As lockdown begins to ease slightly; washing our hands is going to become more frequent again. One of the best ways to protect yourself from COVID-19 is to wash your hands. But the increase in the use of soap, water and hand sanitiser can cause the skin on your hands dry, cracked and sore.
Before we look at ways to help, let’s look at why?
Our skin is such a complicated yet sophisticated organ. It is made of many layers to keep our bodies protected from external environmental stressors or microorganism. To keep our skin’s health and to function normally, our skin is armed with a barrier layer or also commonly called as the skin barrier.
Our skin barrier is part of the top layer of our skin called the stratum corneum. It is made up of corneocytes (skin cells) and lipid interface that glue them together. This lipid interface is made up of free fatty acids, cholesterol and ceramides.
Over washing the skin strips the natural, protective oils in your skin and disturb the balance of the skin barrier. When the skin barrier becomes imbalanced; the functionality becomes impaired. This imbalance causes dry, irritated, red, flaking and sore skin.
Ways To Help
In a normal world, we would advise reducing the amount of times you wash your hands. But in the world we currently live in; washing your hands regularly to stop the spread of Covid-19 is more important. So, we would advise the following steps to help:
- Use a gentle yet effective hand wash
- Use a good hand moisturiser after you wash to help rebuild your barrier
- Wearing disposable gloves
Products We Recommend
Dermaviduals Hand and Body Wash – POA
This Hand and Body Wash is rich in moisturising and soothing agents with a neutral pH. It protects the skin and leaves a wonderful clean and fresh sensation. Suitable for every day care. It contains DMS components and is free of emulsifiers, stabilising the water balance in the skin and supporting its regeneration. It will not dry out the skin or cause further irritation.
Dermaviduals Hand Cream – POA
After washing your hands, follow with this hand cream. The DMS hand cream stabilizes the water balance in the skin and supports its regeneration. The hand cream protects from environmental influences and prevents chapped hands. It is free from emulsifiers and is non-greasy. It leaves the skin feeling soft, smooth and cared for.
To purchase the Dermaviduals products, please contact the clinic directly.