Cracked skin on hands - help

[speeder]

Also, as someone else said, drink plenty of extra water in the winter when you're in heated/dry buildings all the time. Your skin and kidneys will thank you.

[Tobra]

Oh yeah, almost forgot

Silipos gel gloves, like magic, you are welcome.

They also have little gel sleeves that are truly the cat's ass for the splits on the tips of your fingers. You have to reduce the hard, hyperkeratotic tissue that will be on either side of the split.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Oh yeah, almost forgot

Silipos gel gloves, like magic, you are welcome.

They also have little gel sleeves that are truly the cat's ass for the splits on the tips of your fingers. You have to reduce the hard, hyperkeratotic tissue that will be on either side of the split.

What Tobra says.

Get a genuine split and you are effed - long time - weeks - if you tend to it.

Ouch. Dry-walled my garage in Anchorage in the winter - '87. Bag balm and bandaids post split. Just one stinking split.Hurt like a bee-otch.

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by cabmando

My dad used to get such dry hands in the winter that they'd crack and bleed. He used to put Lanolin on his hands and then put his hands in jersey gloves at night before he went to bed. I have used Corn Huskers lotion but my dry hands problem isn't as sever as my dad's was.

I had one specific winter I had the crack and bleed.
Hand lotion did work though. Never let it get that bad again.

In my case I was in a lot of contact with machining liquids that weren't PH neutral throughout the day; plus cold and dry air.

I think trying to figure out why is a good step to figuring out what.

[DanielDudley]

When it is really cold, I have problems with my skin getting thicker and cracking. Using the pumice or an emery board can thin the skin to help healing. The problem with skin is that it is basically leather, and dry leather cracks. You want to get rid of stress risers if the skin is too thick, You want to condition the leather to make it pliable, and if the cracks really hurt, you want to get rid of the infection that slows healing.

I soak my fingers in epsom salts and water to heal the infection, and you only have to do this once or twice to promote healing. Then I use the emery board or a sharp knife to thin the skin around the cracks, then I moisturize.

I use one of those hand salves that has beeswax in it. The ordinary hand lotion rises right off, but the kind with bees wax can last a whole day, even if you wash, as long as you don't use super hot water. Put it on before you go to bed, let it sit for a minute, and use a tissue to wipe off the excess. It takes a while to soak in.

I expect aloe would be as good as epsom salts, but I work outside and get really dirty hands. Epsom salts sanitizes the dead skin as well as the living tissue, and promotes circulation because of the hot water, but it can hurt initially.

If you aren't working outside in the cold without gloves, I would say the moisturizing is the most important part. But if your skin is really thick, you need to thin it.

I think the deal with a lot of us is that hash chemicals and cleaners over the years has killed the fatty layer of the skin that keeps the hands moist. That is much more of a problem during the times of the year when it is cold and dry and we don't sweat through the hands. But it is literally true that some of these chemicals just kill off a layer of the skin, and we subsequently need more protection.

[Tobra]

OH, and on the heels, take vaseline and saran wrap, cover hard, dry skin with vaseline, saran wrap then put on your socks, overnight or at least a few hours. Will soften the hard skin and make it easier to reduce

DO NOT do this with bag balm or anything like that.

[GH85Carrera]

The summer that I installed my sprinkler system I was digging in my clay "soil" yard for a month. Yea, I am slow and had lots to do. Anyway, after all that exposure to the red clay, and lots of hand washing my hands were cracked and painful. It took months to get them back to normal. Now I work on a computer most of the day, in my home office. I put on some hand lotion after my morning shower, and some on my forehead. No cracked skin.

[craigster59]

3M Cavilon cream is used in healthcare where there is frequent hand washing and handling of chemicals. They also make a barrier cream but I know people who swear by this...
https://www.amazon.com/Moisturizer-3M-Cavilon-Bottle-Cream/dp/B00ADQE2Z0/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?gclid=Cj0KCQiAl5zwBRCTARIsAIrukdMX YAh0BoXvbTSZzqy01KgT0SsccAIevRvuweeQCF3ptOpr2HGPxp gaAkMSEALw_wcB&hvadid=174225216195&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9031169&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14104203353162547102&hvtargid=kwd-718490651&hydadcr=21849_9445324&keywords=cavilon%2Bcream&qid=1577553755&sr=8-2-spons&smid=A29OWEYSFJVSZC&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzQVdYUE0xSzUzNFVCJ mVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUExMDE2NzU4MTlTVkQwMDJFS05JViZlbmN yeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjc4MTk3MUpFOU0wOUdMOUJZMiZ3aWRnZ XROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05 vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

[Evans, Marv]

DO NOT do this with bag balm or anything like that.[/QUOTE]

Care to comment on why not to use Bag Balm or something similar? I have dry, sometimes cracked, and thick skin on my feet that I try to treat once in a while. I also occasionally go to my wife's beauty lady to have it soaked and abraded off.

[p911dad]

The local dairy farmers around the part of Upstate NY where we used to live often use the"Original Udder Balm" on their cows and it keeps their hands soft and not chapped. It used to be available at your local Tractor Supply store, but now it is also available on Amazon. For me the stuff actually works and is not greasy like the other products. A little goes a long way and it works fast.

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by Evans, Marv

Care to comment on why not to use Bag Balm or something similar? I have dry, sometimes cracked, and thick skin on my feet that I try to treat once in a while. I also occasionally go to my wife's beauty lady to have it soaked and abraded off.

If you use it under occlusion, it is possible to get chemical burns. The camphor, or whatever is in it, can do some damage when you concentrate its effect. It is okay on its own, but cover it with plastic and maybe not. Same thing with most topical medications, you want to be circumspect using them under occlusion.

Lotions with urea in them will also be very effective for this sort of thing. If you are friendly with a compounding pharmacist, ask them to whip up some Whitfield's Ointment.

[flskala]

Haven't read through the whole thread- apologies if someone mentioned it.....
Shea butter - the real chit - nothing in a package. Real stuff is clay-like from Africa. I'm thoroughly convinced It could cure cancer as well ;-)

[rfuerst911sc]

My wife just sat down and read all the replies , she took some notes and appreciates all the feedback and wisdom . Thanks guys

[asphaltgambler]

Great - we'll send her our bill for the consultation

[wayner]

Stop going out in the winter without gloves

...and wait until summer to do the dishes ;-)

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by asphaltgambler

Great - we'll send her our bill for the consultation

Check is in the mail 😊

[Evans, Marv]

Originally Posted by Tobra

If you use it under occlusion, it is possible to get chemical burns. The camphor, or whatever is in it, can do some damage when you concentrate its effect. It is okay on its own, but cover it with plastic and maybe not. Same thing with most topical medications, you want to be circumspect using them under occlusion.

Great advice, and something lots of people wouldn't necessarily think of. Points out the importance of being more aware of the ingredients in common things you use.

Originally Posted by Evans, Marv

This !! However this must be a new people oriented Bag Balm. I just have the kind dairy farmers use to put on chapped cows' udders. It's great for feet, hands, lips, anyplace you need to treat - even your bunghole if you need that sort of thing. Corn Husker's lotion is good too.

I use it on my udders too. Also my bag.

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Superglue.

great for paper cuts, not as great for cracks

[Charles Freeborn]

Best I’ve found is “ Working Hands” and I’ve tried them all.


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