Advice for severely cracked hands

[BoarBrush]

Husbands hands have been getting bad the last few weeks with the cold, we need to stop it before it's bad again this year but the Dr's have been useless except dolling out emollients and bandaging them. Have tried countless shit including okeefes, cotton gloves/various emollient. Nothing helps.

It's like random papercuts that just get bigger and bigger. Very painful. He needed fingers bandaged last winter as they were so deep and would NOT stop bleeding!

For context, he had ulcerative colitis, now proctolectomy. Steroid dependant. On cosentyx, oxycodone (for ankylosising spondylitis/rheumatitis) and obviously prednisone.

Please someone have an answer, we really need it.

My father had this last winter and used Flexitol on them.
https://www.boots.com/flexitol-cracked-heel-balm-56g-10370127?affwin&utm_source=Genie+Shopping-259955&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=css&utm_term=&utm_content=&sv1=affiliate&sv_campaign_id=259955&awc=2041_1791064631_ad1bfae29ace183d894ada20bdcab4f8
I know it's for cracked heels but it worked so well - I applied it and made him wear cotton socks on his hands for an hour. They were healed in 6 days.

Thank you so much @GingerCatLove our useless wee boots that's about the size of my living room has empty shelves but they have this according to stock check. Ordered to try. I'll literally spend anything to solve it.

both my DD and I get this I've been blathering molton brown on my hands all day today as the cuts have all started it has worked for today.
DD uses elemis facial oil mixed with a night cream she works with concrete and that is the only thing that works for her.

I hope to ou can find something. it is painful.and they come from nowhere

Gosh it’s quite the medical list so not sure I can advise in those circumstances.

I was going to say Savlon in gloves overnight and Hylauronic acid in the morning after washing it off to try to strengthen the skin barrier. You really should research that and if you do try it do a test patch.

His skin is probably extremely fragile with his medical conditions and previous steroid use .
What is he using to wash his hands ? With ulcerative colitis , if he has a flare up he'll never be away from the bathroom.

Things like hand gel (which we all slathered on in Covid times) really dries the skin. Harsh soaps too .
Flexitol is probably your best bet , use it on damp (not wet) skin, melt it in hs hands then really rub in. The urea content helps the skin absorb moisture . Cotton gloves tp help absorbtion. and stop it going everywhere .
Theres also Dermatonics Once which is less greasy but still urea.

I use O'Keefes , I like the overnight hand cream if my hands get dry . (Multi handwasher at work)

Try duoderm as a plaster. You cut it to size and it really helps healing. Leave it on for days and it’s a protective barrier. I get exactly the same and it’s debilitating. I use coal tar soap. You can also use dermol 500 lotion as a soap substitute. Gloves constantly, whether that’s plastic gloves for cleaning indoors or proper gloves outdoors.
i don’t have any knowledge of the medicines you mention, so do check all compatible.

He no longer has colitis, he's had a proctolectomy a year ago which means no bowel or rectum at all, it's all stitched up. I did say that in my op but I appreciate not everyone knows what that is, I certainly didn't two years ago.

I know what you mean about hand washing though, mine get white and cake from just one hand wash it dislikes, I get contact dermatitis from fairy ffs but as a rule, we've been using E45 hand-wash at home it's helping my dry vag

Does he work outside?

Either this stuff Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream Concentrated Unscented 50ml - Boots https://share.google/9mF8kT3HqzNhUNItM or the Flexitol 25% urea for cracked heels or a combination of both

If he works outside then nitrile gloves underneath normal work gloves can help.

... frrom a farmer with a partner with UC, crohns, psoriasis and two other Autoimmine conditions and a fuckload of creams, potions, meds and the constant battle of yet another ailment to fight through.

We also found switching to coal tar soap helped generally as well. Stinks though.

Given his complex background, is it worth trying for a dermatology referral?

Have you tried Liquidskin? No matter what cream I use I get cracked fingers and this works to cover the cracks so they're not painful and they heal up.

Snowfire is good too, used at bedtime. Makes me cringe slightly as it goes on, but it works (when I remember)!

Our hospitals derm only works 9-1 every Friday, as we found out 2 year ago as the back of his legs turned bright red like sunburn. Been on the list 5 years for a very dodgy mole.

Sorry missed your post. We could indeed try this but it's essentially every finger from tip to knuckle. Will get it ordered though as anything is worth a try

I had this for months, my hands were cracked red raw and bleeding. I realised I was allergic to the hand soap I was using. I changed it and now they are much better. If my hands start to crack now I swear by Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula Cream which is very thick and also ideal to apply at bedtime with gloves. X

@Scrowy
@Walkingbacktohappiness
Added them both to my order, thank you both 🙂

I used to get really sore and cracked hands and tried various creams etc which did help. The best thing though has been stopping using liquid soap and go back to bar soap, ensuring the hands are thoroughly rinsed and dried after. My hands have been so much better after doing this.

I use E45 emollient hands wash. Dry hands thoroughly with soft towels that have been washed in non bio and tumble dried, and the 25% urea Flexitol (you can buy better value giant tubs) slathered on nightly. I also think my omega 3 and silica supplements help but given his medical history I'd check with a doctor.

Where the hell do you buy it though? They're all perfumed to hell now too.

Working hands okeefe the new green one works overnight. I was amazed how quick my hands got better

This is unperfumed:

www.amazon.co.uk/Simple-26058-Hand-Soap-White/dp/B004PRAF9U/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JV-carYVPOvP5va2qlJXlZD-4GLz9maKJ6fuAet_rto_UOjYQG_03-00WbK1Sh3_MjLrqQOFu62Y2Q4SLK2rzg.UUyKvoMSl98fmb1JuxiYfnPCtrS7XMhcCOApqxev4Q4&dib_tag=se&keywords=simple+soap&qid=1791108247&sr=8-4

I also have AS and am on a biologic immunosuppressant. Since being on it I have been able to stop all other medication apart from a statin. It takes a while to become effective but it's been life changing for me. Your DH may be in worse shape than me and also has other serious medical complications but I would think it would be worth having a medication review and see if the steriod and pain killer can be reduced, especially if he doesn't need the steriod for colitis anymore. Long term use may have made his skin unusually thin and brittle for his age.

Both my partner and myself have skin problems including deep cracks which don't heal easily. The dermatology department recommended aveeno products for moisturising and washing with dermol 200. We also wear gloves of different types whenever possible, my partner non latex as that's one of the things he's allergic to. I always put a plaster on any of mine due to the risk of infection when on the immunosuppressant, luckily none have been bad enough to need bandaging.

You've got a lot of other good recommendations for moisturisers to try before it gets established again hopefully it wont get so bad again, it sound awful.

Good luck with a dermatology appointment, my partner had to wait 18 months before he could go on the 2 year waiting list, they are seriously understaffed. Even a private appointment has a waiting time now.

I've had problems for many years with sore cracked skin on my hands.

I've spent a fortune trying all kinds of soaps, hand washes and emollients.

A lot of the things other posters have recommended make it worse for me, as my skin seems to be so sensitive - Aveeno, Simple Soap, coal tar soap etc, they all aggravate it.

The only thing I have found for hand washing which is convenient and causes no skin reaction for me is Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. It is stupidly expensive these days but is often on offer on Amazon or Boots. It is worth the cost for me.

The most effective emollient cream I have found to soothe and moisturise the skin is Nursem Caring Skin Fix.

Unfortunately though, what works for one might not work for someone else.

I hope your husband can find something which improves things for him as I know it can be quite debilitating. The only advice my GP has ever given me is to keep my hands out of water. Not very helpful when you think about the number of times you have to wash your hands in the normal course of the day.

Have you tried La Roche Posay cicaplast

Lotil cream is very good for broken skin because it's extremely moisturising but also antiseptic. And it's cheap and easy to buy.

Carex hand wash does this to my skin. I have to be careful with liquid washing products.

I use bar hand soaps, shower gels and shampoos avoiding items with SLS in them.

I use hydromol as a barrier cream and epaderm as a moisturiser.

I would also ask for advice about reasons that his skin is worse in the cold weather. The soaps cause my skin issues all year round. For a couple of years I was on a medication and that reduced my circulation and made my Raynaud's like symptoms (not diagnosed) worse and my hands more prone to break outs.

I would also look on the opposite side and think about what his skin is exposed to during day to day life. My skin was much worse when I was doing my PhD and was in the lab full time. I think it was a mix do exposure to solvents such as acetone when washing up glass wear and the frequency I had to wash my hands. When I moved to my next job I was in the lab irregularly and could definitely see a pattern with when I was in the lab and not. This was when I noticed the carex connection as it's the soap they used in the lab and at a relatives.

When i had this the only thing that broke the cycle was using handwash without sodium laureate sulfate (sp?). Noticeable improvement within a day, my skin recovered after a couple of weeks.

Such a relief as I was desperate at the time, I could only tolerate nipple cream! Cracked skin is so painful.