Dry Hands: Causes and Simple Remedies 

Winter is a magical time for trendy sweaters and scarves, snuggling under the blanket, and awesome winter outdoor activities. However, with the cold so comes the dry skin. Of course, dry hands are not exclusively a seasonal thing. But as those flakes start to fall outside, you might be seeing flakes on your hands, head, and beard. 

While aesthetically displeasing, dry skin isn’t dangerous per se. That being said, if you leave your dry hands untreated, your skin might become irritated, chapped, and even dry to the point that cuts might form. Luckily, there’s plenty you can do to keep your hands supple and soft. Since prevention should be your very first step (with every health issue), we’ll first explore the causes of dry hands. Let’s dive in! 

But as those flakes start to fall outside, you might be seeing flakes on your hands.

It’s Out of Your Hands 

That’s right, just like we mentioned before, the top cause for dry hands is the weather. Which might make this seem completely out of your control. But your skin’s ability to withstand the cold weather outside has to do with the strength of your skin barrier. According to dermatologists, your skin barrier determines which skin conditions you might suffer from. It’s essentially composed of proteins, lipids, and oils and their concentration is a genetic component that sadly, cannot be controlled. 

Another cause for dry hands is your daily habits. For instance, if you expose your hands to heat, whether hot water, humidifiers, or central heating, you might be robbing your skin of its natural oil. The same goes for harsh soaps and cleaning products that might be harming your skin. If you know that your skin is prone to drying, it’s best that you start washing those dishes, for instance, with gloves. 

Harsh soaps and cleaning products might be harming your skin.

Give Yourself a Hand 

The first thing you should focus on is restoring that moisture to your skin. Be it the cold weather or the heat that’s dehydrating your hands, your dry hands need to be hydrated. If you’ve spotted the cause for your dry hands, make sure that you minimize exposure to it. Next, you should invest in a good moisturizer. A cool trick that you can try is to take any potent moisturizer, apply it to your hands before you go to bed, and then cover your hands with socks. The heat will help lock the moisture under your skin, and you’ll wake up in the morning with baby soft hands! 

The first thing you should focus on, is restoring that moisture to your skin.

 Don’t Have Your Hands Full

Which is just another way to say that if you want healthy skin, you should distress. That’s right, according to leading dermatologists, stress can cause dry and irritated skin. High-stress levels can affect the chemicals in your body, increasing cortisol production which in turn leads to a decrease in the synthesis of hyaluronic acid. The bottom line is – stress is bad for your skin (and general health). So the next time you kick back after a long day, remember, it’s good for your complexion. 

So the next time you kick back after a long day, remember, it’s good for your complexion.

Don’t Get Your Hands Dirty 

Make sure that your hands stay covered. That’s right, gloves are for more than just when you wash those dishes. This current health crisis caused by COVID-19 has increased awareness of hygiene, bacteria, and of course, the use of gloves. Why not apply all these to treating your dry hands? Gloves can protect your hands from more than just dryness; the bacteria can in fact worsen and irritate dry skin. Your best option is wearing warm gloves in the winter and medical gloves when needed. 

That’s right, gloves are for more than just when you wash those dishes.

Dry Hands CAN Be Serious 

In rare cases, and after you’ve tried all common remedies, you’ll need to see a doctor. Watch out for severe symptoms such as bleeding, deep cuts, skin discoloration, or swelling. These could indicate that the chapped and bruised skin has been infected or suffered a different complication. Those, however, are very uncommon. If treated by the book, you can wave your dry hands goodbye.