dry cracking hands?!?

[Nicko]

I used to have the worst looking hands in the world so much so that I would never reveal them on a date. Need I mention how painfull it was just trying to perform the smallest of tasks. I tried using the surgical gloves but there is a fine powder inside that helps in putting them on. This powder helped in drying my hands out even more. What helped was two things one was making sure I was the one on the line who cut up all of the Lamb. Yes, the lamb. The lamb fat has a high content of Lanolin and I used to rub my hands on the fat scraps when I could. Second I became religous in my applying of a good moisturizer especially at night. It took a long time but it eventually went away.

[chouxbacca]

thank you all so much...I will try as much as I can to take all your advice...I can't see how I could be dehydrated, but will definately cut down on the citrus. Ill post again in a couple of weeks if none of this works, and once again, my appreciation has grown bigger than my vocab allows

[mudbug]

chouxbacca,

I know May seems like a long time to wait for a dermatologist but Isuspect you're a new patient due to the length of time, and it will be well worth the wait.

chiffonade, sometimes we are limited by who we can go to under our insurance plans which is why it takes longer and dermatologists are certainly some of the most difficult to get to quickly so you have to plan ahead.

Please do not cancel your appointment! And once you're a patient, you will not have to wait so long for your next appointment. Be sure to check with your dermatologist's receptionist to see if you need a referral from your general practioner if you are using your insurance.

Have you had a history of any skin problem of this type? There are so many types of allergies.

I have a dear friend who has suffered from eczema (there are about ten types of this) all of his nearly 4 decades of life. When he moved to a new city, it took three months for him to get in to see a dermatologist and it had been a couple of years since he'd been to his last one so he was suffering pretty badly.

He's very educated on what works and what does not because he's had to live with it and the lack of effective medications throughout the years. You name it, he's tried it. He recently had his appointment and the eczema has been narrowed to atopic dermatitis. There are several brand new medicatons on the market. Within four days of starting medication, his skin cleared up, the best I've seen... ever.

Now, eczema may not be what you have, but the same principles can be applied...

Many suggestions have been made in this thread for over the counter products. The best out of all of them would be the mineral oil. You can get food grade mineral oil at any local pharmacy for a couple of dollars. Use this before you go to bed at night and as needed daily. Stay away from petroleum based ointments or lotions unless prescribed by a doctor. If you have an undiagnosed skin condition, petroleum based products can spread it.

Cooking is one of the worst occupations for anyone with skin conditions because so many of the things you have to do require exactly what you're supposed to avoid such as the following (direct from the dermatologist's hand out within the last couple of weeks):

Use a humidifier in your home. Keep the humidity, where possible, above 40%.

Control the temperature, the room temperature should b kept on the cool side.

Avoid perfumes, deodorant spray and insecticides.

Other contactants that should be watched for are tomatoes and citrus fruits. If the patient eats these, wash skin frequently with lots of water, without wash cloth.

Daily bathing is ok if quick and with warm, not hot water. Use only one of the following (and trying all for best results may be best); Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Lotion, Cetaphil Antibacterial Bar, or Aquanil Cleansing Lotion. All are over the counter. Ask your pharmacist to order if they don't have them. Rince liberally Pat dry gently, then thoroughly and completely lubricate all the skin as instructed by your physician. Gently and completely massage into the skin.

Do not use hot water for cleansing. If water has to be used, make sure it is tepid.

Common food allergens: eggs, cow's milk, chocolate, cereals, fish, citrus fruits and nuts.

Protect your hands. Wear gloves whenever you do dishes or housework, because soap and water, cleaning products and even dust can irritate your skin. However, rubber gloves tend to get hot and make your hands sweaty, so wear cotton glove liners inside the rubber gloves to absorb perspiration or find "allergenic gloves".

For information on latex allergy, check here and here.

Heal with hydrocortisone cream. If your skin is really inflamed and itchy, over-the-counter hydrocortisone creams can help soothe the itch. They may also diminish some of the redness.

With some types of eczema, sponge bathing is encouraged because this allows the individual to retain natural body oils and to help keep the skin from drying out.

I have not included everything on the sheet and it would be nearly impossible for anyone to live a normal life if they literally did everything that was ideal. But these should help you until your appointment.

[davewarne]

At last a subject I do know something about.

I started getting trouble with my hands about 10 years ago. I put this down to many years of washing up in hot detergent water. I think the skin just dried out and whatever natural lubricant there was has been reduced, possibly permanently. I have seen specialists in skin problems who all say eczema. Now excema is just a general term for skin trouble, ha,ha. The favourite remedy of these people is a steryoid cream and for me it worked, for a while. The cream has the effect of thinning the skin and after a time becomes ineffective, so you have to move on to a stronger version and so on.
I've tried many barrier creams, greases and moisturisers and some helped and some didn't. BUT don't use any one too long or too much. Having discovered Neutrogena I hit it really hard, thinking it was doing good. After a while things settled down then started peeling in a big way. I think the cream prevented the natural sloughing of skin cells so I built up a sort of tanned hide which then separated from the lower layers. It might just be my case of course.
The run up to Christmas saw me almost unable to hold a knife. I resorted to wearing Vinyl disposable gloves (all evening) as I am alergic to both rubber and latex. The buildup of moisture in the glove actually helped in the healing process. Another big influence is stress. As soon as the pressure of of Christmas was off and I had a 5day break, my hands improved vastly.
For those of you who have no skin trouble at present I advise using barrier and moisturiser to keep those hands healthy. It's easy to forget.
I hope this is of assistance to you.

David

[timjan]

once i learned to not rub my hands dry, but rather clap them dry with the paper very gently. it prevents to scrub the skin every time you dry your hands.

[CalicoSkies]

My dr recommended Cetaphil 2yrs ago as pool water was reeking havoc with my skin, and I am thoroughly convinced. It works great. I also use the bar soap. I like the hand cream over the lotion, its got a lighly greasy feel, but doesnt stay that way for long.

[Plum]

those detergents are strong; figure how quickly they clean grease from plates. Skin is lubricated by grease which breaks down just the same. This is worsened by friction on the skin.

the only thing that cured my excema was herbal cream from a Chinese herbalist. In Britain, you pharmacies sell Acqueous Cream, which is like the base cream they use for adding other things to. it's way cheaper than branded creams, and doesn't hurt me the way supposedly gentle creams do. Try different ones if you're not happy first time round.

[Mezzaluna]

In winter I use a paraffin bath and leave the warm wax on my hands until it's cool. I re-dip 2-3 times, then follow up with either Neutrogena hand cream (a little dab'll do ya) or body lotion, then avoid getting my hands wet for at least 1 hour. I've tried Mary Kay's "Satin Hands", but I use it only occasionally to slough off the dry skin, about once a week during winter. The treatment includes a very dense, lanolin-like salve; sloughing scrub; then a washing cream followed by a moisturizer. My hands really do feel better, but it's too gol durned expensive to use daily, even in winter. In the last year or two, as I approach 50, I've really noticed my skin drying out. Never used to have this problem.

[Rachel]

Try and avoid hydro-cortisone cream - it thins the skin, makes it more vulneable to irritation and unable to renew itself so well. I use herbal cream - e.g.marigold, starflower. i have chronic eczema and have had dermatoligusts near to tears with frustration. they generally want to hand out cortisone cream but know that i don't want to take it unless strictly necessary as i know what it does. Also it just makes my skin more vulnerable to attcks. A cortisone cream can get rid of the worst but then the idea is to keep the dryness down and use it as litttle a possible. The only thing that I've found that works for me is a herbal cream from Ghana, but other people have found starflower/borage cream very effective.

[Nick.Shu]

heh, eczema/dermatitis. Something that has been bugging me for years.

some hints: i use either cetaphil nutra - d or cetaphil cleansing lotion.

medications, prednisone 25mg, diprosone O.V. apparently (not available in AUS just yet) Pro-topic is supposed to be quite good.

food acids and heat seem to be exacerbating causes, as dirty skin seems to cause a reaction.

Even though a Dermatologist may not offer much hope, they can educate you how to reduce the incidences of outbreaks. Also a Allergist/specialist may also help you control incidences.

The bottom line, just keep trying to find a solution, because virtually every case is different.

[Shimmer]

My hands have been red and rashy lately too, but it's because of the antibacterial soap I used to wash my hands a million times a day (I'm a messy cake decorator, what can I say). Also the detergent used for the floor and dishes. I have started wearing gloves whenever possible (when cleaning), and also bought some creamy Vaseline lotion that a co-worker recommended that has helped a bundle.

Drinking more water has helped too. The problem is, I can't stop washing my hands, you know? So I have to deal with it by treating the reaction TO the products, which isn't the best way.

The toxins! The chemicals! The poison!!

~~Shimmer~~

[roon]

I would try to wear gloves (the yellow rubber kind that go up to your elbows) when washing dishes, if possible, so your hands aren't exposed to the harsh chemicals in the dish soap.

Also (this may not be an option where you work) use as little antibacterial soap as possible. The non-antibacterial stuff cleans just as well and is gentler to the skin. (This from several dermatologists- the people whose hands are the worst, they said, are those who tend to wash their hands the most often, with antibacterial soaps!) Like I said, I'm sure that it isn't an option if you work in a kitchen where everything must be sanitary as possible.

Rubbing your hands with vitamin E might help. I've never tried it (my hands have always been fine) but I've heard it works wonders. Ditto with bag balm.

With your choice of doctors, I would say, when you find one who makes you happy (insurance allowing, of course) then stick with him/her no matter what. You may have day long waits (as someone mentioned) but if your doctor is really high quality and listens to you, IMO it is worth it. It's a better use of your time, I think, than going to a second rate doctor who has you in and out in five minutes time without really listening. Just something to think about.

And lastly, I second the advice about drinking lots of water to stay hydrated as well as staying away from diuretics- anything caffeinated, as well as alcohol. I don't know about the citrus, but it's worth a try.

Good luck! Let us know how it turns out!

(sorry to be so long winded!)

[Rachel]

Shimmer,
You could always try and find some natural handwash made with essential oils of thyme, lavender, eucaliptus and/or tee tree. These as are all good anti-bacterial/antiseptic (tea tree and thyme being the best anti-bacterial)oils. I don't know of a make to recommend that you could get in the US, but a shop that sells a lot o health foods, natural cosmetics would be your best bet.

[Nick.Shu]

it would be quite prudent to try and stay away from latex gloves.

Apparently, latex sensitivies are one of the most common contact allergies. Also because of the way latex gloves are powdered, you also run the risk of getting an allergy to corn .

When latex gloves are manufactured, they are dipped in a slurry of cornflour and water and left to dry. Most of the times, some of the latex proteins detach from the glove and bind to the cornflour. When this cornflour rubs against your hands, you run the risk of becoming sensitised to corn as well as latex (double whammy).

So what i do to try and prevent this, is to wear powderless vinyl gloves.

[chouxbacca]

well... to thank you all it would take forever, so I will say it one more, generalized, time. Thanks a billion for all your advice and support. I tried to get bag balm, but the tsc (farm superstore) was temporarily, out of stock, so I got emu oil since I had heard it was good for alot of stuff being of all sorts, and lo and behold, since yesterday, a definite improvement has been clearly present. My hands after 3 uses are much better, and my mild aches no longer exist either. I suggest now to all of you this miraculous product, and hope that if ay of you try it, it will work as well as it has for me.