My DS hands are red & cracking - what do I do???

[WellThisIsShit]

That’s it really, my DS is 9yrs old and his hands are red & cracking from all the washing with harsh soaps and gels.

He cried when I tried to soothe by applying e45 tonight when I saw how bad they’d got.

I ended up having to wash it off and put cold flannels on both sides where the redness is... he was in pain and really upset until his hands air dried and I managed to distract.

What do I do??? He needs to wash his hands and if he goes outside to school or anywhere else they all have stringent rules about washing hands and applying alcoholic hand gel multiple times a day... argh?!

What if he just can’t do it?

Am kicking self as if I’d caught it a day or so ago i could have moisturized and stopped it getting this bad....

(Just to make things worse I’m in a vulnerable group as I’m a single mum who has cancer... )

My elder two children's hands have been the same, so yesterday night I applied a thin layer of sudocrem before bed and it seems to have really helped x

Keep moisturising, and give him a little tube of moisturiser to keep in his pocket and use everytime he washes his hands.

Vaseline shouldn’t sting. Would that be an option?
I think if his hands are cracking that makes him vulnerable to infection and you should keep him off school if you can. It will take longer to get them to heal. I feel for him- my hands are getting sore and it’s not even like we have any hand gel at the moment. It’s just the increased washing.

My hands were cracking and I started using neutrogena original handcream. I only used it a couple of times and they're back to normal.

Savlon worked v well on my DS's hands.

I know e45 is supposed to be good, but it stings like hell on raw skin on me. I've been using vaseline intensive hand cream and it's not too stingy but would second sudocreme if you have it.

I have the same problem, get some o'keefes working hands cream, and apply regularly, it really works. And I'd say to not use hand sanitizer as much as it really strips the skin, just use handsoap.

Hope things get a little easier for you soon, sounds like your having a really tough time

Try o keefes working hands.

E45 is terrible.

Apply dermacare. It will help protect the hands throughout the day/subsequent handwashings. And heavy moisturiser, inside cotton gloves if poss, overnight.

My DS the same. When he's asleep out Vaseline on. You need something like cetraben too.

Vaseline will work

Buy some emollient wash and gentle cream for dry/very dry skin (aveeno do a good one). I've put some of both in small travel containers for DC to take to school.

I'm prone to dry hands and agree that Savlon and Sudocrem work really well. I put a ton on in bed (as I can't touch anything until it's sunk in) and it heals up the cracks overnight.

It's a bugger but at least you know he's washing his hands properly. Mine started cracking when I had newborns and was constantly handwashing!

I use simple soap or sanpro soap ( carry a piece with me for washing at work) followed by epaderm cream as moisturiser . Also I sometimes wash my hands with the epaderm emollient cream instead of soap ( whenever I wash them at home)

This has stopped the sore hands

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula has always worked when my hands have been cracked and bleeding from too much washing (I have OCD). It's best to put it on just before bed so that it doesn't get washed off.

The other thing you can do is switch to a milder soap if there's any in stock locally. Some are much worse than others. For example re. handwash- Aldi and Co-op antibacterial handwash are both horrendous in terms of drying the skin, Carex is one step better, although the 'Sensitive' one is much better than the Aloe one. 'Imperial Leather' bar soap is best if your hands are very sore (Dove is incredibly drying).

Oh and e45 is terrrie for me .it really stings

I think, as well, when your skin has got so chapped from lots of washing, anything will sting when you first put it on- DS told me the savlon stung for a second, but it did sort it out.

Pharmacist recommends O’Keefes working hands

Moo goo milk wash and when he heals up just use ordinary soap. Stay away from anything with SLS in it (most handwashes). Balmond's Pure Potion Skin Salvation moisturising ointment in Holland and Barrett is excellent. Burt's bees in the tin is good.

I used a bit of steroid cream that I use on my eczema to be honest. Cleared up the redness in a couple of days and now keeping on top of it with an aveeno emollient cream. Bar soap is less harsh. Antibacterial wash really sets it off. You could give him his own soap for school.

Body Shop hemp handcream is helping here. Applied before bed.

DH uses O’Keeffs working hands and always has. His hands would be raw without it.

Is he using liquid soap at school? Try and use bar soap at home. I find my hands dry up less with bar soap and have stopped using liquid unless out.

Oh thank you so much.

You’ve jogged my memory, I actually have a tiny pot of sudocreme that I bought to put in my holiday bag as it’s so good for such a wide range of things - and then I promptly forgot about it!

I will find it now.

I want to try it out immediately... can’t work out if it’s mean or inspired to try it on him whilst he’s sleeping and therefore less likely to freak out and have hysterics like he did about the E45?! Hummm...

(Trying to be lighthearted and not be terrified, it’s getting kinda difficult)...

Ooh I hadn’t refreshed my page, now I see lots of references to O’Keefes working hands... is it worth me buying a tube so DS can take it to school to use after washing hands?

And do you think he could be excused the hand gel if he’s already washed his hands well? It feels a bit like overkill which I was rather appreciating due to my own circumstances, but not realizing the damaging happening to DS’s hands from it all.

Or should I keep him off school on Monday if his hands haven’t healed? I’m worried about how much cracks in the skin will raise the chances of him getting the virus, and then me.

I’m not doing great at segregating myself, as I rely on carers, who are doing a good job of staying a few feet away. But my boy, he is scared about my health already and sleeps in my bed still each night as he has anxiety poor love.

Sooo, its all very difficult, basically. Am terrified about what will happen when my helpers start to get sick, as the back up plans are people who are just as okay to get sick.

I can’t say it anywhere else because I have to be so up beat and calm but, oh God I’m so, so scared.

Keep him off. He's in primary - it's fine. Say he has a cough or a temperature, and you're isolating him for 7 days as per Boris's orders.

I'm terrified too. My A Level studying son, and my gcse studying son are both insisting on going in on monday - and I'm letting them, but driving them, so they're not on the public buses. Keeping yr 7 DD off. Bloody hell, I just keep thinking we could all be infected and not know it yet. I'm so scared. I'd like to keep them all off really - but there have been some heated debates this weekend, and I am overruled. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.