Hello, as the title says I have dry skin specifically my hands. [I work in the culinary industry so I wash my hands a lot] normally in the winters they dry out so I put lotion [normally cocoa butter] on my hands at night [wearing gloves] this works and my hands are better by the next morning but after an hour at work they're back to normal. It's becoming a big problem so I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions to help. Thanks.
I was also suffering through dry skin problem , specially my face. Then my grandma told me that use Honey on it. Honey is the best moisturiser. Don't use soap. And include homemade butter , cheeze ,etc. in your diet. Dry skin problem occur because of dehydration of skin , so drink plenty of water. Eat some juicy fruits like orange , papaya , strawberry ,etc. Hope it would help you. ~Namaste~
Do you exfoliate? Its important to exfoliate on both body and face because this gets rid of dead skin. There's exfoliators for dry skin on hands too you can make yourself. Make sure you exfoliate your skin two-three times a week! Have you tried of shea butter? Works much better than cocoa butter. It also takes longer to soak into your skin and leaves your skin feeling smooth for a few days after!
@ WolfRider, i'll try something with honey, thanks. yes, i drink tons of water, i don't each cheese, but i use butter, not margerine, and where i work we have a fresh squeeze orange juice machine and smoothies so i do have a lot of fruit on a daily basis. can't exactly give up soap though, i'm handling food.
@ Valkryie_8 yes i exfoliate [more on my face and feet than anywhere but i do exfoliate my hands and arms regularly too] i did use shea butter a couple winters ago, i wasn't a fan because i couldn't grasp anything for like 15 minutes after putting it on.
Exfoliating when your skin is bone dry and cracking is not a good idea.Since I had to clean a lot and my hands were almost always in water they became extremely dry.When your body stands in water for some time or any part of the body the water sucks out all your skin moisture and your skin becomes wrinkled and dry ,and once it is dry from the water it starts pulling and cracking.What protects the skin is the human oil (sebum)that is released from your sebaceous glands in the hair follicles.Of course any soap will wash this natural protection and too much water too.When you wash your hands any hour the oil can not simply build up whatsoever till you do not go to sleep.In result my hands dried and cracked so bad that washing them caused a lot of pain and the skin was so dry I could feel pulling sensation when I used to do things.Finally, the situation was so bad I had to call my doctor and he prescribed Hydromol ointment that acts as substitute for soap ,but does not dry your skin and Diprobase ointment ,which moisturises the skin and in same time seals the sebum ,because it has paraffin in it.You can also use petrolium jelly as a seal till you find better ointment.
Stop exfoliating ,try to wash your hands less if you can ,or wear gloves if you can when you wash or touch food.Use oils like jojoba ,which are near to the human sebum.I use shea butter on my hands before I go to sleep and put cotton gloves on my hands.Then you have to put ointment to seal the moisture and the oil ,so they do not evaporate or get washed that is why the ointment is used.I also use royal jelly hand cream ,which does have similar structure as the paraffin ointments and it is washed off more difficult and absorbed not so fast from the skin ,so it does act as protection barrier that seals and keeps oil and the moisture in.This is what my doctor advised me ,but you can ask your doctor too.Do not ignore the condition it only gets worse trust me ,it does not simply go way and you do not want to get in the stage when your skin simply cracks and leave massive open wounds that hurt a lot.This process also ages your hands skin a lot and the damage is very difficult to repair once the wrinkles and wounds appeared.Consider using dry hands sanitising solutions instead of water and soap for some time if your employer allows you.Like the ones they have in hospitals.
I really do not know why would someone advise exfoliation in case of so dry and thin skin. Exfoliants are abrasive they will irritate and further dry skin that has been already compromised and on the verge of cracking.And let me explain something cracking skin of your feet can take some exfoliation ,because the skin there is more ticker and it becomes much more hard on touch.It can be kinda very rough ,so it does need to be exfoliated and cleansed ,but this is not the case with the skin of your hands.The skin there is more thinner ,which is why you can see your veins and it is also further more gentle ad if it is already on the verge to crack it will simply crack and get worse if you use anything abrasive on it.Human skin is not equally thick anywhere ,and it is thinnest under your eyes and I bet nobody ever decided to use anything harsh on there.And there are different stages of damage to the skin for normal skin exfoliation is good ,because it causes the skin to revel the next new layer of cells ,but this is not the case with extremely dry skin ,because the skin is not able to repair itself so fast if stripped even further.
Make sure you eat a lot of fish ,fruits ,veggies and nuts of any kind.In case that you do not consume enough of those consider Cod liver oil ,biotin and all multivitamins.In case the condition is not improving consult your physician do not wait till it gets so bad that it is painful.I did that and I regret it and I still have to deal with after math of the damage caused.
Forget to mention I menage to find petrolium jelly with calendula officinalis in it and I have another cream that has the same herb.Also I know you can make infused oil from it.This stuff is amazing for burns to small wounds and for skin repair.
You have received some wonderful replies to your question already, but may I add the suggestion of olive oil? After washing your hands at work you could try rubbing them with a tiny amount of olive oil. Ofcourse, check first to see if this is allowed in your specialist job, but olive oil has worked in the past for me. Just a quick suggestion.
Thanks for the reply Artindark. At my annual check-up my doctor recommended something [can't remember what] but she said my cocoa butter was fine. If it got worse I should try that lotion. She also said avoid petroleum jelly. [No reason she just told me not to use it] The extent of my exfoliating on my hands is once a week after I exfoliate my feet I rub whatevers left on my hands and wash it off. I'll stop if its a bad thing. Again, thanks, I have antibaterial gel at my work, I'm not a fan of it, but I'll give it a shot.
