Heavy duty moisturiser recommendations for cracked hands

[mrsvilliers2]

Now that the dc are a bit older I want to sort my hands out. I get eczema on my knuckles which I can keep at bay but also have a prescription steroid which I use sparingly (betnovate cream). But I also have dry skin all over the rest of my hands with weird cracks on my finger and thumb pads. I wash my hands a lot but the cracks still look dirty and I can't work out how to shift them or even make them look less filthy. Tried normal hand creams, coconut oil, even my steroid cream briefly but nothing shifts it. I'm 39 so wouldn't have thought it was time for my hands to fall apart just yet?! Any help appreciated!

[PerditaNitt]

Try mustela baby oil in the spray bottle; I’m always borrowing my DS’s for my dry skin. It has sorted out my gnarly cracked heels. Cetraben and cetaphil are both great for dermatitis on the hands; I’ve had the same in the past and use betnovate for 3-4 days and then switch to cetaphil.

[LoisSangersVoice]

I've just bought some eucerin 10% urea foot cream, which I'm planning to use on my hands with cotton gloves (Boots or Body Shop) on overnight.
Do you apply moisturiser after washing your hands, every time? A really good one that rubs in quickly and isn't greasy, and stops my hands itching when they have eczema on them, is La Roche Posay Lipikar Xerand Hand Repair Cream (don't be fooled into getting the Cicaplast hand cream, it's not the same at all).

[crumbsinthecutlerydrawer]

I have dermatitis on my hands and this time of year it’s really quite uncomfortable if I don’t look after them; itchy, split and bleeding along on the backs and rough and scratchy on the palms.

I use Double Base for washing them every single time and Palmer’s Shea Formula Raw Shea hand cream throughout the day. I slap on a load of diprobase and glove up for bed. The gloves help cover the smell more than anything.

I never use any scented hand creams and always have to give away the ones I always get at Christmas despite asking people to please not buy them as they just irritate my skin. I don’t have sensitive skin anywhere else though.

[EthelBeavers]

I have this, its flipping painful so you have my sympathies. I've tried about everything in the book, things that help are:

Cut back on moisturising - sounds counterproductive but it's made a huge difference. The doctor reckoned I'd developed an intolerance to the preservatives in the eczema moisturisers.

Oral steroids - I had my first course recently and for the first time in about three years I had hands that weren't split or inflamed and didn't break out at the first splash of water. It's come back now I've stopped but not as badly.

Wear gloves to wash your hair - It's a pain in arse but the soap in shampoo enrages the skin on my hands. In fact pretty much any detergent makes it go loopy. I've had some luck with liquid castile soap but there's something a bit drab about the smell and lack of lather.

The Dreaded Cotton Gloves - Sometimes its just a case of having to take the MJ jokes from my nearest and dearest and sport the white cotton gloves. It's not great as they get grottier and grottier throughout the day but they do help the skin heal.

If I think of anything else will post but hope some of this helps. I'm using protopic on mine at the moment and it's not as good as the oral steroids yet, but its definitely better than the steroid creams. There's inflammation but my finger tips rent cracking. Good luck, hope it gets better for you.

[mrsvilliers2]

I have the same problem with hand creams crumbs the one I don't react to is a Kiehls one and it's £££ so I don't use after every wash (I verge on obsessive with hand washing). Hand creams are a minefield for me, I've just put on some Epaderm which a dc had for some reason and it's stinging my hands. What's double base btw?

I will check out the hand creams recs thank you.

Perdita are Cetraben and cetaphil prescription? I had the betnovate ointment for a couple of years which was so amazing I felt like slathering it all over me (I didn't) but have moved and new doc gave me the cream version. It's the same strength but doesn't seem to work as well plus it stings when my eczema is bad.

[crumbsinthecutlerydrawer]

I get double base on prescription, it’s an emollient/gel thing that can be used as a wash or as a moisturiser. I find it a bit greasy as a moisturiser but as I seem to wash my hands quite a lot throughout the day it is definitely an improvement on soap.

[teta]

Stop using normal hand wash particularly the antibacterial type.I use Eucerin,Cetaphil or E45 wash.
Use Aveeno overnight - the one with oats in .Use the Aveeno Handcream during the day.Check for an allergy to Rubber Gloves and use Cottin lined ones or the non-allergenic ones.I am allergic to Latex and my hands become very damaged if I use them.
Steroid ointment can be used initially to soothe hands but is not a good long term choice.

[mrsvilliers2]

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions, as I said I pretty much have the excema under control, I only use one type of hand wash (Method) or a pure olive oil soap plus the liquid castile soap in the shower but bizarrely hadn't thought of shampoo! So will look at that.

I have actually just bought an Aveeno hand cream as I remember not reacting to that when dc1 was born and I will try using that after washing my hands (to pp who suggested I could be over moisturising, I really wasn't! )

The problem I find with trying new things is that I can randomly react to even the mildest of things - see my previous comment about my hands stinging after using Epiderm, an over the counter skin cream, so I am cautious about what I try.

[Synecdoche]

I have contact dermatitis and use the following products: Boots DermaCare twice a day (barrier moisturiser), Body Shop Hemp hand cream go top up throughout the day and Body Shop Hemp hand oil on areas prone to cracking/bleeding overnight

[Edwintheboyscout]

Wow this is scary - my first ever post, but I was compelled to do it as I've had a similar problem for years - dry hands, cracked and bleeding knuckles etc. My favourite is Atrixo Intensive Protection Cream (the sea green pot) - it's brilliant. I slather it on and put on cotton gloves, and my hands recover very quickly. And it's only £3 or £4 from Superdrug etc.
Phew, that was nerve wracking.

[happymama99]

I second aveeno! It's great

[Therealslimshady1]

Atrixo is good, but quite perfumed?

When my hands were ripped to shreds after a week's sailing, the local pharmacy recommended cicaplast by La Roche. I could even put it on the red raw bits, no stinging or reaction. Miracle cream! Check it out.

[Dodie66]

I get splits on my knuckles and use Neutrogena unscented. I out loads on when I go to bed at night and work it in. Also use it after washing hands

[Frisbeefreedom]

I get those dirty looking cracks, especially on my thumbs. I found heel crack repair cream really helped last winter - I applied it directly to the cracked areas about three times a day. Worked better than any moisturiser I've tried.

[userofthiswebsite]

I get hands that are so dry in the colder weather that the skin splits and bleeds so I have tried a lot of creams.
The best of the ones you can buy at Boots etc is Palmers Coconut Oil hand cream with a brown base. Nivea SOS Rescue care is a close runner up. I've not been impressed with the Netrogena creams nor the O Keefes Working Hands.
However, I suggest you ask your GP for a prescription of Hydromol which is a urea cream. Apply to hands overnight.

[BagelGoesWalking]

Rosehip Oil by The Ordinary healed a very persistent bit of eczema on my foot which a really heavy duty steroid cream hadn’t shifted.

Hand Chemistry by Deciem (who also own The Ordinary) is meant to be v good but you’d need to check ingredients.

Have you tried Diprobase? I love it as a heavy emollient.

I buy my washing up gloves from bizzybee - without that irritating stuff inside that used to drive my hands wild!

[CAAKE]

I have contact eczema and after trying all sorts of things I have success using dove soap to wash my hands and the regular aveeno cream. It flares up really badly if I use liquid hand wash.

[Gunpowder]

I like Aveeno too. My hands have been better since realising (from MN) that I had an allergy to Methylisothiazolione but still sore.

Congrats on delurking Edwintheboyscout! you can go wild on AIBU now

[EsmesRedPetticoat]

I have had great success with O’Keeffes working hands balm on my cracked finger pads. I found that steroid cream made it worse. I also use rubber gloves for washing up and I can tell the difference. It’s a constant battle though!

[Ofthread]

La Roche Posay Cicaplast Mains is my recommendation for a very serious hand cream.

[BillWagglestaff]

I don’t find Aveeno to be strong enough for my hands - I also get a form of eczema for which I just use hydrocortisone 1%. My knuckles have also been known to crack and bleed. I recently had Working Hands cream recommended to me, and it seems to really work. I had a cracking knuckle yesterday - applied the cream liberally to my hands before going to bed and they are much better today.

[CatastropheKate]

I find steroid ointment better than cream and need less of it. I wear clothes outside most of the time, even in summer, and inside if using any cleaning products etc. I only wash my hands with water unless they're really manky.

Bodyshop hemp cream used lightly is a good preventative, as is Aveeno, but I use the lotion rather than the cream.

[CatastropheKate]

You'll be relieved to read that I do indeed wear clothes both outside and inside at all times (other than when bathing). I also wear GLOVES outside most of the time ......

[luluskiptotheloo]

I have contact eczema on my hands and my gp prescribed epaderm emollient cream which I have since learnt is available over the counter. I use it to wash my hands when they are sore and also as a hand cream. I hate the smell of it but it definitely helps.

[trainedopossum]

Weleda Skin Food is good. It's thick and waxy like a barrier cream so when applied it has some resistance to water, handwashing etc. It smells nice and I've never had a problem with it stinging or irritating dry skin.
To a certain extent no matter what I slather on, how often I use it etc, once the heating comes on my hands are like sandpaper. Skin cream just minimises the damage.