How Excessive Hand Washing
Can Damage Your Skin

Learn how to best take care of your hands
even if you have to wash them often as apart of your job

Health care workers, doctors, and nurses all know the trials and tribulation of skin damage caused by excessively washing their hands. If you work in the health care field and have to wash your hands repeatedly every day, it's good to know that there are some things you can do for your skin to help your hands heal while you are away from work.

To begin, make sure you understand that this is personal advice only and that it's imperative for you to always abide by the safety and sanitation guidelines that your hospital or health care facility has set. Always follow the rules to make sure that you're in compliance with any rules or regulations your job entails.

Washing your hands excessively will damage your skin. There is no getting around this fact. If you're washing with soap, the caustic foaming agents that make the soap produce suds will actually strip your skin of it's natural moisture and protective oil layers.

If you're washing with Alcohol the situation is even worse. Alcohol, especially Isopropyl, SD Alcohol 40, and Ethyl Alcohol, are all drying alcohols. This means that when the alcohol gets on your skin it literally seeks out and "eats" all the moisture around it. It can be far more dehydrating than washing with soap because Alcohol can not only strip the skin of it's protective oils, it also robs it of all available moisture.

When you wash your hands more than 7 times a day (and I mean thoroughly scrubbing, not just splashing in water like many of us do) your skin doesn't have time to recover the moisture it lost or repair the damage to its protective oil layers. There is a natural layer of oil, called sebum, that protects and waterproofs your skin. The palms of your hands do not have oil glands so once they dry out it takes much longer for those areas to get moisturized and protected.

Once your protective oil layer has been stripped away, your skin can easily become irritated, especially if you're using a soap with pumice or other abrasive material. This is literally scratching the surface of your skin, creating microscopic cuts that have trouble healing because of how intensely dry your skin has become.

The solution for all this skin damage is not very easy. You cannot stop washing your hands, which would honestly be the quickest and most surefire way of eliminating the problem. Instead check the regulations for lotion at your workplace. If you're allowed to use lotion during work, try using a healing, Aloe Based Lotion to soothe your skin after you've washed your hands. Never apply lotion and then put on gloves. Often oils in lotions can disintegrate the latex.

L'Bri Pure n' Natural offers a wonderful Aloe Based Lotion that can heal skin damage caused by excessive hand washing. Many people think of aloe only when they get a burn, but this healing plant can actually be used for a wide range of skin issues. Dry, damaged skin can especially benefit from the soothing, hydrating effects of Pure Aloe Barbadensis.

If you can't wear lotion at work, keep it in your car. As soon as you leave work, apply a thick layer of to your hands and wrists. It will dry in less than a minute and immediately start to heal the skin damage on your hands.

Once you're at home and have a minute to yourself, try applying L'Bri's soothing Pure Aloe Jelly to your hands with a little water. After applying the Aloe Jelly, apply more Aloe Lotion to complete the skin healing process.

In times of inclement weather I'm sure you've noticed your hands getting drier and feeling more painful. Always remember to wear gloves every time you go out in the winter. It's good to get into the habit of applying lotion and then put on your gloves. This will protect your delicate skin from the cold and wind and add the healing benefits of Aloe to your skin on the way to work.

You can significantly reduce the pain and discomfort of your skin damage by taking care of your hands properly. I suggest L'Bri's Aloe Lotion and Jelly because they both contain more healing, soothing Aloe Barbadensis than any other ingredient. It's very important that you apply a product that will actually penetrate your skin, soak in, and work to heal the damage immediately.

Many lotions are water based and therefore ineffective at penetrating the skin. Others contain mineral oil which just sits on the surface and suffocates skin tissue. I'm sure you've tried countless lotions and salves that just seemed to sit on the surface of your skin and never made the damage go away. They couldn't work because they were ineffectively formulated and had no power to heal your condition.

L'Bri's Aloe Lotion and Pure Aloe Jelly can heal your skin and make a difference in the redness and irritation you deal with every day. Trust in products that contain more soothing, healing ingredients than anything else!

© Leah Day Online: How Excessive Hand Washing Can Damage Your Skin