Washing your hands is a part of it decisive paths we can all help limit the spread of COVID-19.
Washing your hands often and thoroughly with soap and water for at the very least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer are essential steps to scale back risk.
But all that hand washing can easily cause dry skin or worsen existing skin conditions.
What happens to our skin?
The highest layer of our skin (the stratum corneum) is crucial protective layer of our skin. But frequent hand washing with repeated contact with water, soap and skin cleansers will disturb this layer.
Over time, this results in dry skin, further disruption of the skin barrier and inflammation.
This eventually leads at hand dermatitis, more specifically Irritant contact dermatitis.
Who is more more likely to have problems?
Irritant contact dermatitis is more often in individuals who do “wet work” by washing and drying their hands several times a day.
This includes healthcare employees (doctors, nurses, nursing assistants), hairdressers, food handlers, kitchen staff and cleaners. It’s possible you’ll even be exposed to skin-irritating cleaners and cleaners.
Nevertheless, as handwashing becomes more common throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there could also be more people affected outside of those professions.
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Individuals with eczema, asthma and hay fever are also included higher risk There is a risk of irritant contact dermatitis developing or underlying eczema flaring up.
How do I prevent hand dermatitis?
1. Soap, soap alternative or hand sanitizer?
Individuals with eczema or those that have ever had contact dermatitis have irritated skin more easily. Whilst you can still use hand sanitizer, it is really helpful to scrub with gentler, soap-free cleaners as a substitute of normal soap.
Soap-free detergents contain synthetic detergents (syndets) that aren’t soap-based. A pity have an almost equivalent cleansing effect as soap, but have the advantage that they’ve the identical pH value because the skin. This implies they’re less more likely to remove oils from the outer layer of skin and are less irritating.
Soaps have and are high pH quite alkaline. This breaks down the outer layer of skin, allowing the soap to penetrate deeper into the skin, causing more skin irritation and itching.
Other individuals who haven’t got eczema or contact dermatitis should just use soap. Liquid soaps typically contain fragrances and preservatives that can cause one other sort of dermatitis (allergic contact dermatitis). Due to this fact, go for a straightforward, unscented bar soap.
2. Dry your hands thoroughly
Dry your hands thoroughly, including finger nets and under your rings, to stop dermatitis from trapped water. Excessive moisture, soap residue and water trapped between the skin and under the rings can cause skin irritation and damage.
3. Use an unscented moisturizer often
Moisturizers are available in different formulations. While lotions have a lightweight consistency and are convenient to make use of throughout the day, they have to be applied more ceaselessly. Creams and ointments have a thicker and oilier texture, are effective for dry hands and work Best applied overnight.
Fragrances can cause allergic contact dermatitis and needs to be avoided if possible.
4. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer (should you can get it)
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers reduce your skin’s contact with water, reducing your risk of dermatitis.
Research amongst healthcare employees shows Hand sanitizers are less more likely to cause contact dermatitis than washing with soap and water.
Sometimes people mistakenly imagine that if hand sanitizer burns on a paper cut, it means they’re allergic. Nevertheless, this is an irritating response and regardless that it is unpleasant, it is protected to proceed using it.
Which disinfectant? This normally comes right down to personal preference (and what you can get).
5. Wear gloves
Wear protective gloves when doing household chores, akin to washing dishes or gardening.
When carrying out dry work akin to sweeping or dusting, wear cotton gloves to guard your hands and hands Minimize the necessity to wash them.
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Moisturize your hands at night as a substitute of wearing cotton gloves. This acts like an intensive hand mask and works wonders for very dry skin. It ensures that the moisturizer stays in your hands and penetrates the skin higher.
What if my hands are already damaged, dry or cracked?
1. Act early
Treat hand eczema as soon because it occurs or it’ll worsen.
2. Apply petroleum jelly
If you happen to think you’ve got lost your cuticle (the protective barrier between the nail and the nail fold), water can penetrate the nail fold and cause swelling and dermatitis.
Use petroleum jelly as a sealant to stop further water damage. Vaseline can even be used on cracked skin for a similar reason.
3. Seek medical attention
If red, dry, itchy patches are present that indicate lively dermatitis, contact your primary care physician or dermatologist.
You can start with a brief course of ointment containing corticosteroids until the rash subsides.
Prescription ointments are more likely to be simpler than over-the-counter creams due to their greater potency.
But you could possibly start by buying 1% hydrocortisone ointment, not cream, from the pharmacy.
Sometimes dermatitis can be infected by skin bacteria, akin to: Seek medical advice should you experience symptoms akin to persistent pain or pain.
You need to also see a physician if you’ve got severe hand dermatitis that does not reply to home treatments.
Most primary care physicians and dermatologists are moving to or have began using telemedicine, allowing you to seek the advice of with them via video call, minimizing in-person appointments.
