Chapped hands

[ApologiaPhoenix]

It might be the cold weather or handling cold grocery or the material on my Santa hat or bedsheets or something.

Anyhow, despite wearing mittens, my hands keep chapping painfully. I seem to have new cuts everyday and my knuckles are red all over. Sometimes it's like my hands are on fire and I just want to scream. Any recommendations?

[mossrose]

Nick. I have the same problem. Winter only makes it worse.

I just keep slathering hand lotion all over my hands. One really good thing to do is see if you can find any pure lanolin......maybe a health food store......

I got some years ago from a pharmacy, but I don't know if you could still get it from a drugstore.

It smells a little, but it sure works good. You may not want to put it on during the day, but it would be good for overnight.

Good luck.......I feel for you......as I type with my cracked fingers and skin flaking all over the keyboard...

[technomage]

It might be the cold weather or handling cold grocery or the material on my Santa hat or bedsheets or something.

Anyhow, despite wearing mittens, my hands keep chapping painfully. I seem to have new cuts everyday and my knuckles are red all over. Sometimes it's like my hands are on fire and I just want to scream. Any recommendations?

If you can stand it on already open skin, Gold Bond medicated cream is da bomb for chapped hands. My wife absolutely swears by it.

[mossrose]

Justin!


Gentle

[Trout]

Nick, take it from me, use something designed for dairy cow udders such as Bag Balm, Bova Cream, or my personal favorite, Corona.

[Xmansmommy]

Hey Nick....I have ALWAYS suffered from cracking and bleeding hands during the winter months. This year however, since I ordered Surgeon's Secret Moisturizer Stick from QVC, I have not had any problems whatsoever. It's beeswax based and when you first put it on you feel the wax but it sure has protected my hands like nothing else ever has.

[Teallaura]

When you wash your hands, pat them dry and immediately put on moisturizer. It helps seal in the moisture (and isn't gross like putting it on when they are wet ).

Switch to a mild soap like Dove.

Anyway, that's what my doc said... So far so good...

[PrometheusX303]

I see some good tips. Cheap lotions usually don't do the trick. Try some that are made for the job, like those suggested.

My hands get chapped in the winter, too. Especially my knuckles. I use Corn Huskers Lotion. But this is BEFORE they get bad. I'm not sure if it will help already badly chapped hands. I've also heard that Vick's Vapo-Rub (cheap stuff works too) does good for cracked hands and feet. It's full of plant oils.

[QuantaFille]

During the winter I have very dry skin too, and I normally use Hyland's Calendula ointment. This one you'd want to use right before bed, because you really don't want to touch anything with this stuff on your hands. It's petrolatum based so it's similar to Vaseline in consistency, and it has calendula and lanolin in it.

Also, Mary Kay has something called Extra-Emollient Night Cream, or, as it's known among Mary Kay salespeople, "Pink Crisco". It has the consistency of, well, crisco. It contains petrolatum, as well as different types of waxes (including beeswax) so it seals in the moisture. This one you'd want to use right before bed, too.

The best thing though, is Vaseline Dermatology Formula Lotion, but as far as I know you can't get it in the stores, you'll have to ask a doctor for it. But your skin absorbs it quickly, so you can use it anytime.

Hope this helps!
Quanta

[learning]

I found Neutrogena's lotion is very good, the kind they say that the fishermen in Norway use. It's like a vaseline based thing, but has some other things in it. It protects and sooths. You can get it in a large bottle with a pump, though it is less vaseliny. A child of mine had it recommended to her by her Dr. to use after washing one's face, to help prevent overdrying in trying to prevent acne. I found in using it on my hands, it soothed any small nicks I was getting, whether from the cold or too much water, it helped. We're out of it now, so I think I'll stop at the pharmacists tomorrow.
For healing already chapped skin, I know what worked best on diaper rash, and though it's not the same, it may help. Zincofax baby cream always healed up red sores within a day or two. I knew of elderly people that used it to prevent bed sores too. It may sting, so try this sparingly at first. But usually it helps to soothe any sores.