My skin is so dry!!

[Rudiguer]

Is there any one who has cuts on their hands?

[grovely]

Once a day I cover my hands and forearms in Aloe Vera from Holland & Barrett (very reasonable in the ‘penny sale’). When the Aloe Vera dries, I cover myself from head to feet in Aqueous Cream. Most big stores have their own brand Aqueous Cream for a large pot, so works out quite cheap. I also always carry a small tube of Nivea hand-cream and a Nivea lip balm stick in my pocket, which I use regularly during the day and last thing at night. So far, it’s working for me. Aside from this I have half a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil in my daily yoghurt.

[MEW53]

I get little cuts that appear, I keep moisturising all the time to make sure the skin doesn’t open on the hands.

I use Cetraben emollient cream which I get on prescription.

It is amazing, a dermatologist prescribed it 3 years ago when I was in hospital. I use it all over my body and it also stops me itching.

[Irene55]

Doublebase gel is very good for dry and itchy skin. I get it on prescription.

[Rudiguer]

Thank you. I have tried lots of creams and soaps on prescription but nothing seems to be able to prevent my skin from cracking. It is so painful. I often bleed through the cuts when I don't even realise. I am currently using doublebase gel and dermol lotion. I have used dermovate and many others in the past but none of them made any difference even when used with cotton gloves overnight!

[Steph]

Hi, I also had this problem and neither double base or cetraben worked. The best thing I have found is bag balm (you can get it from Amazon). It was originally desiged for sore craked cow udders! It has antiseptic and lanolin in it and really helps. Best used overnight with gloves as it is quite greasy. Makes a great lipbalm too

[Rudiguer in reply to Steph]

Thanks a lot for your response Steph. I will have to try this!

[frillyhilly]

Hi, have you tried Cavilon (made by 3M) - it was prescribed to me by the District Nurse and now I get it from the GP. I find it is very effective for moisturising and protecting the skin all over. I also use Cetraben.

I find that if I use a mixture of creams it is more effective than using the same cream all the time. For my hands (which split like yours at times) I find that a "Hand and Nail" cream is much more effective than a "Hand Cream". - I use one brand in the morning, different one at night.

One trick I have learnt is to "wash" in the Cetraben (or aqueous cream - but this does not suit me). There are three ways I do this - depending on time. In order quickest to slowest:

1) Roughly dissolve an amount in the washbasin water. I then use this to wash in as normal.

2) Wet a flannel with warm water and place some cream on it, wipe the cream on your skin, "rinse of" the flannel, and wipe the cream off your skin.

3) I find this to be the most effective. Cover the area with cream. Then rinse off with a flannel and warm water. When I'm having a shower I cover my whole body and let the water rinse the cream off with the help of a flannel.

Hope you find some relief soon. All the best, N.

[Rudiguer in reply to frillyhilly]

Thank you very much frillyhilly. My GP prescribed Aquadrate for very dry skin. It is not making any difference either. I continue to have constant cuts on both hands. I will try Cavilon and follow your advice. Thank you.

[frillyhilly in reply to Rudiguer]

Hi again. Just to add to your list of creams - I just realised I forgot to mention another cream that I use. It is Hydrous Ointment. You can buy it over the counter and I have it on prescription. The big difference between it and most of the other creams is that it is not water based. My GP insisted that I needed a non-water based cream for the type of eczema I have and this is what the Pharmacist recommended. It stops my eczema "dead in it's tracks" and both of us use it on our feet - my husband is diabetic and it has made a huge difference to his cracked heals. I use it anywhere my skin needs a good "drink". It is a medium weight cream and if you touch your skin can sort of feel it - but if that is a problem, you could just try it at night. When I use it on my face I dab it on and then leave it a few minutes to warm up - that way it rubs in without dragging.

Another thought is have you seen a community (district) nurse - I have found them to be great with sores and wounds.

Hope the Cavilon helps (better still works). Take care of yourself, N.

[kckmom]

Has there been a diagnosis made for this ? I have the cuts on 6 of my 10 fingers which are very painful & itch . Will try the various creams mentioned but would love to know what this is . I have other autoimmune diseases but my rheumatoidologist couldn’t diagnose it

[Rudiguer in reply to kckmom]

Hi kckmom. Ihave no idea what these cuts are. I used to have more than 30 on each hand which made me feel like I was in agony. Now my hands are perfect but the cuts are on my feet!! It is almost worse now as I can't hardly walk and some of these cuts are very deep and crack even more when walking.

[kckmom]

I also now have on my feet & toes. Feels like I burned my fingers on the stove . Any diagnosis ??? What have you done for it ?