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Dry Skin Relief from Frequent Covid-19 Handwashing

Posted: September 1st, 2020

Do you have dry, cracked skin from repeated handwashing? With the following tips from Dermatologists, you can continue washing your hands as needed to ward off Covid-19 (coronavirus) and keep your skin healthy and hydrated.

  1. Wash your hands with soap in lukewarm water for at least 20 seconds to remove unsafe bacteria & viruses. Make sure to wash every part of your hands including your fingernails, in-between fingers, and wrists.
  2. After drying your hands with a clean towel, rub some hand cream or ointment into your skin. Hand creams & ointments that contain mineral oil or petrolatum and comes in a tube, not a pump bottle is what most Dermatologists recommend. Choose “fragrance-free” and “dye free” products and make sure to work some of the moisturizer into your nails and fingertips. This type of moisturizer tends to be gentle and non-irritating to dry, chapped skin. If your skin is dry and cracked, it makes it easier for bacteria and other germs to get inside your body. 
  3.  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends using a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol to kill germs. This can be very drying after repeated applications. Always apply hand cream or ointment to your hands after the sanitizer dries.
  4. Get your health information from a trust worthy source. It is essential to get accurate and reliable health information such as from your doctor or dermatologist, American Academy of Dermatology, and the CDC.

Owensboro Dermatology & Advanced Aesthetics received the 2020 Messenger-Inquirer Readers’ Choice Platinum Award for Dermatology & Cosmetic Services. For further information about our practice and to read other skin related health articles, go to our website at www.ourfamilyderm.com.