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!

Just a random thought OP. You’re not using any kind of acid toner for your face and applying with fingertips by any chance? I ask as I was getting cracked fingertips (no other skin problems) a couple of years ago and finally twigged the cause was a new skincare product with acids (can’t remember for life of me what it was but it was basically an aha or something exfoliating) that I was applying with fingertips as last step in skincare. Stopped the product and fingertips stopped cracking. Still get dry hands and dry around the nail a lot but the weird deep ridge type cracks in fingertips haven’t come back since abandoning the product.

obviously your harsh work soap is probably the main cause but just thought would mention the skincare thing just in case it rings a bell for you.

Good shout! I’m actually not, but I do do my own nails and wonder if the remover I have on the go might be contributing to it. I’ve got a Boots “ultra” type one at the moment purely because my usual one was out of stock so I’ll look to switch back. I do get it every single year, it just seems to be earlier than usual this autumn.

I’m so grateful for all the replies on this thread, thank you all so much.