Industrial strength handcream for sore cracked fingertips

[Judystilldreamsofhorses]

Can anyone please help? Every year, I get sore cracked fingertips as soon as we move into autumn/winter - sometimes it gets so bad they actually split at the edges. It’s really painful and also ugly! I’m in Scotland and it’s already quite cold, particularly in the mornings, but not cold enough for gloves yet, so it’s begun.

I’m religious about hand cream, currently Body Shop hemp, but I don’t think the cheap nasty soap in my work loos will help any. Last year the pharmacist gave me Epimax cream which I’ve started again this weekend but it’s a huge bottle (like mayo!) so no use for keeping in my bag.

Which handcream helps your sore hands? Happy to throw money at the problem but also instinctively think I need more “medical” and less “luxe” brands!

No doubt topical applications will help a bit - but surely the cause is either medical or environmental?

Have you had all the usual tests for blood, vitamins, minerals, hormones? How is your diet? Are you in the midst of serious illness?

And are you using any household liquids or powders (for cleaning of body or house) that might be affecting your skin?

Perhaps you have already investigated every possible cause? And seen a dermatologist? Such skin sensitivity before it’s even cold enough for gloves is not normal.

We were given a handbag size pot of epaderm for my son who was allergic to soap, for use at school. You can buy it from pharmacies as it is not prescription only. It is ia emollient so you can use it as soap and as a moisturiser

💯 O’keefes … slather it on at bed time, sorted within a week

This is what I came on to say,

a few years ago, for some reason all my finger tips started splitting and bleeding, it was awful!

flexitol heel cream was the one thing that did the trick!

Mixa balm in a tub. Has urea in it. I have the same problem and regular hand creams don’t really touch the problem at all. I use mixa every time I wash hands and regularly dab on cuticle oil on the sides of nails where the skin gets very sore too. Boring but if I do this few times a day they stay totally fine. If I skip even half a day it all starts to look cracked again.

Yes, anything which can deal with my heels should be able to fix fingers too! It’s the urea which makes the difference, the Nivea one linked upthread sounds like it might be good too.

I do my elbows and knees with it too, only need to do them occasionally.

Oh and just to add, my DD (severe OCD so handwashes a lot) uses Nursem hand cream which a pp had mentioned. It’s the only one that works for her and it’s amazing. I prefer Mixa as it’s my fingertips and cuticles that suffer more and Mixa better for me. But nursem is great.

Coming on to say anything for your feet with urea in works beautiful. I get cracked bleeding knuckles but a little routine of foot cream and then rub the excess into hands has worked miracles!

It's definitely environmental. Over the summer it clears up 100% - I teach so have six weeks off away from the cheap hand soap! In work I am constantly scrubbing my hands because of all the germs, and here it's down to single figures when I walk in in the mornings so that's pretty chilly already. It tends to start in September and go away late April.

My mother has similar although hers is much better now she's retired.

Thanks all for the suggestions, I have made a list of things. I definitely need to look into a portable hand wash for work to add to my already overflowing bag. I found a mini size Norwegian Formula in my travel bag last night so have popped that in my makeup bag for carrying around too.

Lots of good suggestions for hand cream, but use proper bar soap - not liquid handwash, it dries your hands out terribly!

I agree with taking your own soap or hand wash to work. Weleda camomile balm is the best thing I have found but might be too greasy for daytime when you need to type or write. So something lighter like mixa panthenol cream decanted in to a small container is good.

The thing is, immersing her hands in water multiple time a day isn’t good for sensitive skin, either.

I find the Dettol 2in1 Antibacterial Wipes not unpleasant to use when I’m out. And then use my own soap and towels and hand cream at home. But I’m sure there are plenty of hand wipes that might be both environmentally friendly and gentle on hands.

Because it would be pointless to tackle dry hands without addressing their cause first.

I have this and use Aveeno hand cream for sensitive hands at night. My hands react really badly to antibacterial hand washes. Just using a different hand wash cleared up the problem. You can temporarily use Aveeno wash cream while your hands are healing.

Cerave hand cream is amazing and the only thing that heals my poor cracked hands and then keeps them that way, but I make sure I apply religiously after being outside when it’s cold/after handwashing etc

Best ever: Kiehls Ultimate Strength Hand Salve

My Dad used to swear by Vitamin C tablets to protect against cracked fingers. I get little splits at the edge of my fingers which are really painful. I regularly use hand cream but I started taking Vitamin C every day and they completely disappeared.

Lush Helping Hands works well, if you can bear the smell in the shop.

That’s interesting @Undergroundovergroundwomblingfree
I get very dry skin and splits too. I shall take Vitamin C to see will it work for me.
It’s great how older people have this knowledge and pass it down.
My grandfather would say “Eat up your fish, that’s the stuff that will give you brains.”
He was saying it and heard it himself long before the link to Omega 3 etc was widely known. He would never have heard of Omega 3 and the like.

I love Elizabeth Arden 8 hour , it’s got a distinctly medical smell about it but it consistently outperforms any others I’ve used , although it can sometimes feel a bit balmy ( greasy )

I have exactly this issue, and it is hugely improved by Eucerin urea hand cream applied at bedtime. Its like waking up with new hands and keeps the worst of it under control. Even my DH has been converted.

Thanks all - I nipped out at lunchtime and got O'Keefe's cream. @Cantonet I should think about different handwash for home so will look out for that one - we tend to have the M&S Apothecary ones at each sink but they are quite scented and are maybe not helping. I'll get some vitamin C tablets too, that can't hurt!

I was struggling with sore hands one winter and someone on here suggested adding in a nail oil, and it really made a difference.

E45 handwash is immensely soothing.
Aveeno only do a body wash but I also use it to wash my hands if they are sore in winter as we always have it in the house.

The key thing is to make sure your hands are dry after washing them. Be really fastidious about this! Then barrier protection in form of hand cream etc, and don't go outside til cream soaked in fully

Buy yourself some medical cotton gloves ( Amazon , but in a multipack ) and slather it on before bed and sleep with them on .
I use QV Ointment ( also in a big container )