So there I am in the subway, minding my own business, when I'm suddenly faced with....the Hands of Destruction. Every knuckle-line bloody. Patches of skin so dry, they're greenish grey, cracked, and bleeding. I couldn't tear my eyes away. I wanted to rush over to the woman attached to those hands and....prescribe something. Anything.
When I was 12 or 13, I used to let my hands get that dry, or close to that dry, and then tell people I had leprosy. Sometimes they even believed me, my hands looked that hideous. Fortunately for absolutely everyone, I got over that phase and found new ways to get attention. Like getting arrested. But I digress...
We all suffer from dry hands this time of year, some of us worse than others. Most suffer from a compromised lipid barrier (quick science lesson for everyone that zoned out during biology: its the membrane that keeps stuff that belongs to one part, or one cell, from leaking into or out of its environment.) Why does this happen? Excessive hand washing. Use of the dread hand-santizer. Why dread? This stuff is totally unnecessary in daily life, unless you happen to use a porta-potty instead of a bathroom with running water. It dries out your skin, big time. Reducing your exposure to quotidian germs probably INCREASES the likelihood that you'll get sick. While I'm on the topic, quit using anti-biotic hand soaps too. Not only are they redundant, they stay in the water supply, and impact the environment. Who says fish need anti-biotics???? Shoot, I digress again. Slap. Sorry.
Now the owner of the hands that inspired this post probably had a pretty severe case of excema, in which case more drastic measures would be called for. But for the rest of us, perhaps suffering from OCD and neglect, need to calm down on the hand santizer and engage in a little TLC. If there isn't too much inflamation, use something with a high concentration of lactic acid (hydrates and sloughs excess dead skin) like AmLactin Cream. Let it sink in, then seal it with something seriously occlusive and moisturizing. Nothing beats Aquaphor, particularly on a cost-benefit basis: glycerin and B5 in a super-thick formulation ensure mega-moisturizing capacity. Then follow your grandmother's trick of wearing cotton gloves to bed. Not only will it maintain a humid environment, it will keep all of that goop from migrating off of your hands onto your sheets, face, hair, etc. During the day, apply moisturizer with sunscreen IMMEDIATELY after washing your hands, every single time you hit the sink. I promise you will see a huge difference in three days!
When I was 12 or 13, I used to let my hands get that dry, or close to that dry, and then tell people I had leprosy. Sometimes they even believed me, my hands looked that hideous. Fortunately for absolutely everyone, I got over that phase and found new ways to get attention. Like getting arrested. But I digress...
We all suffer from dry hands this time of year, some of us worse than others. Most suffer from a compromised lipid barrier (quick science lesson for everyone that zoned out during biology: its the membrane that keeps stuff that belongs to one part, or one cell, from leaking into or out of its environment.) Why does this happen? Excessive hand washing. Use of the dread hand-santizer. Why dread? This stuff is totally unnecessary in daily life, unless you happen to use a porta-potty instead of a bathroom with running water. It dries out your skin, big time. Reducing your exposure to quotidian germs probably INCREASES the likelihood that you'll get sick. While I'm on the topic, quit using anti-biotic hand soaps too. Not only are they redundant, they stay in the water supply, and impact the environment. Who says fish need anti-biotics???? Shoot, I digress again. Slap. Sorry.
Now the owner of the hands that inspired this post probably had a pretty severe case of excema, in which case more drastic measures would be called for. But for the rest of us, perhaps suffering from OCD and neglect, need to calm down on the hand santizer and engage in a little TLC. If there isn't too much inflamation, use something with a high concentration of lactic acid (hydrates and sloughs excess dead skin) like AmLactin Cream. Let it sink in, then seal it with something seriously occlusive and moisturizing. Nothing beats Aquaphor, particularly on a cost-benefit basis: glycerin and B5 in a super-thick formulation ensure mega-moisturizing capacity. Then follow your grandmother's trick of wearing cotton gloves to bed. Not only will it maintain a humid environment, it will keep all of that goop from migrating off of your hands onto your sheets, face, hair, etc. During the day, apply moisturizer with sunscreen IMMEDIATELY after washing your hands, every single time you hit the sink. I promise you will see a huge difference in three days!
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