How do you keep your hands in good shape?

Nurses General Nursing

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The soap and waterless hand sanitizer they provide at my workplace is not getting along so great with my hands. They are usually rough and sometimes even red from washing so much. I've never tried a soap that didn't do this, by the way.

I use Gold Bond Ultimate Healing lotion, and that seems to help a little. Moreso than anything else I've tried. But I'm interested in what others do. I hate the thought of there being lots of cracks (portals of entry for infection) in my hands. I keep short nails, etc, but my cuticles get really dry, too.

I use Vaseline then put soft thin gloves on. This helps with your feet too! This is the best and cheapest remedy.

I've tried most of the lotions recommended so far and like gold bond the best. Patting your hands dry vs rubbing them dry can help, too. I also highly recommend using the new dawn plus hand renewal dish detergent at home. It really helps!

Try pure shea butter, I sail in saltwater and find that it soothes cracked, chapped hands wonderfully and also makes your skin more water repellent for a period of time after application, works great on cracked cuticles too. After massaging it in wipe off excess to loose the "greasy" feel.

Specializes in Medical Assistant.

I recommend the Chamomile Hand Cream by Swiss Just... www.swissjustusa.com

Eczema runs in my family :zzzzz The products that work best to keep it under control for us are Aquaphor and Bag Balm (which I think is what the previous poster meant as udder cream). Both are very thick so we use them at night - the really feel greasy. I like to use cloth gloves on top so my clothes don't get smeared too badly.

Maybe if you used a more conventional hand lotion during the day (Gold Bond is good) and then the thicker creme at night?

Of course, sometimes we have to used cortizone if the skin got too cracked, etc.

Good luck.

Agree with the above. Bag Balm and gloves over night (and I truly smear my hands) are the only thing that has worked for me. Came home last night with a painful split at the edge of one of my thumb nails. This morning, it's just about healed.

Specializes in LTC private/CBRF.

As a dairy farmer, my hands get very dry and cracked, especially in the winter, the way it is. I am now working on my CNA certification and doubling the damage. Raw Shea Butter works well, but doesn't seem to 'absorb' but rather just kind of coats my hands. I do use udder cream/bag balm, you can find the real deal at a place that sells supplies for farmers such as Fleet Farm. Other stores will sell a lotion called udder cream or something to that effect, but it's more of a plain lotion.

The other thing that I swear by is Mary Kay Satin Hands. About once a week I do the whole treatment, but nightly I mix the night emollient cream (red goo) with the hand lotion and leave it on. Light cotton gloves help if you feel it's too goopy and will mess your sheets. I've been using it for many years and finally decided to just become a distributor to get the 50% off!

As someone else posted, I use Neutrogena Norweigen too. Now if only I could get rid of the dark circles under my eyes AND the circles that I just know are about to become bags!!!!:eek::msk:

Specializes in critical care, telemetry, ER.

Ohh, I love the Mary Kay Satan Hands kit too.

Luckily, my hands aren't bad. The hospital I used to work at in Cincinnati used antiseptic gel with aloe in it. The soap there was HORRID though. Both hospitals I have worked at told us to ONLY wash our hands with the soap and water if they were visibly dirty or if it was a C-Diff patient. It was proven that it killed germs better than the soap and water. Otherwise just the foam or gel. Some nurses I worked with the gel hurt them more than the soap though, strange.

My biggest complaint are the gloves tearing up my nails.

Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair cream - my hands were cracked, bleeding and burning, and this stuff and them soft again in less than 2 days.

"Ohh, I love the Mary Kay Satan Hands kit too."

:rotfl:

:hhmth::rckn:

Not tryin to poke fun, but that typo is too funny!!!

:thnkg:

Hhhmmm...there sure are some days I wish I had Satan Hands!!!

JK...only reserve that for a coworker or two and maybe a boss....:devil:

Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

Utter cream with gloves over night.

Specializes in Med Surg, ER, OR.

I like suave (daily use) or anything with lanolin in it. I then use a thick foot cream at night with socks over my hands to prevent clothes from being ruined.

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