You have received some wonderful replies to your question already, but may I add the suggestion of olive oil? After washing your hands at work you could try rubbing them with a tiny amount of olive oil. Ofcourse, check first to see if this is allowed in your specialist job, but olive oil has worked in the past for me. Just a quick suggestion.
Thanks for the reply Artindark. At my annual check-up my doctor recommended something [can't remember what] but she said my cocoa butter was fine. If it got worse I should try that lotion. She also said avoid petroleum jelly. [No reason she just told me not to use it] The extent of my exfoliating on my hands is once a week after I exfoliate my feet I rub whatevers left on my hands and wash it off. I'll stop if its a bad thing. Again, thanks, I have antibaterial gel at my work, I'm not a fan of it, but I'll give it a shot.
I should have explained that there are few main types of skin conditions and one that is a mixture.Those are oily ,normal ,dry ,sensitive and combination.For some people dry skin is their normal type skin ,their skin balance is not thrown off it is simply naturally dry and they need to moisturize more than oily or combination skin would need.But if you have combination skin to oily as mine if it suddenly gets dry something is very off and its balance has been tipped off, so I have already a problem.The care you should put for naturally dry skin do include exfoliation ,but if you have oily skin and it has gone dry due to environmental factors the skin is no longer healthy.For people born with dry skin having dry skin is healthy and for people who were born with naturally combination or oily skin having patches of dry skin on limbs is not a sign of healthy skin on this spot,so exfoliation will be abrasive if the skin balance is not restored and the skin healed.Healthy skin does need exfoliation because it takes off the most upper layer of already nearly peeling off dead layer and reveals healthy skin faster.However if the skin is compromised and you speed up the process of taking of this layer it will not heal fast and it will loose water and sebum even faster ,simply because it is not healthy.What makes the skin healthy ,moisturized and supple is the oil ,but if it has been washed constantly it is not healthy skin anymore ,especially if your skin is naturally oily and is already used to higher oil secretion.Lotion will moisturize ,but then after half an hour if you wash the hands what is not absorbed is washed along with the oil,so the skin needs help again. Petrolium jelly does not moisturize ,it is too heavy to penetrate the skin ,it simply seals in similar fashion as royal jelly ,certain ointments,so it should be used after moisturizer.It also washes more difficult and in same time protects from wind ,dry air and cold.Your main scope is not only to moisturize ,but also to keep this moisture and oil sealed not washed off.Otherwise you have to moisturize every time you wash you hands and this will be challenging while working.If you do not like petrolium jelly simply find another ointment that acts as protection barrier that keeps the good things in your skin and isolates it better from external factors that dry it.Idea is moisturize and seal, so it can heal faster and gain its natural balance if not it will keep going downhill till it cracks very bad and that really hurts.Think of chapped lips and how they can crack and bleed if not protected in winter ,it is hard to believe, but same can happen to any part of your skin if the oil is not kept there.There are no sebaceous glands on your lips ,because there are no hair follicles there same is valid for the sole of the feet and inner part of the hand ,however the feet have one extra layer of skin which protects it further.No oil means more protection is required to seal the moisture in and more moisturizing to prevent the skin to crack.I hope this shed some light on idea why sometimes exfoliating is very good idea and why under certain skin conditions is not until the skin is not healed again.
I have naturally very dry skin which is difficult to treat hence why I recommended exfoliating as this is the only thing that works for me. My skin is like "scales" for lack of a better term, if I don't exfoliate it starts to sting after a while. What I meant by exfoliating skin on hands is to use a gentle skin scrub especially for hands (I've come across homemade ones on DIY blogs and people have reported success with them) on the certain dry patch not the whole hand. I'm sorry I should've clarified in my post.
Please look up the advantages and uses for coconut oil. The benefits of using it both internally and externally are amazing. Does it hinder you to work in gloves? Take care.
A&d or tiger balm or bag balm, or hydrocortizone mixed with a non-scented lotion like aquaphor or physoderm. Doesnt have to be expensive. You can get a&d ointment and a plain white bottle with blue writing unscented lotion at the dollar store. You can use them before work. On breaks and lunch or just lunch after work and before you go to bed.
I make a healing cream of coconut oil (infused with calendula(Calendula officinalis), lavender (Lavendula offcinalis), and rosemary (Rosamarinus officinalis), you can also just use the essential oils of lavender and rosemary), cocoa butter (to help thicken it), honey, and Vitamin E oil. A little bit goes a long way, but it does absorb fairly fast without leaving your hands greasy unless you use too much. You can also add emu oil which is the closest oil to that produced by the human body.
I use this cream for everything from dry skin to cat scratches to burn and it heals twice as fast, if not faster, than anything else I have seen.
Also try soaking your hands in vinegar. If you have any open wounds it will burn like a bugger but it cleans it and helps it heal faster as well. I have a friend that works in food service that uses both with great success. Her hands will start to crack because of the chemicals in the cleaning/sanitizing solutions that they have to soak and wash the dishes in. She swears by the vinegar and loves my healing cream.
Washing hands often washes away the skins natural protection. Replacing it seems a full time job. Exfoliating makes it worse, as you are just scrubbing the protection away even more. Petroleum jelly is not advised because it is not something that absorbs. Olive oil works great, as the skin absorbs it easily. I would try it 2 hours before bed, then again just before sleep. Also, adding healthy oils/fats to your diet will help from the inside. Another plus is that olive oil can be used on the whole body. I even use it on my hair. Living in the desert plays havoc on hair and skin. I've been using olive oil for many years. It really helps.
