How to heal cracked skin on hands

How do you protect cracked hands while washing?

1. 1Wash with lukewarm water and a gentle soap for at least 20 seconds. Clean between your fingers and around your nails, then rinse away all the soap.
2. 2Pat your hands dry rather than rubbing. For ordinary dry skin, leave them slightly damp and apply moisturiser immediately. If you have hand eczema, dry carefully, especially between your fingers, then moisturise.
3. 3Work cream or ointment into your fingertips and around your nails. Reapply throughout the day whenever your hands feel dry.
4. 4Before bed, apply petroleum jelly or a thick moisturiser. You can wear cotton gloves overnight to help rehydrate your hands.

Keep washing when needed for hygiene; cracked skin is not a reason to abandon handwashing. When soap and water are unavailable, use hand sanitiser containing at least 60% alcohol, let it dry, then apply cream or ointment. For dishes and cleaning, wear protective gloves that are clean and dry inside. Use cotton liners for longer tasks, avoid glove materials you are allergic to, and dry your hands fully before putting gloves on.134

What cream helps cracked hands?

Choose a fragrance free and dye free thick cream or ointment containing petrolatum or mineral oil; these tend to feel less irritating on chapped skin. Creams and ointments are preferred to lotions here, so the pump bottle does not get the job just for being convenient. Hydromol ointment is one option for hands at home; Hydromol cream is a less greasy alternative.234

Cotton gloves can accompany moisturiser, without requiring a second career handling museum exhibits. Keep moisturiser soaked gloves, clothing and bedding away from flames and lit cigarettes, because product residue makes fabrics easier to ignite, even after drying.14

What causes cracked skin on hands?

Repeated contact with water, soap, detergents and cleaning chemicals can damage the outer skin and cause irritant contact dermatitis, a form of hand eczema. Allergies to perfumes, metals or glove materials can also cause eczema. Previous childhood eczema and jobs involving frequent water contact increase the risk. Tiny itchy blisters on the palms or between fingers that later peel and crack can occur with dyshidrotic eczema, another form of eczema.15

How do you heal painful cracks on fingertips?

Moisturise the fingertips directly and avoid contact with known irritants. Deep painful cracks, burning, bleeding or weeping skin deserve assessment if home care is not bringing relief. Hand eczema often needs a prescribed anti inflammatory cream as well as moisturiser. Do not assume a mild steroid will be enough: the thick skin on the palms often needs a stronger prescription treatment.12

If you already use prescribed beclometasone, keep it out of open cracks and cuts, and wait at least 10 minutes before applying moisturiser or a dressing. Follow your prescribed course rather than stopping as soon as the skin looks better. Do not cover beclometasone with dressings on a child.6

When should you get medical help?

Contact a healthcare professional promptly for pus, yellow crusting, swelling, warmth or severe pain. Arrange a dermatologist appointment if regular moisturising and avoiding irritants are not helping. Dyshidrotic eczema flares commonly last three to four weeks, but that is not a healing timetable for every cracked fingertip. Recurrent eczema needs control of inflammation and triggers, not just repeated applications of cream.25