Dry Skin on Hands

Dryness of hands is a bothersome condition. You find it difficult to work with dry hands as its roughness can be felt every time you touch any surface with your hands. Sometimes, cracks may develop on excessive dry skin on hands which may become tender and itchy and increase your problem. The skin of the hands tend to dry up very easily as compared to any other parts of the body. The oil glands present under the skin surface produces oils that keep the skin moisturized. This oily substance of the skin on hands get absorbed into all those surfaces that you touch with hands. This constant removal of oil makes the skin dry.

Causes

Environmental factors play a major role in drying up the skin on hands. You must be knowing that dry hands is a common problem in low temperature and humidity condition of winter months. In this harsh condition, the skin loses out the moisture very easily. Those people who live in dry climate regions may face this problem of chapped hands throughout the year. Prolonged exposure to sun can evaporate the moisture from the skin and make it dry and damaged. Indoor heating or air conditioning can also lower the humidity level of the indoor air. As a result, moisture from the skin surface escape into the air and make it dry.

Too much of hand washing can result in dry peeling hands. Hot water used for hand washing, chemicals present in soaps and hand sanitizers tend to strip off natural oils from the skin surface and make it dry. Extremely dry hands could be a side effect of some medicines like aspirin, diuretics, sulfa drugs, etc. If the cause of dryness is psoriasis then red dry skin patches appear on them. This is an immune system disorder that promotes abnormal skin cell growth. This results in accumulation of thick skin cells which is dry, itchy, scaly and sometimes painful.

How to Get Rid of Dry Skin on Hands

There are some simple measures which when taken at home can help you to get rid of dry chapped hands. A few of them are given below:

Avoid Harsh Soaps
Always use good quality moisturizing soaps for washing your hands. You have to make sure that any laundry detergents or dish washing soap should not come in contact with your hands while washing clothes or dishes. Wear gloves for doing these chores in order to protect your hands.

Apply Hand Lotion
Every time, you wash your hands, you must apply a generous amount of hand lotion thoroughly all over the hands. A hand lotion without any perfumes or dyes is best suited for this purpose. Those with natural ingredients like avocado oil, cocoa butter or shea butter are better options as these components have excellent healing effects on dry cracked hands.

Exfoliate the Skin
Exfoliation is important to get rid of the dry dead skin cells from the hands. Thus the underlying skin with a smooth texture will be revealed. You can prepare an exfoliant at home with olive oil and table salt. Mix 1 tablespoon of salt with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and rub this moisture gently on the hands using small circular motions. Give special attention to problem areas where the dry skin is peeling. Then wash off with plain warm water and apply hand lotion. Do not exfoliate the skin if it is broken.

Use Paraffin Wax
When dry skin on hands cracks, treat them with warm paraffin wax. Apply a good amount of hand lotion all over the hands and then put them in warm paraffin wax. Allow the wax to dry properly and then remove it. You will find that your dry skin has turned soft and supple. For best results, it should be done three times in a day.

Apply Petroleum Jelly
An effective solution for the problem of severe dry skin on hands and feet is petroleum jelly. Apply a thick coat of petroleum jelly on them before going to bed. Rub it well into the skin in the areas that lie in between the toes and fingers, the cuticles and knuckles. After application, wrap the hands and feet with plastic and then wear gloves and socks. Keep your hands and feet in covered condition like this while sleeping. Next morning, when you can notice marked improvement in the skin condition.

Dry skin can be prevented by following a few simple steps. Avoid any skin care products that have alcohol content. Apply sunscreen on the hands before going out in the sun. Increase the humidity of the indoor air by using humidifier. Eat healthy diet to keep your overall skin healthy.