Dry, cracked winter hands

[RN ColbyJack]

Any helpful hints for treating and preventing dry, cracked winter hands? All the handwashing has left mine dry with cracks along the nail beds. They look terrible, hurt like crazy, and probably leave me prone to infection. Please help!

Sorry if this is a repeat thread.... I haven't logged on in a while. :)

[MiaKeaRN]

The Body Shop has an awesome hand treatment/cream. I think it's just called Hemp Hand Treatment...it comes in a silver tube with a green label on it. I have a horrible time with cracks and bleeding cuticles once the weather turns cold, and this is the only stuff that has helped me consistently. You only use a tiny pea-sized amount....and it lasts through several hand washings. Love it and highly recommend it.

[Kunzieo]

Someone mentioned butt-paste earlier...

but don't use the stuff the doc's write for...that usually includes nystatin ointment...which would be totally unnecessary for you.

Target (and maybe other retailers) carries an OTC brand in the baby-care section...I believe it is called Bordeaux's Butt Paste (or something like that.)

Use generously and RUB IT IN. Seriously. Put a bunch on and then sit down and watch a TV show and keep rubbing til it's all rubbed in! Do that 2/3 x per week...you should be golden!

[WickedRedRN, BSN, RN]

I worked with a NICU nurse who swore by this stuff, this is her "recipie" ...one tube of A&D ointment, one tube of bacitracian, and corn starch, Mix it all together and it works wonders for all kinds of skin issues. I use it on my terrible winter feet and it does heal them up nicely. Works great on diaper rash too if you have a little one.

[Sunflowerinsc, ADN, RN]

Try Gold Bond Ultimante Healing lotion.

[Cinnamongirl]

BUy a bottle of Vitamin E gel caps. Break one or two open and spread the oil on your cuticles or areas where your skin is really chapped. I do this on my knuckles and I swear they heal overnight.

Be careful, it's really sticky!

[MIA-RN]

Avon brand Silicone Glove lotion works wonders.

[MIA-RN]

I worked with a NICU nurse who swore by this stuff, this is her "recipie" ...one tube of A&D ointment, one tube of bacitracian, and corn starch, Mix it all together and it works wonders for all kinds of skin issues. I use it on my terrible winter feet and it does heal them up nicely. Works great on diaper rash too if you have a little one.

How much cornstartch do you use? And what is the final consistency?

[bethin]

Try A & D ointment. Put on cracks. Cover with bandaids overnight and they will feel MAAAAVELLOUS the next day.

I started using this. I don't put bandaids on though, I put on gloves overnight. I like it because it doesn't burn like lotion does.

[Indy, LPN, LVN]

The reason lotion burns if your hands are cracked is that most lotions, I mean almost all of them, have some form of alcohol in them.

So you gotta read ingredients and get creative. Which is how I wound up buying A and D ointment. I thought, okay I've looked at every single brand of lotion in walmart. Hm. ALL have drying agents. OH, wait a sec, I haven't been to the baby section and babies don't need that crap! Voila!

For the poster who talked about vitamin E capsules, someone sells a vitamin E oil in a tiny little bottle... I believe you can find it sometimes in a drugstore's makeup section. Yes it's sticky. That stuff I will mix with light lotion to put around my eyes, because it's hard to rub it in, since it just stays where you put it. No, it's not doing my crow's feet any good.

I took my wristwatch off for good, at least while at work. Bought this nifty little upside down necklace watch, then proceeded to shorten the thing so it will sit on my boobs, not swing under them- I have to see it or it does no good. And have used alcohol hand stuff exactly once in a month. I'm swearing off that crap. Now I'm needing the A&D only about once a week to every ten days instead of twice a week. For while at work, palmer's shea butter lotion will last through an extra handwashing so I'm not always putting lotion on. Also taking my rings off for work days has resulted in almost no dermatitis in that area either.

[CyndieRN2007]

My mom showed me a trick that works very well. Use crisco (or shortening) overnight with gloves and socks. It works wonders.

[fat cat]

In addition to topical skin care I protect my hands with gloves while engaged any kind of cleaning at home. I keep 2 boxes of gloves, one latex and one vinyl ( both powder free). If I am involved in 2-3 small tasks at a time using the latex I will glove wash between and then trash them. Additionally I know this sounds crazy and it is but it has been very helpful for me to wear the vinyl gloves to wash my hair and sometimes even with bathing. A dermatologist suggested that to me many years ago and it works for me. It just really reduces all the intense unecessary repeated soap contact to the hands. One more tip that I might as well mention here that sounds crazy too but works for me and might be a helpful hint to those who work in home health for the client who may be using gloves but runs out of them, is to keep the cheapest size box of non-zip sandwich bags on hand in their medical supplies. You can put your hand inside the bag, apply a topical cream to it, then spread to the affected body part then trash it.

[koala_bear]

Neutrogena Hand Cream works wonders. Avoid those alcohol hand foams/gels, stick to good ol' soap and water. Oh, and liquid bandage for the skin tears/cracks/paper cuts :)