying.

i've always had dry skin in the winter, but it's been especially bad this year because i started working at a place in september where i have to wash my hands all. the. time. i literally wash my hands probably 20+ times in the span of 3-5 hours. no matter how much lotion i pour on my hands when i'm not at work, it's not working.

i've always used saint ives for my legs, and other than my hands and my legs after shaving, i've never really had dry skin problems. i used to use medicated lotion (amlactin) on my hands for winter dryness, but that's not cutting it now. lately i've been slathering on the heavy, greasy burt's bee's hand cream and salve, which is helping, but i still have extremely dry and painful patches.

so...help! anyone else have this issue? what do you do?

respectfully,
annabelle.



MissMagnolia -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 12:20:14 AM)

I have a tiny patch of unbelievably dry skin on on one arm. Aveeno is the only thing that moisturises it well. Have you tried that?



hisannabelle -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 12:21:40 AM)

i have. i use aveeno sometimes when i can't deal with the greasiness of burt's bee's (just made me realize that i probably have at least 6-8 different lotion brands and sometimes a few different kinds of each brand, and i really don't use lotion that often except for my hands! i just seem to collect them). it's the same issue as the other lotions - it helps a little, but nothing seems to be able to moisturize enough to make a big difference.



BitchGoddessD -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 12:22:19 AM)

warm wax bath - can get them most anywhere - works great for me



hisannabelle -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 12:25:26 AM)

thanks! i'd never heard of that, i will have to check it out :)



BitchGoddessD -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 12:26:24 AM)

I hope it helps you [:)]



ownedgirlie -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 12:30:49 AM)

I use Burt's Bees hand salve for skin irritations, but you're right - it is greasy and smells so....minty :)

I can't remember what the grease factor is, but three products that come to mind are Crack Cream, Eucerine, and Lanolin.

And this may be really uncomfortable, but you can lotion your hands and then were light gloves over them when going to bed.



MistressVnus -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 6:08:34 AM)

All lotions are not necessarily good for you and some will even exacerbate the issue.
When I was at a community college taking some classes I took a class that focused on how to dress, cosmetics, hygeiene..etc.
Can't even remember what the class was called now.
In any event, the teacher did this thing where she brought in about 50 different face/hand creams, lotions, makeup foundations...etc.
She explained how our bodies and skin have a certain ph balance to them and the idea was to find stuff that had the closest ph balances as our skin.  This can be done with some simple litmus strips.  (not sure where to find them)
Anyway, we went through and did a test on every product she had brought it and it was amazing.
The worst:  Vaseline Intensive Care (who would have thunk it by the name)
It was so acidic that it actully "burned" the skin in a very mild form.
The best:  Mennens Baby Magic  (recently sold out to another company but still called Baby Magic)
I have used the Baby Magic on my face for over 30 years and still have no crows feet.
There are so many more products out there than there were then.
One that I have found, recently, that appears to be GREAT is  "Cocoa & Shea" by Fruit of the Earth.
It seems a little greasy when you first put it on but it soaks in rather quickly and has a coconut like smell that is pleasant.
It has taken care of my rough hands as well. 
I think our hands go through the worst of it with all the hand washing, different soaps, bad water chemicals.
Good Luck



redruby -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 6:14:49 AM)

i use Vermonts original bag balm on my hands & face, i also think its better than most wrinkle creams & theres no alcohol in it. (okay so its actually made for chapping of cows udders, but hey if it works for them & they are out in all weather....)



mistoferin -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 6:20:46 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: ownedgirlie
I can't remember what the grease factor is, but three products that come to mind are Crack Cream,


I second the vote for Zim's crack cream with shea butter. I buy it in the tub, not the lotion. I too, have hands that crack open and bleed because of my line of work. Constant handwashing. I've never found anything that has worked as well....and believe me, I've tried just about everything on the market.



fluffyswitch -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 6:44:45 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: redruby

i use Vermonts original bag balm on my hands & face, i also think its better than most wrinkle creams & theres no alcohol in it. (okay so its actually made for chapping of cows udders, but hey if it works for them & they are out in all weather....)

i was gonna say bag balm. you can go online and find a knitting/spinning supply store and find the stuff that knitters use in winter too they tend to be really good as the needles and fiber tend to pull out moisture and oils out of your skin. you can try putting tea tree oil on the cracks themselves at night before you go to sleep to help jumpstart healing as well.



MzMinx -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 6:51:47 AM)

It sounds like you might  have some form of  dermatitis  ....   If you can I would see a  doctor,  dermatoligist  or  perhaps  a naturapath  if it doesnt go away, as there can be many reasons behind such a reaction, often an iritant or allergion .. if it is really severe they may sugest a cortizone cream for the worst patches


I am not sure  why you are needing to wash your hands so often at work ... but unfortunatly washing hands can make the problem  much worse as you may have noticed,  it strips the mositure from your skin  and can dry the skin even more .. if its food preperation related  then either virgin coconut oil   (only virgin) or olive oil can be a great extra moisturiser that wont interfere with food prep   and helps protect your skin from any  contact with substances....   there are other oils that are  also great  but they wont be found in a  kitchen in general ...   carrot, rose hip oil  and jojhoba  are  all great for helping support stressed skin ...  something like aloe vera   or medicated honey might also be good to support the healing of any cracks or splits in the skin .. and believe it or not  since you mention it gets worse in winter  ....  sunshine.. dermatitise and ecxzma and many other  skin conditions respond well to sunshine...   avoid petroleum based products such as vasaline  (thus why vasaline intensive care tested so badly on the ph  scale )

In order to intensify the moisturising when you are not at work, you can get very soft cotton gloves to wear,  so that you can coat your hands  in a  very generous  covering of moisturiser at night and wear the gloves  whilst you sleep or even watch Tv or read etc, so that you do not get mess every where,  it needs to be cotton so that your hands do not sweat .... and as Vnus has said not all moisturisers are  created equally

here are some resources on  hand  dermatitis

http://www.skincarephysicians.com/eczemanet/hand_dermatitis.html

http://www.dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/hand-dermatitis.html

I hope  you find a solution



MzMinx -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 7:14:43 AM)

ohhh  I  just remembered when answering another thread  .... Pawpaw ointment ..... its an australian product .. you can get it via the net  if its not sold in your health food stores.. its amazing with healing .... it is greazy   so it would only be usefull at night etc ... but it  is  amazing stuff  and has healing as well as antibacterial and moisturising properties .. and is quite inexpensive...    I cant believe I forgot about it,  I use it every day on my lips ....  but   I also use it where ever I get a scratch or a graze ...   and if I ever get really rough patches on knees and elbows   they are  gone almost instantly and absolutly overnight  with just a  dab ......  but it is recommended for dermatitise  and other such skin conditions



CalifChick -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 7:20:08 AM)

I would also suggest a cortizone cream to kind of "jump start" the healing.  An over the counter product may be enough, or you may need a prescription strength.  An appointment with a dermatologist would be good, but those aren't always easy to come by depending on where you live.  Used long-term, cortizone will thin out the skin, so you only want to use it until you see the healing start.  For instance, if you have a hot red patch, then when it is not red anymore (and with a prescription strength, that can be as soon as overnight), stop using the cortizone.

The warm wax bath is something else I was also going to recommend.  You can buy the appliance (looks like a crock pot), and the wax yourself, although getting started can be a bit pricy because it takes quite a bit of wax in the pot.  The better idea might be to call around to some places that do manicures and ask them if they do warm wax treatments on the hands.  At least that way you can decide if you like it before you spend the money on the whole set up.  There is an article here that has several models with links so you can see what it is.

Cali



KatyLied -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 7:40:06 AM)

Lubriderm "For Sensitive Dry Skin" formula, it is lanolin free, dye free and fragrance free (you'll need to read the front of the bottle as there are many different types of Lubriderm.  looks like this
also The Body Shop lotion (buy it unfragranced)

I've had bouts with contact dermatitis in the past and as soon as my hands get that "feeling" I get out the Lubriderm, after trying many lotions, it is the best thing I've found.



KaylinSilverfurr -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 7:41:29 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: MzMinx

ohhh  I  just remembered when answering another thread  .... Pawpaw ointment ..... its an australian product .. you can get it via the net  if its not sold in your health food stores.. its amazing with healing .... it is greazy   so it would only be usefull at night etc ... but it  is  amazing stuff  and has healing as well as antibacterial and moisturising properties .. and is quite inexpensive...    I cant believe I forgot about it,  I use it every day on my lips ....  but   I also use it where ever I get a scratch or a graze ...   and if I ever get really rough patches on knees and elbows   they are  gone almost instantly and absolutly overnight  with just a  dab ......  but it is recommended for dermatitise  and other such skin conditions


Lucas' PawPaw Ointment, I will definately second this product for general purpose/ moisturizing useage.
I had a blister when I was traveling about Sydney, and put this stuff on it at night before bed and again when I woke up. My blister was gone in about two days. I use it on my lips now because I get really dry lips, espcially during the winter, and this stuff is wonderful. The best thing about it is if you use a bit too much on your lips, you can easily rub it into your hands without a greasy after-feel to it.

~Kaylin



MstrDennynSlave -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 8:17:59 AM)

Another thing you can try is cortaid Advanced. Long lasting Anti-Itch Hand Cream. It really works. Only thing I've found for my winter dry skin that actually works. It stays on through handwashing. It helps heal the dry red, itchiness of the hands. Works great for me.



domahpet -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 8:34:20 AM)

ok, heres one more.
got this from a biker friend of mine, who also paints cars
so works with alot of chemicals daily.
neutrogena norwegian formula hand cream.
powerful stuff there! says right on the tube
'just a dab heals dry skin'
i use it only my feet at night with socks on during the winter



sub4hire -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 9:57:24 AM)

Lubriderm and Aveno are the two the doctor's recommend.  Aveno has one with oatmeal in it.

If neither of them work...you're going to have to get your doctor to prescribe you something.  They will if you ask.

I've used prescription as well and frankly I think it does no better than the other two.
My body is not exactly liking midwest winters.




proudsub -> RE: dry hands! (1/19/2008 1:40:26 PM)

quote:

my hands look like i'm 60.


So do mine.  Oh wait i am 60.[:o]

I have terrible dry callouses from using a walker for 6 weeks.  What has worked best is rubbing blistex on them.  I don't recommend it for the entire hand, but for the worst spots it seems to help a lot.



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