Extremely cracked dry hands

[MrsPrendergast]

Hi all. My neice washes her hands a LOT (her job means she can't wear gloves and needs to wash)

Her hands get very dry and cracked

Any advice on creams to use?

Thanks 🥰

She's going to need something with a very high urea content to replace the moisture that's being lost. I use this https://amzn.eu/d/8DKcRDY I only use a dab of it mixed in with my usual hand cream & my hands are lovely. Your niece may well need to use it 'neat' until her hands are in a better condition.

My son’s hands crack a lot and he worked KP as a teen and they would bleed. He double gloved too. He uses O’Keeffe’s Working Hands but still suffers. But that may be from lack of consistency!

Thanks ! She's tried o'keefes and it's not working for her. I'll take a look at the 40%

I came on to say high urea content! I have same issue, tried everything and fell down an internet hole that lead me to discover urea is key, as well as zero perfume. I use eucerin urea repair.

layering
a light mousuriser first followed by a rich one at least mornings/evenings.

is she able to moisturise during the day? if yes she needs to find something that agrees with her skin.

I like to use weleda skin food (light & classic), but it contains some ingredients that are common allergens (as many more natural products do)

I had this every year, but it has disappeared since I started using O'Keeffe's Working Hands - I can't recommend it enough. It stings a little when you put it on but it helps so quickly. I now apply every evening and the cracked hands which blighted every winter have gone! My brother had the same issue and it sorted his hands out too.

In addition to the recommendations above, before bed put on pure aloe vera gel. Also sudacrem on any sore spots.

I find it's key to apply regularly throughout the day and not wash it off too quickly, at least on her days off. Suggest that she buys several tubes of handcream and has them dotted around in places where she isn't likely to be washing her hands for an hour ot two. So, one in her coat pocket so she can put a dab on while she's waiting for the bus. One by the sofa so she can apply some while watching TV. One by the computer so she can put some on while doing her admin. And of course a big tub on her nightstand so she can slather it on last thing at night.

If her job is Healthcare she should have a n assessment by Occupational Health. They will be very familiar with people with dermatitis from handwashing.

Is she able to choose the soap for her frequent handwashing?

I used to have permanently bleeding cracked skin on the backs of my hands. Changing to a sulfate-free soap fixed it in days.

I like the Bayliss&Harding Goodness range.

I suffer badly at this time of year with dry cracked hands. Im also a nurse and wash my hands A LOT. I lather on Garnier hand repair (red tube with maple extract) at night. During the day I use QV cream which I find really effective.

My DH had terribly dry and cracked hands. He started to use castor oil on them in the evening. It is very thick and gloopy but it has made a huge difference.

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula. I used to get such bad dry cracked hands when I was a cleaner and this was the best one I ever used

I use heel repair cream on my hands in winter as I find it's the only thing that really works. I use ccs cracked heel repair cream but any brand with a high urea content should work. I use it morning and night and then carry bog standard hand creams around and use them religiously after every hand wash.

I've just started using a urea cracked heel cream, early days but it seems to be much better than hand cream. The bleeding splits have lessened.

I get terribly dry hands that split and keep on splitting, part skin issues, part hand washing. When they are terrible, I use la Roche posay cicaplast hand cream overnight, it’s greasy and not great feeling and there’s bugger all in the tube but the difference in just a single use is unreal. The normal cicaplast cream is ok in a pinch but not a patch on the hand version. I don’t use it all the time, once the worst splits are under control I go back to using a rich hand cream/urea cream but it’s the only thing I’ve consistently found that gets the worse under control and then lets me keep it going.

Working hands cream was the best thing for me.

Thank you all so much. Some fabulous ideas! 🥰

agree with using a good cracked heel cream. I use flexitol on my feet at night , sometimes do elbows and knees and occasionally the tops of my arms if they’re getting that bumpiness . My hands get a dose at the same time anyway.