Cracked hands
Dry, cracked hands, small cracks, flaky or peeling skin on the hands are symptoms that have a common denominator. Impaired skin function.
How did this happen? Two causes are usually to blame. The skin has been damaged for a long time by improper care and contact with various chemicals that are all around us. Or the skin is inherently sensitive and prone to atopy or allergies.
How to treat cracked hands
Either way, the problem already exists. I have cracked hands, so what to do about it? First of all, it is necessary to master the correct procedure for washing hands. Washing too often is harmful. You should use lukewarm water to wash your hands. If you can use non-chlorinated water, so much the better. Do not wash cracked hands with ordinary soaps. They're highly alkaline, their Ph is usually around 12. Skin, on the other hand, has an acidic environment, with a Ph of around 5. Soaps or gels with Ph4.5 to Ph5.5 can be bought at a reasonable price in any drugstore. Such soaps maintain the balance of the skin. Cracked hands do not tolerate friction, so dry them only by tapping them in a towel or blowing them in the air. After washing, cracked hands need to be moisturized. Only use oily creams if they also contain a moisturising ingredient. Lard does not penetrate deep into the skin and is therefore unsuitable for moisturising. After washing and moisturizing comes the hardest part of care. Hands should not be exposed to new irritation. This means starting to wear protective gloves whenever we work with substances that irritate the skin (when cleaning, cooking, gardening, in the workshop, etc).
Using barrier cream instead of gloves?
Protective gloves can partially replace barrier cream. It can isolate the cracked skin from external irritation for up to six hours. Of course, this depends on how aggressive the environment is. For Acids and alkalis are more of an emergency protection. This means that it will give enough time for the stained skin to be rinsed off. On the other hand, for normal household work, it is effective for 4 hours or more, even after repeated washing. In addition, it has excellent moisturising ability.
