With the frequency of washing hands going up in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak, ensuring that our skin is not damaged by regular use of soaps has become critical. Skin experts recommend use of lukewarm water to wash hands. They say hot water can cause dry skin in longer run as it also washes natural oils off the skin.
Use of moisturising soap is also highly recommended along with applying moisturiser after washing the hands. Skin experts suggest using creams or ointments rather than lotions, which contain water content. According to experts, wearing gloves for a couple of hours after applying a moisturiser helps the surface moisture to reach where it needs to go.
People having some skin conditions like psoriasis can use skin balm directly onto sores or cracked areas after the wash. If you want to avoid frequent use of soap, you can temporarily replace it with a hand sanitizer. If you have deep fissures, which often occur at the sides of the fingers by the nail inserts, consider liquid Band-Aid. Liquid Band-Aid is a great way to keep the edges of the fissure together to accelerate wound healing.
If your hands are too chapped to wash, you can temporarily use hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer is another option to limit handwashing until the skin recovers, but not before eating, after going to the bathroom, or when hands are visibly soiled. When drying your hands, don’t wipe to prevent micro-abrasions on the skin. Paper towels are best, but if you use cloth, each person in a home should have their own towel and towels should be replaced with clean ones every 3 days. Make sure hands are thoroughly dried, as germs are more easily transferred on wet hands.
