A Skin Specialist Reveals How to Care for Your Hands
“Washing your hands should go without saying, but right now it seems to be the only thing people are talking about,” say the experts at London Premier Laser.
With the current outbreak of COVID-19 it’s more important than ever to ensure your hands are clean and healthy, which means washing them with anti-bacterial soap and hand sanitiser as much as possible. However this will inevitably leave them dry and cracked.
Here, Lucy Xu, Skin Specialist and Founder of The London Premier Laser and Skin Clinics, reveals her 7 tips for keeping your hands in good condition.
Warm Water
You may think that using hot water will work better when it comes to ridding your hands of germs.
However in fact warm water is just as effective, and won’t strip your hands of its natural oils.
Lukewarm water will do just as well – you just need to make sure that you are working the soap into a lather to ensure a proper wash.
The Right Kind Of Soap
Choosing the right soap for you is super important as many can be really drying or evasive on the skin, especially if you suffer with pre-existing skin conditions such as psoriasis or eczema.
You should avoid heavily perfumed soaps, and soaps in a bar format and try to opt for milky consistency anti-bac soaps.
These will be moisturising on the skin while also cleaning effectively.
You ideally want to look for ingredients such as glycerine and lanoli,n as these will soften and act as a barrier for the outer layer of your skin.
Hand Cream Is Your Best Friend
At this moment in time you need to be investing your money in a number of great hand creams.
For day to day use, I would suggest a cream with a thinner consistency that is quickly absorbed into the skin. This can then be used straight after washing your hands.
You may also want to purchase a heavy duty, thick hand cream for overnight use which can be slathered on liberally and will leave you with super-soft and soothed hands in the morning.
Overnight Gloves
One trick for giving your hands a really good pamper is to use latex gloves. Before you go to bed, slather on some hand cream ensuring you apply all over without rubbing it in too much, then put the latex gloves on.
The gloves will trap the moisture into the skin, ensuring sure your hands reap the benefits.
You should wake up feeling as though your hands have had the equivalent to a moisturising face mask!
Exfoliation
One way to rid your hands of any dead skin cells or dry skin is to exfoliate a few times a week. You can do this using a gritty body scrub or exfoliating gloves.
Be sure not to over-exfoliate, however, as this can aggravate your skin even further.
Afterwards make sure you are applying a balm, lotion or hand cream liberally to lock any moisture back into the skin.
Vaseline
Do you you suffer with dry skin conditions such as psoriasis or eczema? Is your skin is looking cracked, raw or just really sore? In this case you should purchase a skin balm or Vaseline which you can apply directly onto any sore areas.
This should soothe as well as protect any areas from further damage. It’s probably best to apply Vaseline at night as it can be greasy, or throughout the day on any sore areas if your hands are really taking a hit.
