Hand cream for eczema and cracked hands

What is the best hand cream for eczema?

A thick cream is a practical daytime choice; a greasy ointment holds moisture in more effectively and can suit bedtime. For very dry hands, using both at different times can be more useful than finding one texture for every situation. The best choice is a product you will actually use, not a jar promoted to permanent bathroom decoration.3

Look for a short ingredient list and fragrance free labeling. CeraVe, Eucerin and Cetaphil Eczema are examples of ranges that tend to cost less than beauty store brands, but choose the individual formula rather than assuming everything from one brand suits eczema. A label full of soothing adjectives is still not an ingredient list, however hard the packaging tries.45

What creams can help hand eczema?

Look for ingredients that soften skin, draw in water and keep it from escaping:

• Ceramides are fats that help support the skin barrier. Eczema prone skin can have fewer ceramides, so a cream containing them can help replace some of those fats.
• Glycerin and hyaluronic acid are humectants, ingredients that attract and bind water.
• Petrolatum, mineral oil and dimethicone are occlusives, ingredients that help seal moisture in.
• Colloidal oatmeal, made from finely milled oats, has anti inflammatory properties and can be a useful ingredient in an eczema moisturizer.

Avoid fragrance, essential oils and olive oil on eczema prone hands. Lanolin can become an allergen, and sodium lauryl sulfate can cause stinging, itching and redness. Humectants used alone can sting or burn, especially alpha hydroxy acids; choose a moisturizing formula rather than treating cracked hands with a standalone exfoliating acid.4

How to apply hand cream

1. 1Wash with warm rather than hot water and a gentle cleanser.
2. 2Rinse well and gently pat your hands dry, leaving the skin slightly damp.
3. 3Apply your cream or ointment gently over the dry, scaling or irritated areas.
4. 4If a cream does not hold moisture in well enough, lightly apply plain petroleum jelly over it. Petroleum jelly seals in existing moisture rather than adding water.
5. 5Reapply moisturizer after washing or sanitizing, and whenever your hands feel dry.

Hand care needs more frequent application than a single morning or evening layer. Cold weather and repeated wetting make regular reapplication especially useful. Plain emollients without active medicines are usually suitable for use as needed; check whether your product contains hydrocortisone or another medicine before treating it like an ordinary moisturizer.16

Keep washing, but make it less drying

Frequent washing and alcohol containing sanitizer can worsen chapping, irritation and eczema. Continue necessary handwashing: applying moisturizer afterward does not undo the cleaning. Repeated wetting without enough moisturizing damages the skin barrier, allowing irritants and allergens to enter more easily; severely dry skin can develop deep cracks and infections.1

Choose a mild liquid hand cleanser rather than a bar soap. Look for fragrance free, moisturizing or soap free options. Bar cleansers typically contain more surfactants, the cleansing ingredients that remove dirt but also strip moisture and oil. Products described as natural still need scrutiny: citrus oils and tea tree oil can irritate eczema prone skin.5

Use cotton gloves at night

Moisturize before bed, then wear white cotton gloves overnight. Gloves help keep moisturizer on your hands and reduce scratching during sleep. The cream needs to stay on your hands rather than decorate your bedding, so cotton gloves have a more useful job here than most bathroom accessories.5

Emollients carry a fire risk. Keep treated skin and fabrics away from flames and follow the product's fire safety warnings.3

What should moisturizer do?

Regular moisturizing helps relieve dry, cracked skin, decrease inflammation and reduce the severity of eczema flares. It also helps extend the time between flares. Atopic eczema cannot be cured, but treatment can control it. Persistent inflammation calls for an eczema treatment plan, not just another layer of hand cream.2

What prescription hand creams are used for eczema?

Prescription options for adult atopic eczema include creams and ointments.

A prescriber chooses steroid strength by age, body area and severity. Adult palm eczema can need a potent or very potent steroid; very potent clobetasol propionate 0.05% should not be used in children without specialist advice. Do not choose strength by borrowing someone else's prescription.3

Follow your treatment plan for the order and spacing of moisturizer and steroid. Some plans put cream moisturizer first and allow 15 to 20 minutes before the steroid, while ointment moisturizer goes 15 to 20 minutes after the steroid. Children's plans can specify a 30 minute gap. Do not apply both together if your plan tells you to separate them.37

Children with eczema need regular emollients alongside prescribed flare treatment. Steroid potency and treatment duration depend on flare severity. If eczema becomes infected, treating infection alone does not treat the eczema or restore the skin barrier; the child needs a plan addressing both.7

When to stop a product or get medical help

Try one new moisturizer at a time so a reaction is easier to trace. If a product causes irritation or a rash, stop using it and contact a healthcare professional. For sensitive skin or known allergies, choose a formula with few ingredients. New emollients can sting briefly, but persistent irritation deserves review.36

Get medical advice for cracks or wounds that will not heal, continuing itch, redness or eczema that is not improving. Seek emergency care for a rash with fever, blisters, red streaks, yellow or green discharge, rapid spreading, pain or warmth. These are not signs to manage by changing hand cream.6