Handwashing is critical in the efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. However, with more hand washing, excessive showering with harsh products, using sanitisers for hands or disinfectant home cleaning products, the skin barrier can get damaged and the skin might become dry, cracked, itchy, and even painful.
A compromised skin barrier can make our skin more susceptible to germs, bacteria and environmental irritants.
For this episode of AskMeDoctor!, we have a skin expert, Dr Kartini Farah Rahim from AVISENA Specialist Hospital. Dr Kartini shares about how we can manage dry, itchy, and cracked skin.
Let’s get to the questions and answers with our expert!
#Q1: Do frequent sanitising and hand washing cause dryness, itching and peeling of skin?
Dr Kartini Farah Rahim: Yes, it is true. The symptoms can vary from quite mild to debilitating, including:
- Dryness
- Irritation
- Itching
- Cracking
- Bleeding
This array of symptoms is referred to as contact dermatitis.
#Q2: Why does this happen?
Dr Kartini Farah Rahim: The top layer of our skin, the stratum corneum is our skin’s key protective layer. But frequent hand and body washing with repetitive exposure to water, harsh soaps and inappropriate skin cleansers will strip away the natural lipid layer and disrupt the protective skin barrier.
Gaps in the skin barrier can cause the skin to lose moisture. Over time, this leads to dry skin and further disruption of the skin barrier and irritation.
#Q3: Who is at risk or more likely to have dry skin problems?
Dr Kartini Farah Rahim: Dry, itchy, and irritated skin is more common in people who perform “wet work” as they wash and dry their hands many times a day.
These include healthcare workers like doctors, nurses, personal care assistants, hairdressers, food handlers, kitchen staff and cleaners.
They may also be exposed to harsh skin cleansers, detergents and other strong chemicals.
Apart from these professions, hand washing is regarded as the most effective method of infection control. So, during this pandemic, as people are handwashing more frequently and shower more often, I see many patients in my clinic with severely dry and itchy skin with scratch marks all over, mainly on their hands from washing with normal soaps.
This is also a common issue for housewives who use strong cleaning products without gloves as protection.
#Q4: Which cleansers and sanitisers are appropriate?
Dr Kartini Farah Rahim: Different people react to each ingredient differently. So, a general guide is to choose cleansers and sanitisers that are:
- Colourant or dye free
- Skin-friendly pH level
- Contain caring ingredients that support the skin barrier (e.g., linoleic acid)
Another important message is that it is not necessary to use antimicrobial soaps as it has been proven that it is no more effective than normal or gentle soaps. You may want to wear protective gloves if you need to deal with detergents or cleansers.
There are a few reasons why washing hands is better than sanitising them. The reasons are:
1) While sanitisers can quickly reduce the number of germs on our hands, they cannot effectively get rid of all types of germs like spores.
2) Hand sanitisers are not as effective when the skin is visibly soiled.
3) Effective sanitisers usually contain at least 60% alcohol which is very irritating to eczema hands.
So, in summary, it is wise to only use sanitisers when you can’t use soap and water. Wash your hands with water and a gentle cleanser when they are available to you. And remember to moisturise immediately afterwards.
#Q5: What if I am already experiencing dry, itchy, or peeling skin?
Dr Kartini Farah Rahim: Dry, cracked skin makes it easier for germs to enter the deeper layers of the skin and cause irritation. To care for dry skin and reduce skin irritation, you can try these basic skin friendly hand and body hygiene steps.
- Wash your hands with a mild, and skin-friendly soap or cleanser. Wash it off with cool or warm, but not hot water.
- Pat your hands gently with a towel, and don’t rub it.
- Once the skin is halfway dry, immediately apply a lotion or cream to avoid that the skin loses moisture. This is known as transepidermal water loss. A good lotion or cream contains caring ingredients such as thistle oil that is rich in linoleic acid and supports the regeneration of the natural skin barrier.
- I would advise you to apply liberal amounts of the cream or lotion to very dry and cracked skin.
- Immediately stop touching anything that may irritate the skin, be it any cleanser, detergent, perfume, latex or metal and then wait for the skin to improve. Wear gloves when there is an absolute need to use these products or materials. It is best to completely rest your hands when they are inflamed.
- See your doctor if these methods are not helping you. He/she may give you some anti-irritative creams and do patch tests on you to identify your precipitating factors. And lastly, do not rub or peel off any dry skin as this will damage the skin further.
Word of Advice from Dr Kartini
“If you experience dry skin from using hand sanitiser, hand wash and body wash, please apply a caring lotion or cream immediately after that. Handwashing helps to prevent illness, but frequent handwashing can dry up your skin.
To prevent and care for dry skin, use a mild and skin-friendly shower product. Keep in mind – the natural skin barrier regulates the moisture content and denies bacteria and harmful substances a chance to penetrate. This protective structure, similar to a brick wall, is formed together with the linoleic acid and other lipids (fats). An intact skin barrier protects the skin from drying out and irritation.”
As advised by Dr Kartini above, one of the ways to care for dry and itchy skin is to use a caring cream or lotion that supports the regeneration of the natural skin barrier. Perhaps, its time for us to try Linola, the Dry Skin Expert.
Linola Dry Skin Kit
Linola provides relief for your dry skin as it contains linoleic acids which contribute to the regeneration of the skin’s natural protective barrier.
Start your skin care in the shower. Use the mild Shower & Wash for gentle cleansing – and apply the Lotion on the entire body or body parts afterwards. Specifically for dry hands – apply the Hand Lotion after every hand wash. That’s Linola’s recommended Dry Skin Kit.
So Mummies, remember what Dr Kartini says and let’s take better care of our skins with Linola today.
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