Dr hive: dry hands

[athomeontheprairie]

I'm really hoping you guys can help me! My dd8 has had a horribly dry skin on her hands for several weeks. at this point they're red cracked rough and scaly. after three weeks of not getting better I called her doctor. they recommended soaking her hands for 5 minutes at night. applying a thick lotion and putting gloves on for bed. I've used coconut oil Scrubs, so many lotions, lanolin. It hasn't gotten any better. rather I'm quite sure it has gotten worse. my boys had a doctors appointment and the doctor saw her hands 3 weeks ago. she goes to see a dermatologist in 2 weeks, but she complains that they hurt. I do not know what to do! any suggestions?

[OnTheBrink]

I'm no doctor, but wouldn't soaking her hands dry them out more? Have you tried olive oil and the gloves? What about some sort of Vitamin E lotion or oil?

[Word Nerd]

Could she have an allergy or irritation from the hand soap you use? DD has sensitive skin and gets chapped hands when she uses some soaps.

[TKDmom]

Is she drinking enough water? I know that's not enough on its own, but dehydration might exacerbate it.

 

When I lived in AZ, my hands would crack and bleed sometimes. I used Avon's Intensive hand Cream. It burned going on those cracked hands, but softend them up real quick.

 

You may try calling the dermatologist to see if you can get in any sooner, since she's in such pain or at least ask them to call if they have a cancellation.

[happypamama]

Have you switched hand soap or anything recently?

 

I tend toward very dry skin in the winter, and a ton of water really helps, as does lotion several times a day. But my skin improves quickly with lotion, and this sounds more like an allergy to something. I have had the dryness get worse rapidly with some soap changes.

[datgh]

Eucerin is what works for us.  The real thick stuff that comes in a jar. Poor kid. My son's fingers can crack to the point of bleeding and they get very painful.

[Miss Peregrine]

This happened when my dd started washing her hands too much because of OCD. I bought a more gentle soap and we talked about how much to use.

[Dory]

Sounds silly, but I've used bag balm in the past when my hands were super dry. I know other others that have used other brands. It's the stuff that farmers put on cow bags to keep them from drying out. Works well.

[Guest submarines]

DD5 recently had dry red, rough hands. The skin didn't crack, but she complained about them hurting. I'll share what we did, in case it might be helpful, but I really didn't have any plan and everything we did was quite sporadic.

 

At first I thought it was an allergy related rash, and for the first two evenings I used a little bit of the antibacterial + hydrocortisone cream that I had left-overs of from DD11 rash. It seemed to improve the situation slightly--the total area became smaller, but the roughness and redness remained.

 

I also started to discourage frequent hand washing when at home--she used to play with soap and cold water quite a lot, and washed her hands every hour or so.

 

On the third or fourth night we used Aveno moisturizing lotion. When she rubbed it on, the top layer of her skin peeled. Which freaked me out a little, because I thought her hands would hurt even more afterwards; I was sure she rubbed too hard. However she woke up with much softer hands, and there was almost no redness. In two more days of Aveno, her hands were back to normal.

 

I hope you find a solution, OP.

[countrygal]

I guess I wouldn't soak them in water. When mine are in water (such as washing dishes) they dry out so much worse. When she does need to wash her hands (limit it at home), pat dry (don't rub) her hands making sure they are completely dry, then apply lotion everytime. I like Aveeno as well. When my hands get severe I would put Vaseline on them and put socks or gloves over them right before bed. I don't think I'd recommend using Vaseline (just seems icky to me now to use a petroleum product!) but coconut oil seems to be a good natural alternative. Avoid alcohol hand sanitizers (I'm sure she can't use them now because of the pain factor anyway.)

[momto10blessings]

I use Eucerin Intensive Repair when my hands or my kids hands get dry, red and cracked in the winter. I put it on several times a day until the issue resolves ( usually just a couple days) and then nightly to keep them from cracking again. It's expensive and may sting the first few times, but so worth it

[sbgrace]

My husband really struggles with his hands in the winter. This is what we've learned with him:

 

Allowing water to evaporate off the hands is a big cause of the issues. So she needs to make sure she dries her hands quickly and completely any time they get wet.  The less water exposure to her hands, the better.  Hot water is especially drying. edited to add: I am not suggesting she stop washing her hands...that's a good way to pick up or spread a virus or parasite! I'm saying use warm water, safe soap as mentioned below, and dry completely.

 

My husband gets the best response from Neutrogena Norwegian Hand Cream--Amazon link here--you can see it benefits others. It also helps me, though my hands don't have the issues his have unless I use soaps that cause reactions for me. My son does better with Waxalene (which I get at our local CVS far cheaper than the Amazon I linked here), but it smells like honey. My son is very sensitive to all sorts of things in product, and the Waxalene has a lot less "stuff" than the Neutrogena.

 

If she does gloves, she needs a cotton glove. Anything that makes her hands sweat will have the potential for evaporation issues. Gloves seemed to make my husband worse. She doesn't want any evaporation, whatever she does. I think I'd try something else first.

 

My hands have problems only if I wash with certain soaps.  It might be a good idea to switch to a very likely safe soap, just in case it's an allergic reaction. If her issue is only in winter, I would be less inclined to think this is likely a fragrance or similar skin sensitivity reaction. I have a safe soap at each sink that I and my sensitive son use. The whole family doesn't have to switch, but it might be a good idea to do that for her until you sort out the cause. Vanicream would be a safe soap option for most people. The line is made for those with sensitivities. My son and I react to even stuff labeled hypoallergenic.

 

Finally, heavy skin cracks are unfortunately going to take a while to heal up, even if what she is doing works. This is especially true if they are on places like knuckles that will break open. Hopefully whatever you do will keep any new ones from forming while the old heal. Whatever does work, she needs to keep doing. My husband gets into trouble if he lays off the care. It will need daily attention likely, at least in the winter. She might be tempted to stop if things heal and, at least for my husband, that leads to new cracks and pain.

[Dolphin]

We are a bag balm family too. 

 

I also use our humidifier this time of year. Just having more moisture in the air for our bodies to take in seems to help.

 

Another thing, is from the inside out. Drink lots of water. People always remember in the summer when they are hot and thirsty, but sometime people don't drink as much water in the winter.

[Lolly]

Extreme problem sometimes calls for extreme solution. Stop washing her hands. No soap. No antibacterial hand sanitizers. Cool water only and only if they are seriously dirty. (Try to not put any water on her hands for at least a week. Treat her like she has two broken arms with casts that cannot get wet.) No soaking!!! Glycerine, vaseline, Eucerine (the vaseliney kind)--chose one--cotton gloves or socks over them for bedtime. 

 

Water and soap are not always your friends. One of my girls cannot use soaps and avoids water on her skin whenever possible. yes, you get some nasty looks leaving public restrooms, but handwashing is actually very overrated...unless you are a doctor going from sick patient to sick patient...

 

editing to add: One reason to avoid soaps and most lotions is that they may contain unknown allergens. Turns out my dd is allergic to coconut (in most lotions and soaps in some form), lanolin, fruits (in most lotions and soaps in some form), and a whole host of other things. She is even allergic to oatmeal. While we were slathering all this stuff over her body to help keep her from cracking, it was causing the problem. I'd give her oatmeal bathes to relieve her itching...backfired. If your dd's hands are so dry they are cracked, it is very likely allergy related in some way. Internal and external can cause it, but it is far worse when you are putting the allergen directly on the problem. Glycerine and vaseline are highly unlikely to cause an allergic reaction. (I've never heard of it happening. Doesn't mean it can't, but it is not likely.) 

[SunnyDays]

I would also be wondering about an allergic reaction or possibly eczema. I had terrible eczema on my hands a few winters back, and they were red, scaly, very irritated.

 

Also a big fan of Aveeno lotion here, I use the daily moisturizing with oatmeal that has the green lid. I found it was about the only thing that didn't irritate my hands even more. As for soap, stop using anything scented for her. I have found that soft soap, either the white liquid soap with aloe, I think, or the orange colored liquid with moisturizers, both work well for me. I don't think I would stop washing her hands altogether... It's cold and flu season, plus if she has cracks or sores on her hands you need to keep them clean so they don't get infected. I do agree try to avoid sanitizer, it's very drying.

 

Good luck, hopefully there's something in the thread that will work for her!

[Pippen]

I have terrible problems with my hands and this winter I've been having good luck with Vaseline with Cocoa Butter.  I use it a couple of times a day on the red areas. If it's really bad I rub it in heavier with gloves or socks overnight.  .

 

It's cheap too--$3 a tub at Walmart.

 

 

The advice from the doctor's office about soaking her hands in five minutes is exact opposite of what my dermatologist would say.

[StephanieZ]

We have had this issue in various family members. I have a lot of topical sensitivities to soaps and lotions, too, which makes things even more interesting. 

 

For us, the magic cure is straight up Vaseline. I know lots of folks dislike using petroleum products, but, for my family, including those of us with extreme skin sensitivities, that is the ONE thing we can use on irritated skin that does not cause further irritation.

 

I don't know what the "soak for 5 min" business is about. I'd skip that step. FOR SURE.

 

At bed time, I'd slather on a thick layer of Vaseline on the hands. Then I'd wrap them in a pair of thick socks (small enough not to fall off). Most family members wouldn't be able to sleep this way. It'd drive them nuts. So, the socks might only last an hour or two before someone gives up and pulls them off. Others can sleep this way no problem. IME, there will be a significant improvement after just one night if they can do it all night. Even if they only last an hour or two, there will be some improvement. If they don't make it most of the night, then repeat in the morning. I can't sleep this way, so if I need to do this, then I simply do it for an hour or two before bed, then go to bed that way, then it drives me nuts, and I pull them off an hour or so into trying to go to sleep. it still helps hugely. :) 

 

In general, use the Vaseline as a moisturizer (sparingly so it doesn't stain everything in the house) after hand washing, at least 3 times a day, until the hands are healed.

 

HTH

[littlebug42]

This used to happen to my daughter in the winter time.  She was obsessive about hand washing and those antibacterial gels.  I don't let her use those anymore and we do not buy antibacterial soap.  She also keeps a good hand lotion with her and uses that throughout the day.  So far this winter, we have not had a problem.  

 

When the hands would get their worst, I would load them up with olive oil and have her sleep with gloves or wrap her hands in gauze.  That seemed to help more than anything and it didn't sting.  

[mrsrevmeg]

 

My husband gets the best response from Neutrogena Norwegian Hand Cream--Amazon link here--you can see it benefits others. It also helps me, though my hands don't have the issues his have unless I use soaps that cause reactions for me. My son does better with Waxalene (which I get at our local CVS far cheaper than the Amazon I linked here), but it smells like honey. My son is very sensitive to all sorts of things in product, and the Waxalene has a lot less "stuff" than the Neutrogena.

 

 

I second the Neutrogena recommendation. That is what we use for extremely dry hands. My husband has to put his hands in chemical-filled water at work that gives him skin irritation. This is the only thing we have found that really helps.

[zoobie]

Don't use any antibacterial soaps and check for a preservative called methylisothiazolinone (MI). It's not limited to baby wipes, but there was a recent news story about them: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/baby-wipe-chemical-tied-to-allergic-reactions-in-some-kids/

 

Apply lotion to wet or damp skin. Don't dry them after washing. Shake, then add lotion with a few drops of vegetable glycerine. Adding that has made the biggest difference to DH's skin this winter! We've tried every lotion on the planet and he prefers Aveeno Baby Daily Moisture (in baby section at Target). Oldest DD likes the Aveeno Eczema Therapy lotion better. It's in the pharmacy area at Target, not with the other lotions. I was surprised they picked relatively cheap ones because I ordered everything! They also like a Japanese cream called Yu-Be that's available at Sephora and amazon. Both have hands that crack and bleed in winter.

 

Does she wear gloves near-daily? We don't here, but if she does, could something in the gloves be irritating her skin? Some people react to wool or poly fleece.

 

For DD, we've done a thick Aquaphor slather topped by cotton socks at bedtime. DH can't tolerate that but will do it if desperate while he's awake and watching TV before bed.

[Mommy22alyns]

Rebecca had the same problem and the only thing that's worked is Working Hands creme at Amazon.  She puts it on at night with some cotton gloves and her hands are as smooth as can be now.  She had it especially bad because of all the chalk at  the gym.

[BellaMama]

1. drinking lots of water

2. minimal handwashing

3. Cerave cream twice a day

 

There are a few Cerave products, the cream is very soothing.

[Miss Peregrine]

Yeah, no antibacterial soap. We switched to foam soap.