Dry Hands

Dry Hands

From Sandpaper to Satin

They crack, burn and itch. They snag on your panty hose. And they look like the appendages of a crustacean, not a human being. They're dry, chapped hands--the scourge of women who spend time with their hands in and out of water or working in the super-dry air of office buildings.

"Even here in Oregon, where the air is moist year-round, dry skin can be a real problem for hands, because once we turn on the heat, it dries out the skin," observes Phoebe Rich, M.D., clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Oregon Health Sciences Center in Portland.

SOAK, SEAL AND PROTECT

Women doctors say that there is plenty you can do to relieve dry hands. "How we care for our skin can make a major difference in how our hands look," says Loretta Davis, M.D., associate professor of dermatology at the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine in Augusta. Here's what to do.

Wash with a superfatted soap. "Soaps in general strip oil from your skin, so look for less irritating products," says Dr. Davis. Look for soaps that contain emollients--such as Dove and Oil of Olay.

Replace lost oils. At first, dunking your parched hands in water soothes the itching and discomfort. But repeated exposure only exacerbates dry skin, say women doctors.

"Water is the biggest culprit to hands, especially in combination with soaps and detergents," says Dr. Rich. She advises that women moisturize their hands immediately after washing them, to seal in the water that the skin has absorbed, helping prevent drying and chapping.

Skin-care specialist Lia Schorr, owner of Lia Schorr Skin Care Salon in New York City, suggests looking for hand lotions and creams that contain mineral oil or glycerin. Others recommend mild lotions such as Cetaphil, Moisturel, Aveeno, Eucerin or Purpose.

Wear protective gloves. "Hairdressers, who come in constant contact with chemicals, experience dry hands more than anyone else," says Dr. Rich.

For everyone else household cleaning products are a problem. Bathroom cleaner, ammonia and bleach tend to be especially drying to the hands, says Dr. Davis.

To protect your hands, Dr. Rich advises wearing rubber gloves with cotton liners. "The liners keep your hands from sweating. Otherwise, the sweat, just like water, dries out your skin."

(For practical ways to manage eczema, a skin condition that resembles dry skin, see page 193.)