dry cracking hands?!?

[chouxbacca]

Hello everyone, I am sure since there are many here who work in the industry, someone else has to suffer from dry, cracking hands...When fingers split, and bleed, and sting whenever you wash them in anything, even plain water ...I have an appointment with a dermatologist in May (the earliest available), but do any of you have any advice on what I could do until then?
this is serious, and I don't know what to do.

Thanks in advance

[katbalou]

chouxbacca,
have you tried cocoa butter, the kind sold in drug stores, not baking supplies. eucerin cream seems to work fairly well and some people swear by "bag balm" made for livestock originally. the main thing i've found to help is constant reapplication and keeping your hands out of liquids(which in a kitchen is almost impossible). hope this helps.

[Peachcreek]

Wear surgical gloves when ever possible. If you do use a cream or lotion at work, get an unscented type that won't transfer that perfume and soapy taste to everything you touch, i.e. shaping bread dough. Bag balm has been a popular item in kitchens as long as I can remember. It was originally formulated for moisturizing cow udders.

[Svadhisthana]

but, as a SAHM with changing diapers, cooking, cleaning, doing art projects, etc my hands get quite a beating. Neutrogena is by far one of the brands to use. If/when it gets really bad I'll put on bag balm and a pair of "sleeping gloves" overnight. I hope I've helped.

[monpetitchoux]

And when you are finally knocking off and don't have the energy or the fancier stuff at hand (hee hee), olive oil is my choice for a quick fix until I can get home. I apply just a few drops after I rinse and pat my hands to rid of excess water but while my hands are still moist. This helps the olive oil not be so slippery. Use the extra virgin. It's lighter than the others and absorbs better. Another light oil that I've used is almond oil (don't let the chef see). I figure if this stuff is good during massages, it ought to be good after work. And the stuff we have at the restaurant is primo. In the pastry station we have rosewater and glyverin. But I've never tried to combine the two to make a moisturizer because it takes too much time (I just reach for the olive oil). At home I have this stuff from Japan that a good friend bought for me. It's called YuSkin. It's very medicinal but works. I put on before sleep. In addition to cracked hands, I also have cracked lips. And I will use the cocoa butter for this. I take a few shards and rub between my fingers to warm a little until it gets a little gooey and then apply to my lips. I got this idea from reading Like Water for Chocolate. Tita extracted the oil from the beans on a fry pan. As for facial skin... Sigh. I have a few more wrinkles from the drying blast of heat when I open the oven door. Nothing I can do about that one except smile because that's the best way I can hide those laughlines.

[Pastachef]

I surely know what you mean by dry, cracked hands. I had my hands in more chemicals than usual this week,and washed walls to close down the sorority house for winter break. All of my knuckles are bleeding I am using an Aloe Vera lotion that helps a lot. I've read that putting vaseline on the hands and sleeping in white cotton gloves will heal them. I would bet on the olive oil theory. It's good for everything that ails you. Gloves - the surgical kind, don't help me because my hands sweat so much in them that they are still soaking wet!

[Suzanne]

Crisco is also good in a pinch, at work. And wearing latex or other such gloves when you might have your hands in water a lot. Yeah, they can be really annoying, but they give your hands a chance to not get any worse.

At home, at night I use Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Healing (white bottle, royal blue cap).

[Risa]

Eucerin cream (not lotion) works the best for me. It's a little disgusting because it looks very much like Crisco but thicker. It's somewhat greasy at first, but it absorbs after rubbing it in. One thing I really like about Eucerin is that it really has no smell unlike those other "unscented" creams that stink.

[Afra]

I am not a chef yet but I would like to say that I, too, have had problems a lot with dry, chappy hands. I solve the problem by using some bag balm, rather than lotion (which doesn't help me, only irritates me more) on my hands. This works. I am always cooking on the grill now at work, so this is a problem for me constantly. My skin is the "dry skin" type, yet I still find ways to cure the dryness. That being said, I agree with the others who recommend using bag balm on your hands because it works for me. I hope I've helped.

[panini]

Chouxbacca,
I can sympathize with you. I suffered with this for years. Spent lots of money!!!! with regular doctors. Met a herbologist( which I'm not really into) and was healed in two weeks forever.
The key is to moisturize your hands from the inside. Your probably not going to like this , but you have to cut the caffeine and the alcohol, drink plenty of water, and stay away from injesting large amounts of citrus things.
I also had to use a cream for the dry winter times, hum, I think its called zims crack creme. I know, but I'm not kidding.
Also do not let your hands air dry, always dry them quickly with a clean cloth.
Good Luck,
PS I'm certainly not telling you not to go to the doctor, thats your best bet.

[Ruth]

there are a number of reasons they dry and crack but first let me tell you about balms and salves. they would be the best product for you.i dont like gloves you may actually be allergic to the latex or rubber. a company called burt's bees makes a gardners hand salve that is absolutely a miracle worker.use it after you knock of work and before you go to bed . also get yourself some soap from the health food store in a pump. the soap at work could be adding to you problem. keep you hands clean and dry. if you would like to wear gloves when you go to sleep use cotton gloves. also there is a company that makes the same type of stuff but it is called badger.
i say health food store because the less coloring agents and chemicals and perfume the better and you will find the quality you need at those type of stores.
also from a biological stand point you body is extremely dehydrated, do you drink? if so start drinking much more ,much more water.take a vit e and a supplement.star using good olive oil on your foods. cut back on refined sugar and white flour.
good luck...remenber it is not what is on the outside that is always the problem it starts on the inside. the visual results are only when it is serious enough.

[kokopuffs]

Take VITAMINS A & E for dry skin. Drink lots and lots of water, literally.

AND, RUB SESAME AND OLIVE OILS INTO YOUR HANDS. You'll notice an improvement.

[Pastachef]

No way do I drink alcohol. It would put me to sleep, and at my age I appreciate my energy I'm glad you popped in here, Kokopuffs. I was just thinking Vitamin E when I came up on your post. That sounds like a very good regimen.

[chiffonade]

First of all, dump your dermatologist. I don't care who the **** he or she is, MAY is too long to wait to see a doctor. The very idea that you NEED to see a doctor implies some sense of urgency. Doctors like yours give the medical profession a horrible name. I have friends who think it's perfectly acceptable to spend an entire day in the waiting room of their favorite GYN or other doctor. My time is far too valuable and there are far too many doctors available for me to waste that kind of time.

I've found Lubriderm to be quite effective. The sleeping gloves paired with a cocoa butter-based ointment will definitely work well. I fully understand about washing your hands incessantly when you handle food - it's one of the requirements of the profession.

[Jill Reichow]

My dermatologist told me to use the greasiest emolient I could stand. Anything that says "soft and silky" contains more liquids than you need. Bag balm was his first recommendation. He also told me to put it on, wear gloves to bed. Another lotion that helps is Lac Hydra. It will burn/sting when you first put it on, then follow it with a bag balm type that will seal the moisture in. Gloves are the final step. Just don't forget to wash your hands b4 you put contacts in in the morning.....
Oh another word from my dermatologist. If you suffer from dry skin, after you shower but b4 you dry off, pat plain old mineral oil found in the drug store over your body. Dry off. The mineral oil seals the water next to your skin. And no, it doesn't seem to stain the towels...