Can your hands handle to constant washing? What to do if they can't?

[LaMereMaverique]

I'm a student very excited to start my clinicals this January BUT I've found that washing my hands all the time (as a microbio student previously, then as a mother with a toddler and an infant, etc) causes serious skin irritations (i.e. fungus/rash) on my hands especially when I use antibacterial soap.

Do any of you have this problem? and how to you deal with it?

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I've given in to vanity and gone the expensive route: I keep a small bottle of Bath & Body Works scented hand sanitizer gel in my pocket at work, and in my purse everywhere I go. I'm no longer a youngster, and the regular stuff made my hands look like a 70-year-old's; B&BW's has teensy little "moisture beads" in it, and of course I'd rather smell like sweet peas or Oriental spices than a hospital any day!

I've noticed that more and more of the women where I work have bought themselves some of the stuff in their favorite scents, which is great because now they don't "borrow" mine so often:D. And my hands look and feel SO much nicer.