Handwashing and hand sanitizer killing my hands... help!

[smiles13]

OK... between handwashing and the "conditioning" hand sanitizers 5days a week, 8hrs a day, my hands are SO red and painful regardless of using STRONG lotions after I leave the hospital.

I work in the NICU, and I have to be pretty careful about what I put on my hands so it does not cause a reaction in the babies.

ANYONE have advise as to how to help this situation while I'm at work?

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

I bring my own soap.

It's much gentler on my hands and keeps the skin from cracking.

[vermont-nurse]

Try creamy or plain petroleum jelly on chapped hands. Its the only thing that has helped me get through this winter.

[sharann, BSN, RN]

Bag Balm or vaseline on hands before bed.

[smiles13]

thanks everyone

[rnmi2004]

If I don't lotion enough, my hands crack & bleed--it looks like I've run them over a cheese grater. Lotion then hurts like heck. I use chickweed salve (applied after work, it has a fairly strong smell) to heal the cracks & then use Barielle lotion. Hope this helps!

[germain]

When my hands got really bad I A: greased them up with Eucerine ( the kind the consistancy of crisco) and wore vinyl golves to bed to hold in the cream an B: wore gloves to do EVERYTHING at work, changed them often, washed hands with milder soap. OH, and used vinyl gloves.

[Abbys, RN]

I've heard it said that you should use one or the other. It will eat your hands up if you wash with soap and water and then apply hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer is effective alone, except for killing Norwalk Virus. (This is what the Infection Control Consultant tells us.)

[abundantjoy07, RN]

We have sanitizing lotion on the floor. We also have moisturing creme soap on the floor. If you have these things, they are much better to use than regular soap.

[NurseFirst]

I don't know if this works for you, but I had a patient who had the most wonderful lotion; it had lanolin and aloe in it.

NurseFirst

[jeepgirl, LPN, NP]

okay...

if you use latex gloves, using petroleum based lotions can cause breakdown of the latex, increasing risk of irritation AND allergy.

not using hospital grade soaps can increase the number of bacteria on the skin, and can be a big no no with certain accrediting agencies such as JACHO.

go to your employee health office and show them. i had the same problem. i have been working in hospitals for almost 3 years. i just found out that i have a latex allergy.

but there are ways to manage. i found that using hydrocortisone ointment (not the cream) neosporin for cracks, and using benadryl helped with the irritation. at one point, i had to go on a dose pack because of the swelling and irritation. now that i'm latex free and don't SCRUB.... and pat dry my hands... i've been doing much better.

oh yes... do not use the hand sanitizers. they are alcohol based, which are drying. use lotion based soaps (hospital grade) as well. you might have to request them, but it is well worth it.