The cold dry winter months can take its toll on your skin, this is especially true for your hands because of all of the extra hand-washing that most of us do this time of year in an effort to avoid all of the cold and flu viruses making their rounds through the office and workplace. According to WebMD the main cause of dry chapped hands is a lack of moisture, usually this is caused by excessive hand-washing, and unfortunately this is one time of year that you really don’t want to skip the hand-washing. But luckily there are a few things that you can do to minimize the damage and even improve the condition of your skin.
Use Better Hand Washing Techniques:
When at all possible skip the hand sanitizers and instead use a mild hand soap, also wash your hands in warm not hot water and gently pat them dry. Experts also say that you should avoid deodorant soaps and soaps containing fragrance, all of which help to further dry out and irritate your skin.
Wear Gloves:
Cold weather will quickly dry out your hands, leaving skin chapped and irritated and the best way to combat this is to expose your skin as little as possible to the elements.
Stay Hydrated:
Keeping your skin hydrated during cold winter months is also very important but you will find that drinking water won’t be enough to do this. Instead you will need to always apply a good moisturizer each and every time that you wash your hands, making sure to not neglect your nails and cuticles, as split cuticles is a common problem during cold weather. There are a lot of different products on the market designed to treat dry skin but for more damaged skin you’re going to want a thicker richer product containing ingredients like shea or cocoa butter.
Treat Your Skin Overnight:
One quick and easy way to repair the damage to your skin is by applying a thick layer of moisturizer to your hands at bedtime. Then slip on a pair of cotton gloves or socks and allow the moisturizer to work overnight. Most of the time an improvement in your hands will be seen in 3-4 days, but if for some reason the irritation persists you may want to see a dermatologist because it’s possible that your skin problems may be caused by some other type of skin problem like eczema or psoriasis .