Our cold Chicago winter takes its toll on our hands. They itch, the skin gets tight and may even start to crack. The problem can range from annoying to painful. Once your hands have chapped, it can take months for them to heal.
Heal your hands
Follow our recommendations listed here and you can start to see improvement…or avoid problems all together.
- Wash your hands with warm water, not, hot water. Steamy hot water strips the essential oils.
- Use a gentle cleanser and completely rinse your hands. Lather up and rinse the cleanser off completely. Make sure to rinse behind your rings, watch and/or bracelets because dermatitis can start there.
- Towel off. Make sure your hands are dry.
- Immediately apply moisturizer. Hand moisturizers are important for avoiding chapping and help heal your hands if they are already chapped. Moisturize your hands as often as possible using a heavier creams formulation.
- Minimize using hand sanitizers. The alcohol in a hand sanitizer can dry out your skin. Of course, if it’s a must, then use it. Ideally, you want to try to wash your hands with gentle hand cleansers more than using hand sanitizers to keep from spreading germs.
Protect your hands
Washing and moisturizing are important, but so is protecting your hands. Gloves! Wear them whenever you’re outside. Again, moisturizer is your friend—use it!!
Here for your dermatological needs
We are here for all your cosmetic and medical dermatologic needs.