Why are My Hands So Dry? Although dry hand skin is not a very dangerous condition, it can be unsightly and make you uncomfortable in daily activities. In most cases, dry hands are caused by environmental and weather conditions. In addition, frequent hand washing and contact with chemicals can also make the skin of the hands dry and itchy.
Dry, cracked skin on the hands is not uncommon. Women, in particular, are the most susceptible to dry skin on their hands. This condition does not seriously affect health but causes discomfort and loss of aesthetics for sufferers. The following article will show why you have failed to apply the methods to cure dry, cracked skin.
Why are My Hands So Dry?
The Main Reasons for Extremely Dry Cracked Hands
Hands are often dry due to environmental factors. Very hot and very cold weather is one of the most important causes of dry hands. Washing hands frequently after weather conditions and using hand sanitisers and medicines can also lead to dry hands.
- Dry Hands Due to Weather
During cold days, especially cold weather, without much moisture in the air, the skin of the hands is often more prone to dryness. This is because the reduced humidity in the air will take away the moisture from the skin of your hands.
- Workplace Conditions
Workplace conditions can also cause the skin of your hands to become rough. People in jobs that require a lot of hand washing, such as nurses, doctors or teachers, are more likely to experience this condition. In addition, factory workers or hairdressers are also often exposed to chemicals or substances that are strong irritants to the skin, thereby making the skin prone to dryness.
- Health Conditions
Often, people with autoimmune disorders such as diabetes or lupus can have reduced blood circulation to the hands. This makes their hands more susceptible to irritation. In addition, eczema and psoriasis are two conditions that cause inflammation of the skin, which can also lead to dry, flaky, and chapped hands.
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The Way of Warming Up.
Heaters, wood stoves, underfloor heaters and fireplaces reduce moisture and dry out the skin.
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Hot baths and showers.
Prolonged hot showers or baths can dry out the skin. Swimming, especially in heavily chlorinated pools, is also an important cause of dryness.
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Insufficient Fluid Intake.
Drinking enough water daily is necessary for the skin to maintain moisture.
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Other Skin Conditions for Extremely Dry Cracked Hands.
People with skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis or psoriasis are prone to dry skin.
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Some Drugs.
Skin dryness can occur as a side effect of some medications.
>>> You may be interested: Why are My Hands Always Cold – Causes and Treatment
Signs of Dry Hand Skin
You can identify Extremely Dry Cracked Hands by the following signs:
- People who begin to show mild signs of dry hands experience a feeling of dryness, sometimes itching and increased skin sensitivity.
- In more severe cases, the skin of the affected person’s hands will be dry, the skin surface will be scattered with skin scales, and some cracks will appear.
- More serious will lead to severe lesions on the surface of the skin, promoting dermatitis and some other skin diseases.
- Frequently exposed to direct sunlight: Hands are areas of skin that are less protected and are constantly exposed to the outside environment. When exposed to the sun for a long time, the skin tissue of the hands is damaged and irritated, causing dryness and cracking.
- Wash your hands often with strong detergents: This is a preventive measure for infectious diseases of the respiratory and digestive tracts. However, when you wash your hands often with soap with a high concentration of detergent, the stratum corneum of the skin of the hands is damaged. This leads to moisture loss in the skin and causes dry, cracked skin.
- Use soap with strong detergent: All kinds of laundry soap, dishwashing liquid, and house cleaners… are products that contain large amounts of detergent. When hands come into direct contact with this toxic cleaning chemical, it will cause dry skin. At the same time, losing the nutrients of the skin of the hands leads to strong oxidation of the skin.
- Using certain medicines to treat the disease: During the treatment of the disease, severe peeling of the skin on the hands is very common. Because some special drugs for blood pressure, diuretics … will interfere with the nutrient synthesis process and skin moisture supply.
- Frequent sweating: Some people have a habit of sweating on their hands often. This condition is uncomfortable and affects the health of the skin of the hands. Because sweating regularly will make the skin surface constantly wet. This is a favorable condition for bacteria and fungi to grow and cause infection and peeling of the skin.
- Eczema: Eczema is a skin disease caused by the skin’s expansion. When suffering from this disease, the skin all over the body is constantly peeling off into many layers, including the skin of the hands.
The symptoms that can be seen in skin dryness vary depending on age, general health status, place of residence, time spent outside, and the cause of the problem. For Extremely Dry Cracked Hands, the skin may experience one or more of the following symptoms:
- The feeling of tightness in the skin, especially after showering, bathing, or swimming
- A rough appearance on the skin
- Itching
- Skin peeling and flaking
- Fine lines or cracks
- Redness and rashes
- Bleeding deep cracks
- Scars and discoloration due to scratching
Dry skin complaints in most people respond well to lifestyle changes and home-use moisturizing creams and lotions. But sometimes, it can be more resistant and not pass by its efforts. It is necessary to apply to a health institution for treatment in the following cases;
- If the complaint of dryness does not go away despite the person’s great effort
- If there is redness along with the dryness
- If the itching due to dryness is so much that it interferes with sleep
- If open sores have developed
- If scratches and cracks are infected
- If there is peeling and flaking in large areas
Always Have Dry Hands? Just do it
They first need protection and hydration; if the dryness is extreme, you can resort to hyaluronic acid.
The cold, the wind, the heating, and the contact with the water and the detergents dry the skin of the hands, one of the most punished of the body, especially in winter. We suggest four solutions to prevent your skin from becoming rough, scaly and cracked.
- Protect Them From External Aggression
This can achieve with a few simple habits. In winter, protect them from low temperatures, and always wear gloves when you go out. And also, when you do housework, detergents, or dust, do not dry them out. If you have to wash your hands very often because of your work, it is better to use a mild soap (with a pH lower than 5) and warm water.
It is unsuitable even if you feel like hot water because it damages the skin’s hydrolipidic layer. And above all, dry them very well after each wash. If the hands are wet, they tend to dehydrate. Of course, with a towel, because an air dryer also dries out the skin.
- Use Hand Cream on Demand
Be generous. Use it every day, as often as you see fit, but especially after washing them and before going out and bed. When choosing it, note that its composition contains the star ingredients against dryness: glycerin or urea (which moisturizes), shea butter (which nourishes and repairs without greasing), and vegetable oils such as almond oil (which reinforce the skin barrier ). When you have time, after applying it, put on some thin cotton gloves for about ten minutes; the actives will penetrate better. Or sleep once a week with the gloves; it will be an intensive cure.
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Hyaluronic acid Injections
If the dryness is extreme and accompanied by cracks and roughness, you can resort to medical-aesthetic treatments such as hyaluronic acid infiltration. They replenish this acid with moisturizing properties that the skin loses over time. It infiltrates the deep dermis after applying an anesthetic ointment to the area.
- Give Them a Paraffin Bath
It also provides maximum hydration if they are cracked or rough. “Paraffin is used in hand and foot care centers to hydrate the skin, as it is an occlusive substance,” explains dermatologist Elia Roo. How is it done? The hands are immersed in very hot liquid paraffin, which is allowed to solidify and be removed. It is a treatment that is carried out in the cabin. But you can also apply argan oil (leaving it to act for half an hour and cleaning the remains that the skin has not absorbed), and if you have cracks, aloe vera or rosehip oil, as they are healing.
