Dry Hands from Frequent Washing Hands? Find Out the Solution Here

One of the preventative steps to avoid contracting the Corona virus is to wash your hands diligently. However, frequent hand washing can sometimes cause the skin to become dry hands, even irritation, pain, and injury. Then, what's the solution?

Washing your hands with soap can indeed make your hands clean. However, if this is often done as an effort to prevent Corona virus infection, the skin of your hands can dry, peel, crack, blister, even rashes and sores arise.

Usually the problem occurs on the back of the hand and always between the fingers, because the skin in this area is thinner than the skin in the palm. In addition, the above complaints are also more often experienced by people who have sensitive skin or have experienced contact dermatitis.

Solution to Overcome Dry Hand Skin due to Frequent Hand Washing

Overcoming dry skin does not mean you have to reduce hand washing, yes. However, washing your hands properly is very important to protect you from germ infections, especially when we are facing a Corona virus outbreak like this.

Well , so that the skin of your hands remains healthy even though wash your hands often, do the following tips:

1. Do not just choose soap

So that your skin does not dry easily, you need to be careful in choosing hand washing soap. Choose soap that can provide moisture to the skin, such as those containing glycerin and lanolin.

In addition, you should choose liquid soap instead of bar soap, because bar soap usually has a high pH that can make your skin dry.

2. Don't use hot water

To wash your hands, just use plain water, because warm or hot water removes natural oils from your skin more easily. In fact, the oil serves to keep the water in the skin layer, so that the skin remains moist.

Besides, the hotter the water, the more likely your hands become irritated. If the weather is indeed cold and you can't stand being cold because you wash your hands often, you can use water that is lukewarm.

3. Dry your hands properly

After washing your hands, dry your hands properly. Avoid rubbing cloths, towels, or tissue on the skin of the hands. Just pat gently on your hands so that your skin doesn't blister or sweat, especially if your skin is sensitive and easily hurt.

Dry your hands with a dry, clean cloth, towel or tissue. Using hand dryers is no more recommended. Apart from being more unhygienic, a puff of hot air from the device can make hands too dry, rough, and irritated.

4. Use moisturizer

Well, this fourth tip is quite important for you to do. To keep your skin moist and healthy, apply a moisturizing cream or ointment that can block the evaporation of water from the layers of your skin. Choose a moisturizer that contains:

• Occlusive, which is a material that can prevent loss of water from the skin, for example petrolatum or petroleum jelly
• Emollients, which are ingredients which can soften and soothe the skin, for example isopropyl myristate and octyl okanoate
• Humectants, which are materials that can maintain skin moisture, for example carboxylic acid and lactic acid

If your hands are very dry, before going to bed, you can wear cotton gloves on hands that have been dampened with moisturizer. That way, in the morning, your hands can become extra moist.

Washing your hands is indeed very important for maintaining health, especially in the midst of the Corona virus outbreak. However, frequent hand washing can eventually make the skin dry and irritated hands.

Therefore, diligent hand washing must also be accompanied by good hand skin care. Moreover, healthy skin is also a good fortress against disease germs, you know.

If after applying the tips above, your hand's skin remains dry or even complaints are getting worse, consult it with a skin specialist via chat directly with the doctor on the Alodokter app to get the right advice and treatment.

If your condition requires direct treatment from a doctor, make an appointment to consult a doctor at the hospital through the Alodokter app, so you can be directed to the nearest doctor who can help you. Remember, do not immediately come to the hospital in the midst of an outbreak of COVID-19 as it is today, so that you are not at risk of contracting the Corona virus.

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