Understand my skin
Many of us have damaged hands and the causes can be quite diverse. And yet, whatever we do, we all constantly need to use our hands. It’s therefore better to develop good habits and choose the right care to relieve discomfort and to stop things from getting worse.
Everyday, hands are exposed to external aggressions, are washed frequently, used constantly for an incredible number of tasks. With their fragile skin, they are often naturally very dry. Very dry hands can quickly turn to damaged, cracked hands with micro-fissures. Even the most basic daily tasks can become excruciating.
Healthcare professionals often spring to mind when discussions arise about damaged hands, however they are not the only ones! Anyone’s hands can be affected, both women and men, at any age and in any country. Let’s first look at the different and habitual symptoms of damaged hands, to be able to identify them and understand how serious the problem is. Then we’ll look at the causes, which can sometimes be tied to a particular professional context. Finally, some people are more at risk than others, and must take preventive measures.
Used constantly during daily life, hands have specific biological characteristics, which make them notably fragile.
Lack of sebum
The palm’s skin may be thick, but not so with the skin on the back of hands, where there are very few sebaceous glands. Less sebum also means less protection, and an hydrolipidic film that is less effective.
Lack of moisture
The natural moisturising factors are four to five times less active on hands compared to the face. This phenomenon shows that hands are almost always dehydrated, leading to feelings of discomfort and the need to compensate for the lack of moisture by applying creams.
This is why we all have hands that are dry on a temporary basis. But having dry hands doesn’t mean that our hands are damaged. They are two different stages. Indeed, damaged hands go further in that symptoms longer and are more intense, much more than simply skin that pulls and minor discomfort.
Hands are one of our fragile areas, first for biological reasons, and also because we tend not to care very much for them… and yet they are so important for our daily life. They help us do everything, everyday, all the time, and often, we simply don’t pay enough attention to them. Despite hands being used for all activities, they do not have much natural protection against what can irritate them. The back of hands, especially, has thin skin and not many sebaceous glands. It’s also the area of the body that we wash the most, which contributes to skin being weakened.
You can see that you have damaged hands! This skin type comes with an assortment of sensations that make certain daily activities very difficult.
Learn more in our article: "What’s the difference between dry hands and damaged hands?"
Hands become sensitive to hot water, soap and hydroalcoholic gel. With each contact, they sting. The situation can worsen to chapping, cracks and splits, so that hands can no longer be used normally. Sometimes you can’t use them at all, you can’t bend your fingers, hold a pen or type on a keyboard…
When all of these signs are combined and get worse, your doctor may diagnose dermatosis. There are two kinds:
It represents 80% of cases and happens when your hands come into contact with an irritating substance. ‘Household dermatitis’ is caused by repeated contact with detergent products used for cleaning and housework. Hands are constantly red and feel painful. This can occur at work or at home.
More rare (20% of cases), it develops progressively following repeated contact with an allergen that sensitises skin over time.
Irritated hands that are typical of an irritative contact dermatitis make skin more permeable. It no longer acts as a barrier and allergens can penetrate.
In some cases, irritative contact dermatitis changes into allergic contact dermatitis, but not always. It all depends on how much of the allergen was received and the immune system’s response. This is why it is important to restore the skin’s barrier with a repairing balm for damaged hands, like Cicabio Mains.
Our hands are the extension of our intelligence: our most precious aid for knowledge, action, creation, communication and expression. We can thank our hands for the greatest human masterpieces that have been created. We can thank them for bringing us into contact with the world and with others, through the sense of touch.
Our hands nonetheless endure a certain amount of wear and tear everyday, which can be the direct cause of damaged hands or a compounding factor:
When our hands are damaged, everyday life is often deeply affected since we have to use our hands all the time. We feel the consequences at work, during daily activities with children or at home, and even in our social relations.
1. Having hands frequently in the water (care givers, cooks, hairdressers…)
2. Regularly using cleaning and chemical products without gloves (factory work, cleaning professionals, bodyworkers…)
3. Over-using hands at work (woodworkers, masons, gardeners, tile-setters…)
4. Having a chronic or allergic skin disease (atopic dermatitis, contact eczema)
A minor problem can quickly get worse, and very dry hands can become damaged, cracked hands if nothing is done to stop it. Preventing the change is therefore extremely important, to avoid having discomfort insert itself into daily life.
Learn more in our article: "What’s the difference between dry hands and damaged hands?"
Wash your hands with warm water, never hot, to not dissolve even more the fragile hydrolipidic film that protects your skin. Warm water preserves the thin layer of sebum that covers the epidermis. Always choose a gentle cleansing product that doesn’t irritate skin. Pat your hands dry, without rubbing, to not irritate them. Be sure to take all the water off.
If you do not have water nearby, consider using a nourishing hand sanitizer to prevent dry hands and to maintain the moisturizing of your hands.
Both as treatment and prevention, applying a repairing balm for hands is essential, not only after each time you wash your hands, but throughout the day as well, when your hands feel like they need it. Choose a nourishing and relieving cream in a rich, protective texture. The more cracks your hands have, with chapping and split skin, the more bacteria can get in. A dermatological cream helps to recreate the skin barrier to protect skin from irritants in the environment and from dehydrating.
Learn more in our article: "Cicabio Mains, the relieving, protective and repairing balm that spreads on like a second skin."
Washing, disinfecting, moisturising, repairing… Laboratoire BIODERMA offers adapted solutions for dry hands and damaged hands.