Cracked, splitting fingers question

[Rickrock]

I have chapped hands, but they have been worse than usual. This time my fingers have split on several fingers and on both the tops and bottoms. Could this be a possible allergic reaction instead of just chapped hands? It's like having fourteen paper cuts. I do get my hands wet frequently all day long and try to dry them. I think that I am allergic to chocolate and used to have terrible acne, but not so much after the age of forty. I have been eating a little chocolate every day since Christmas. Thanks

 

[gingentleman]

You should see a dermatologist or at least, your primary physician for a diagnosis. Do you use hand lotion? There is a product available at your pharmacy called Bag Balm, which was originally used for cow udders when they became dry and cracked. It is rather greasy, but you can slather it on your hands at night and sleep with a pair of white athletic socks covering your hands and the balm will heal your skin. i had an issue similar to what you describe, many years ago and this was what the dermatologist prescribed for me. Took about 10 days, but my hands ended up looking like new...

 

[Benvolio]

I have had it in one or two finger tips. I think it is caused by a nutrition deficiency and it is worse in winter when indoor humidity is lower. When it is painful, I suggest you use Liquid Skin or a similar product in the band aid section of the drug store. It looks and smells like airplane glue; in a bottle with a tiny brush. It will fill the crack, dry quickly, be invisible, and allow it to heal.

 

[jft245]

Bag Balm has worked for me in the past. I used to have the same problem with my hands when I worked stocking shelves and bagging groceries at the store where I work. It was only a problem in the winter. Now that I work in the office and don't handle product or bag that much the problem has gone away. Now I only use Vaseline Intensive Care lotion once a day.

 

[guyfromNY]

I implore you to buy O'Keefes Working Hands. I used to have a problem with my hands, that would turn them into a disaster every year.. Around December, they would become rough and dry. After a few weeks of this, my knuckles would start to spontaneously bleed which was a terrible problem for me since I work in dry cleaning. I tried just about every moisturizer I could find, including the following. Vaseline, Aquaphor, Lubriderm, Nivea, Eucerin, Corn Huskers Lotion, and finally out of desperation, liquid bandage; not one of them worked.

Then, one day while on a line in a hardware store, I spotted something near the register called O'Keefes Working Hands. Since it was only about 8 dollars, I bought a jar of it and the rest is history. Within a couple of days, all of my the roughness and splitting was gone and my hands actually felt like normal hands again. I don't know exactly what is in this stuff that makes it work so well, but believe me, it does...

And no, I do not work for that company, I'm just a very satisfied customer.

 

[Rickrock]

Thank you all of you. I had a similar problem last year, almost as bad, and I went to my family doctor. He thought I probably had an allergic reaction. He said that we could start doing test after test to see what I could be allergic to and eliminate one after the other and in several months we would eliminate several things and we might figure it out (or we might not). I told him I would think about it. Then I went to a dermatologist and she said my hands were chapped and I should buy either CeraVe or Neutrogena and that they would be greasy and I should buy white cotton gloves at the drug store and put the cream and gloves on my hands at night. I did that, but I also stopped eating chocolate and nuts, which I had started doing during the Christmas season. Eventually, I noticed that my hands were better, but I don't know if it was because of the cream or because spring was coming or because I stopped eating chocolate and nuts. This year I have tried several different hand creams including; Jergens, O'Keefe's Working Hands, Amlactin, and Hawaiian Moon at night and sometimes during the day, but I wash my hands dozens of times a day and nothing is helping. My hands are sometimes slightly better in the morning but get worse during the day. Some of the creams burn on the cuts because they have alcohol in them and the cuts itch as they try to heal. I have decided to cut chocolate out of my diet and use whatever creams I have and hope for the best. Thanks for the help.

 

[KaraBulut]

Typically, allergies trigger reactions that are more systemic- it might aggravate a problem with eczema or dermatitis on the hands but the condition wasn't caused solely by the allergy. With that said, it doesn't do any harm to avoid chocolate or nuts if you believe it is aggravating your condition.

The treatments that several members have suggested are what we usually recommend- moisturizing at bedtime and applying gloves that keep the hands from drying out overnight. It's a little weird for guys to wear gloves, particularly to bed, but it is very effective in restoring moisture to the skin and it will facilitate healing.

A few other suggestions:

• If you are going to be outside in the cold and wind, moisturize your hands and put on gloves. This winter, the temperatures in the midwest and northeastern US have been brutal because of the winds and this pulls moisture from the skin.
• Avoid those hand sanitizers that are so prevalent in workplaces. Many hand sanitizers are alcohol-based and will dry out the skin.
• Wash your hands with water and a mild soap. Keep a small bottle of hand moisturizer with you and apply it after washing your hands to restore the moisture.
• Give some thought to things that you're doing during the day that may be exposing your hands to chemicals and mechanical trauma.

 

[Benvolio]

Meanwhile, liquod skin really does work.

 

[ShadowCat]

Ok I have bad dry hands in the winter if I don't wear my gloves and this will sometimes happen to me. Get Aquaphor ointment if they are this bad. Neutrogena Norwegian hand cream (new scent label) is really tops. I use this along with heated manicure mitts (conair true glow Wal-Mart ) and gigi paraffin liners, (found at Sally beauty supply). Get a cuticle nipper and keep hang nails in check and get to skin before ir splits. You can also sand some off with an emery board or nail file. Cuticle Oil works wonders (CND Solar Oil). Use matt nail polish to prevent hang nails remove with non acetone polish remover. Always dry hands thoroughly. Grow your nails a little for a protective cover. Wash dishes wearing gloves dish detergent can be extremely hard on hands. Okeefs is supposed be great for workers.