How to Intervene for Chapped Hands

H and eczema affects around 10% of the UK population. If you feel judged because you have chapped hands or if you simply find them obstructing your normal everyday life, you don’t need to worry anymore. They are easily treatable if you take care of them properly. Here’s how to intervene for chapped hands.

What Are Chapped Hands?

Chapping refers to the cracking of the skin, causing oftentimes rough skin and sometimes sore skin. This is mostly due to environmental conditions, but other factors such as exposure to certain chemicals, some medical conditions, and even frequent handwashing can be the cause of chapped hands.

But don’t worry if you have dry hands, they are fairly straightforward to treat at home, provided that they are not the symptom of a larger problem (such as an underlying medical issue).

To combat the issue of chapped hands, try these options:

Moisturize Your Hands

This one seems quite obvious, but a lot of us skip out on moisturizing. Don’t be one of these people! Buy a quality body moisturizer, and use it frequently on your hands. Moisturizing creams and lotions help to restore some moisture to the skin, so they become less chapped over constant use.

Wear Gloves

Your skin has natural oils that prevent moisture from evaporating. If your hands are routinely immersed in water (such as doing the dishes or being a surgeon), it is likely that your skin’s natural oils may be stripped and leave your hands to chap. To prevent that, wear gloves.

Immerse Your Hands Overnight

Before you go to sleep, slather a lot of lotion on your hands, and completely soak them. Then, wear a glove over it or wrap a sock around it. You can also use Vaseline since it is petroleum-based. This way, the moisturizer will be trapped, and therefore absorb very well into your skin overnight as you get your beauty sleep. Chances are you will wake up with hands that are much improved since the night before, or you may even wake up with baby smooth hands if your case of chapped hands is mild.

Decrease How Much Stress You Take

This may sound a bit unexpected, but there is a small link between eczema and stress. If you feel like your hands are becoming way too dry, analyze if you’ve been too stressed lately, and figure out a way to manage that stress. Your skin and your mental health will both thank you.

Consider UV Light Therapy

This is for the more serious cases of chapped hands, specifically severe psoriasis. Ask your doctor if ultraviolet light therapy is for you, as ultraviolet light helps the skin heal by  itself.

Consider Getting Medication

Medicines for chapped hands were specifically designed to treat dryness, so if home remedies don’t work for you, try seeing a dermatologist and getting medicines to treat chapped hands. Your doctor may prescribe you topical steroids if you have eczema, or in some cases antibiotics to be taken orally. If you have severe eczema, some medicine may be necessary to give your skin a chance to heal.

Use Hydrocortisone Cream

If your chapped hands seem to be worsening instead of healing despite trying remedies, you may be at risk of developing or may have already developed dermatitis. Common signs are inflammation and red skin. In such a case, any lotion or cream containing hydrocortisone will help ease the irritation.

Get Some Prescription Cream

Visiting a dermatologist is likely the best idea if your case of chapped hands is not becoming better. If your skin is very dry to the point where it’s scaly, the dermatologist can recommend a special cream that contains urea or lactic acid. These two agents help in getting rid of the scaly or dry skin, and in the healing process too.

In Conclusion

Being on time with trying to heal your dry skin will prevent it from becoming way worse. Try to notice the signs and symptoms as soon as possible, and while trying to heal chapped hands, make sure you are drinking enough water to stay hydrated and that you are consuming enough fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins, because it is very important for your body to have the correct nutrients for your skin to be healthy.

Lastly, remember that there’s only so much you can do for your dry and chapped hands by yourself at home. If you’re wondering how to intervene for chapped hands, try remedies but do visit a dermatologist if your efforts pay no fruit.

• This post is tagged in:

• health
• healthcare
• skincare
• skin
• hands
• chapped hands
• winter
• dry skin