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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.