What to do about thin skin on hands from washing them too much?

[smartnurse1982]

I have been a nurse for 8 years,and with the constant washing and sanitizer use I have the hands of a 50 year old at 30 years of age. You can basically count all the veins showing on the back of my hands.Anyone know of any tips I could use to plump them up or reduce the veins showing? Thanks in advance.Maybe we could ask the mods to open a health and beauty section here. I know this is a nursing website but we also need to take care of ourselves,and it would be a good place to get advice.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

At work I use "CamoCare" organic soothing cream.......it's a little pricey but it works and is non greasy. At home and at night I use Aquaphor, a petroleum based ointment that cures all and when the are cracked I use Sulfodine 3-way ointment for dogs or bag balm. (I'm a closet farm girl.)

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

I second the vote for Aquaphor. Another nurse introduced this to me. I used Vaseline Intensive Care lotion in the WHITE bottle for years and years. Even on my face. But now that I am in my mid-fifties, I find that I need something more powerful for these battle-worn hands! Currently I am using Neutrogena Norwegian formula fragrance-free hand cream. Three bucks at Walmart, and it comes in a tube that fits your pocket.

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

Oh, BTW. I live in an area where we can wear sandals for 9 months of the year. I asked one of the podiatrists for his "special foot cream recipe." It is 50% white petroleum jelly mixed with 50% lanoline. Mix it together in a clean, washed cosmetic jar. It is the greasiest stuff you have even seen, so rub it on your heels and wear socks to bed. I got the lanoline from behind the pharmacy desk at the drugstore. It works great, but beware: some people are sensitive to lanoline.

[smartnurse1982]

Thanks all. I feel as if my body is falling apart.I look a little older than my age,and even when I look at other nurses it seems the same.