Really awful dry skin on my hands - recommendations?

[spilttheteaagain]

I'm 24 and DH describes me as having the hands of a 90 year old... they maybe aren't quite that bad but they are like sandpaper, terribly wrinkled and sore .

I've used E45 by the bucketload in the past and every so often get prescribed steroid creams (betnovate??) to clear up really sore/irritated skin. Currently using Doublebase (a paraffin based cream) which is also a POM, but nothing seems to sort me out and actually make the skin on my hands feel like the rest of my skin iyswim

Anyone found any cream or treatment that's worked for really dry chapped hands?

Kamillosan works too.

take pookabelles advice...loads of cream and then wear cotton gloves. You can get cheap cotton ones from the chemist. Emulsifying ointment is good at night as it is thick and greasy. You can also use it as a soap substitute.And then during the day use Siopel barrier cream.Used to work in dermatology....they are a good combination

Another POV on Neutrogena, for what it's worth: my very sore and cracked hands don't really respond to it. Partly I think it's the perfume (the unscented one is better) but also because it is so very thick and difficult to spread, it sort of pulls and drags at the skin and consequently I don't tend to manage to apply it very effectively. Latter problem is not really the fault of the product but still, means I don't find it all that helpful to use.

I hope it will work for you though, but if you need other ideas, here are some I don't think have been mentioned: Aveeno hand cream (very easy to apply and gentle but often OOS at Boots); Simple Derma (a bit thicker, unscented, widely available); and the absolute best one ever IMO, Dr Hauschka hand cream, which is wonderfully non-irritating and healing and lovely to use, but costs about nine quid at posh shops only, for a not very big tube. I have a standing birthday/Xmas request for it and alternate it with the others.

if your skin gets bad enough to need betnovate, have you ever wet wrapped it?

Epaderm is my cream of choice (it's an eczema/psoriasis moisturising cream). It's thick though. You can get it prescribed or buy some from the chemist. I'm having to put it on several times a day at the moment.

I agree with alypaly too though - when your skin is really bad, ointment (rather than cream) often seems to work well.

Have you ever been to a dermatologist? If your hands are really bad, I wonder if you have an allergy to something you are touching.

I put Vaseline on back of my hands and then wear cotton gloves overnight. All of the soreness, splits and redness gone by morning (then use either Aveeno or Nutrogena by day).

Night wear cotton gloves are on special offer in the latest Avon catalogue, I believe.

I get bad hands too - the only thing that helps is to religiously wear gloves out of doors. And not to wash your hands unless it's actually necessary (I probably do wash my hands a bit too much in a PFBish way)

Another vote for Neutrogena. Also maybe take a look at your diet - I find if I eat more oily fish - or take a fish oil supplement - my skin as a whole is better and my hands and heels (where I also suffer from dry cracked skin) dont dry out as badly as they do otherwise.

...and Marigolds for everything

its the sudden extremes of temp and all the washing up at xmas..I dont normally suffer with dry hands but i have been tiling my kitchen and a think the adhesive has cracked mine...so its gloves and emulsifying ointment for me tonight

DH does Michael Jackson impersonations when I put my white cotton gloves on in bed

I generally put some olive oil on my hands, then dip them in sugar and rub them together. I don't know how it works but it seems to.

Just wanted to thank everyone for all your thoughts & suggestions. Lots of things I will be trying, - esp gloves over cream/ointments at night and dodging the washing up

Thanks again

My DH has made the 90 year old hands comment to me too, I have eczema and another vote here for body shop hemp hand protector, I havent had to use my eumovate since i got it, aquadrate is also good (from gp) or if you buy it in the shops its called Eucerin.

I'm allergic to loads of stuff and have resorted to washing with only Simple soap and using Boots vaseline (petroleum jelly)-big green tub in baby dept- as a handcream.

I think I am also allergic to latex so use non-latex gloves for washing up.

have you tried emulsifying ointment mudandmayhem