what to do about extremely sore dry hands

[OwlLady]

:(

They are dry, cracked, bleeding. Just awful and sore. In desperation I put flexitol on them last night before bed and it is has helped slightly tbh but I need something better. I look like an old woman

Neutrogena hand cream applied liberally, then cotton gloves over them overnight (those cheap ones sold at gardening stores, or any old ones you happen to have).

Avoid washing your hands during the day if you can.

Aveeno is v good, gentle too

Poor you

Also glove up for dishwashing. A box of 100 vinyl gloves from boots is about 7 quid, I usually order thru branch, takes about 2 days to come into branch to be picked up by me. Avoid rubber gloves, they can really irritate sore skin

Boots own emollient cream is working for me at the moment.

Oh no, this happens to me in winter if I'm not careful - Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Concentrated works well, but my favourite is Burt's Bees Farmers Friend Hand Salve - really thick so it doesn't disappear like most hand creams, and smells medicinal but gorgeous.

Hand cream on straight after washing your hands all day and don't go outside without gloves on.

I usually use savalon when they're actually bleeding then just a basic hand cream 20 times a day one they've healed.

Wash your hand after washing up too, you're supposed to rinse the washing up liquid off after use.

Aveeno applied liberally and often.

I recently ran out of Aveeno and was using Palmers cocoa butter to moisturise after hand washing (I have extremely dry/sensitive skin and have to moisturise every time I wash my hands...feels like hundreds of times a day with all the extra hand washing that goes with having a small baby). Within days, my skin was splitting and cracking. Bought some Aveeno and they're healing again quickly.

If you have time to sit and do nothing for an hour, apply the cream and wrap your hands with cling film. Great excuse to put your feet up and watch telly.

I have eczema on my hands and find bio oil works really well. When it gets really bad in the winter I have cortisone cream from the doctors which I apply at bed time and then put cotton gloves on. Feels odd going to bed in gloves at first but keeps cream on my hands, not all over the bedding.

My hands regularly get so dry they split if I don't do this a few times a week- Olive oil applied very liberally, put on rubber/waterproof gloves then place in bowl of warm water ( I do it when about to do the dishes)

Also works with other hand lotions- helping them absorb.

Is your skin dry anywhere else or just your hands? My aunts hands are really bad- skin is thin like paper. I can't remember the condition she has. If its all year round and not just the winter with cold and central heating I'd advise you see a dr.

Mine are awful too - and I can't think of any way to avoid washing them! Apart from wearing woolly gloves all the time, which I try to if I'm out, so you end up not directly touching anything

I find anything I put on them really hurts especially if it has any kind of perfume in it.

It's the cold imo, not the damp - but it's a bad combination. My mother swears by washing her hands with Diprobase which she buys in a huge bottle from a chemist.
I haven't tried it.

thank you for all these :) it has been made worse because I have my daughter off (she is severely disabled and needs help with all her toileting and personal care needs) and I have been washing my hands more I am afraid and even when i wear gloves to wash change her I wash my hands afterwards, i just can't seem to help it.

I will go and get some aveeno or neutrogena then, I also have eczema and another skin condition

Have you been to the Doctors? I had this last year and resisted going for ages but after trying most of the above went. Turns out they had become infected and the only thing that cleared it up was steroid cream with antibiotics in. Cleared up in days and hasn't returned.

I have this problem too. I use neutrogena cracked heel cream before bed or a cuticle cream. I use them both as a hand cream and they work well. They are quite greasy though!

Hemp hand cream from the Body Shop really helps as it is quite greasy, but doesn't sting the cuts.

I'm a HCP so wash my hands loads (as I'm sure you'll be glad to know ) and so I get very dry, cracked and bleeding hands. I got something from the doctor called Cetraben which I think you can also get over the counter. It's amazing stuff - not too greasy but clears my hands up very quickly. Mine were bleeding on Monday but a few applications and they're now no longer noticeably dry.

Might depend on your skin type. Neutrogena doesn't work at all for me, or for DH who gets hands like yours, but Palmer's cocoa butter works a dream on both of us.
If in doubt, get a big tub of Diprobase cream and white cotton gloves.

Also, chuck out all anti-bac hand washes. They are cruel on skin and make eczema flare up. Normal hand wash kills germs just as well.

I am using tesco value handwash which is most probably half of tghe problem. I think I will swap to dove

Oh yes, all blue coloured handwashes make my hands awf, huggies baby wipes too

Another vote for Aveeno. It's really really good.

My grandpa gets deep cracks in his hands, the burts bees farmers friend balm seems to help a bit.

Are you drinking enough water? Dehydration won't help, and also are you eating enough essential fatty acids, from fish, nuts, avocados etc?

Another vote for body shop hemp hand cream. It is amazing. My gp suggested it for my dds exzema and it really does work. If you look for voucher codes on line you can often get 40pc off which makes it great value.

I recommend lanisoh (pure lanolin for cracked nipples nipple), works wonders...also Atrixo handcrean is very good...even helps with eczema patches!

I can't use lanisoh because I am allergic to wool and I erm applied it when breast feeding not realising it was wool based and i have a textiles degree for heavens sake . I think my diet is okay for december, i am a bit under the weather though because of everything really, time of year, lack of respite, etc etc My hand are so dry and cracked though because my daughter has been off school since Wednesday with a stomach virus, she is a teenager and doubly incontinent so I think you can imagine why I am having to wash my hands so much.

Asda had ran out of aveeno so i have ended up with a selection of Cetraben, palmers cocoa butter handcream (which i put on in the shop and it didn't sting at all, smells lovely and actually stopped them looking so wrinkly and horrible) and I also bought the neutrogena. I thought it was best to have a selection! and I have changed the hand soaps to dove by all the sinks. So fingers crossed I feel less sore soon.

thank you all for all your help in healing my hands :)

I am allergic to nuts as well but I promise to eat more sardines :)