My Hands are a mess in the winter!

avahsmiles · Oct 24, 2004

Hi,

My husband has the same problem. He uses lubriderm lotion or cow udder cream and then places cotton gloves over his hands every night. It seems a little silly picturing a man do this, but it does help a little. :chuckle

apaisRN, RN, CRNA · Oct 24, 2004

I got eczema on my hands last winter, which freaked me out as I was getting married in the spring and didn't want people to see yucky red scales whenever I showed off my rings. My NP eventually gave me some steroid cream that helped.

This year I'm being proactive. Eucerin cream, not lotion, on my hands at night with cotton gloves over. Baby oil on the backs of my hands every time I wash them at home. I asked for a paraffin spa for Xmas because paraffin manicures go a long way toward keeping my hands soft. And I'm applying the steroid cream whenever I see the tiniest bit of red.

Limik · Oct 24, 2004

Hi. I know exactly how you feel. Each winter I end up with cracked, irritatted skin. Even worse, when I would wear latex gloves I began to get a reaction from them! The one thing I've noticed that really helps is to use a really mild soap and dry your hands really well. The soap at most health care facilities is very harsh and dries skin faster. I started to carry my own soap with me (just make sure it is anti-bacterial to help kill germs.) If you don't dry your hands really well they get chapped and the whole situation just gets worse. When my hands are really bad, I can't even use lotions because they cause a rash. Good luck and hang in there. Winter doesn't last forever! :chuckle

Limik

skislalom · Oct 24, 2004

I have to use powder free latex free gloves, use Aquaphor at night with cotton gloves and have you ever tried "Zim's Crack Cream" ? That works wonders as well. Other ideas...Burt's Bees hand salve, Bag Balm...Always wear gloves outside if it's cold to prevent wind chaffing (like you need that on top of everything else) and lotion with sunscreen if you will be outside as well. I have some friends that swear by (and I don't recommend this!) superglue in those little cuts and cracks :eek: think I'd be more inclined to use liquid bandaid When I do get eczema starting I use Elocon or Embeline cream on the spots only.

HTH

~T

EarthChild1130 · Oct 24, 2004

I love 'Zim's Crack Creme'...that stuff really does work...if I get desperate I'll get some cotton socks and cover my hands with Vaseline, then put the socks on my hands for a little while...it's a little extreme but it does work...works well on my feet too because I have the same problem with my feet!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Oct 24, 2004

I use the Nivea cream when i'm at home. We'll see how it works this winter, since i'm 'washing' my hands in a whole new way (scrubbing with a brush before cases).

For bedtime,The paraffin machine is a worthy investment! I have mine plugged into a time, since it takes over an hour for the wax to melt from a solid form. I have the timer set for two hours before i go to bed. I rub Palmer's Cocoa Oil onto them before i dip. Leaving the wax on for 10 minutes, then peeling it off.

At work the lotion i use is Vaseline's Water Resistant. I needed something that works, yet doesn't leave me with hands so greasy that i couldn't open anything. And that stuff works well.

realnursealso/LPN, LPN · Oct 24, 2004

I need help! Apparently I have inherited my mom's gene for cracking/sore hands in the wintertime. I have tried lots of lotions including Eucerin, Vaseline intensive care, etc. I know this is just going to get worse due to all the handwashing I'm doing as well.
I am noticing the beginning of the dryness starting again, and I really really don't want a sore mess this winter. Not to mention the fact that I don't want yucky hands around sick patients.
Any ideas are welcome.

For years I had the same problem until I quit using latex gloves. Also powder free. All of my problems with my hands vanished. The last time I put on latex gloves I got the hives. So do be careful, you maybe allergic to latex, and you never know when you might get a bad reaction. :nono:

rnmi2004 · Oct 24, 2004

My hands get dry in the winter, too--especially my right hand. That one looks like I ran it across a cheese grater. It gets all cracked & bloody. The only thing that helped me is to use chickweed salve to heal the cracks, and then use lotion on it. Good luck!

directcare4me · Oct 24, 2004

I'm a true believer in Cetaphil lotion and/or cream. Also, where I work, we have "approved" lotion dispensers by all the sinks, along with the soap we wash with. After I have washed my hands, I get some lotion on my hands and then dry them. I saw a surgeon do this and it really helps too.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Oct 24, 2004

I forgot to add that Corn Husker's lotion is pretty good stuff too. When i was a teenager, my hands peeled so bad in the wintertime, and this stuff helped that tremendously.

MurrR · Oct 24, 2004

My mother has the same problem and when hers start cracking she uses some stuff she got from Mary Kay, she also suggests Skin-So-Soft. Except that SSS can tend towards the greasy side. The Mary Kay stuff works wonderfully, but it's also spendy.