How do you keep your hands in good shape?

[LilyBlue]

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.

[nightmare, RN]

I have an instant and very nasty reaction to the hand sanitiser we have at work and just will not use it anymore.I do wash my hands thoroughly with soap and water after each resident however.I use Neutrogena Norwegian formula to try and keep my hands from cracking up.( now,if only that worked on brains as well!)

[Christie RN2006]

I started washing my hands in cool water and it has helped me a lot! One of my coworkers swears by a lotion called "udder cream".

[djandkmommy]

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.

[teeniebert, LPN]

As the previous poster said, using a thick moisturizer at night with cotton gloves is a good method. I use Bag Balm, or sometimes a thick layer of regular hand cream, and I can tell the difference when I get up in the morning.

[jnks]

I have done all the above with mixed results, but have VERY DRY hands as well as occasional eczema breakouts on my hands when they get really bad. My lifesaver: Mimyx Cream. It is RX, I believe, as I got mine prescribed by my dermatologist. It is REALLY expensive but worth every penny. It is not greasy and absorbs right into the skin. It lasts and really moisturizes well, so I can use it before work or during the day PRN.

[abundantjoy07, RN]

I make them run on the treadmill...30 mins of cardio and 15 mins of weight training. Then I usually clip, buff, polish and repeat!

Kidding.

It's been a long night.

I use Avon Intensive Care Therapy cream for my hands after washing...The stuff is as thick as a stick of butter and takes forever to rub in but it's great!

[iriska_meller]

One "miracle thing" is Lanolin - goes by brand "Lansinoh". it is sold as a breastfeeding product, for cracked nipples, but it heals everything. It doesn't absorb fast though, so its best to use it when you sleep, probably with gloves.

[Christie RN2006]

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.

Udderly Smooth Udder Cream is a brand of lotion... google it, its good stuff :) I think its fairly new to my area and its quickly becoming popular.

[Mulan]

If you don't have cotton gloves, a clean pair of socks works just as well.

Any lotion or cream slathered on and covered for the night results in soft hands in the morning, I have found.

[med/oncRN]

Eucerin lotion or cream is excellent as is Lubriderm. They both come unscented which is important in patient care areas.

[talaxandra]

Also make sure you wet your hands before squirting on antiseptic liquid soap - it's the single biggest thing you can do to decrease driness in the first place (everything else is to counteract it once your hands dry out).