Why do we use hand cream?
Today, most people use face cream, but we often forget to use hand cream until it is too late and the skin starts to crack. Dry skin on the hands is a big problem during the cold months, especially because the hands are continuously exposed to factors that cause accelerated aging and damage to the skin on the hands.
Because hands have very few sebaceous glands, they are naturally prone to dehydration. In addition, the hands are tireless workers who are in operation not only in the workplace but also at home.
Fighting the signs of aging requires a lot of effort in a large number of women. From facial cosmetics, coloring gray hair and maintaining a beautiful smile - all this contributes to a youthful, vibrant look.
Despite this focused attention with the goal of "rejuvenation", many women neglect the most visible area sensitive to aging: the hands.
Limiting the fight against aging to the face alone is common, but don’t let your hands add years to your appearance. They deserve the same attention you pay to your face, and with just a few strokes, you can fix the situation. The skin of the hands is exposed to external weather factors that damage it, but we can often damage it with our carelessness. Washing dishes in hot water or rough drying after hand washing are just some of the habits that can cause unsightly hands, even in the earlier years of life.
People who have cracked hands to the blood may have problems developing infections in the hand area, and some people have a genetic predisposition to developing allergies or skin diseases on their hands.
Possible causes of dry hands and cracked skin on the hands are as follows:
- inadequate care
- cold
- wind
- excessive exposure to harmful UV rays
- sunbathing and solarium
- exposure of hands to aggressive chemicals
- contact dermatitis
- allergic reactions and the like
A couple of tips for the youthfulness of the skin of the hands
But still, it is not so difficult to have young skin on your hands because the same types of products that work on your face also work on your hands - they fix the complexion and discoloration. Although there are some differences in facial and body skin, there is no research to show that different areas require different ingredients or formulas to achieve a younger look. The same rules apply to anti-age face and hand care.
The thorough skin care we are talking about (and these are gentle cleansing, non-abrasive exfoliation, sun protection, products with antioxidants and skin rejuvenation ingredients, along with skin lightening products) works perfectly on the hands.
To see progress and maintain a healthy and youthful appearance of your hands, you need to be persistent and consistent in caring for that area just as much as you do when it comes to the face. If you follow these steps, you will increase the chances of a young looking hand and avoid the contrast between a young face and "old" hands!
- Avoid washing your hands with hard soap or gel that dries them out. As much as possible, wash your hands with a gentle detergent. Gentle hand care is essential to preserve the firmness and smoothness of the area. Most antibacterial soaps contain triclosan, a chemical that dries the skin and is associated with endocrine disruption. Therefore, choose soaps that contain natural antibacterial agents, such as eucalyptus or tea tree. Also, avoid more transparent soaps, because the more transparent the soap, the more it dries your hands. The best thing you can do for your hands is wash them in warm water with a mild, non-aggressive soap.
- Do not place your hands under ice or boiling water. Cold water causes the capillaries to constrict and then expand, leading to redness, while hot water dries out the skin as it removes sebum. Tip: when washing dishes, add a tablespoon of almond oil to a bowl of detergent. It is extremely nourishing and will hydrate your skin.
- Increase your B vitamin intake. Biotin, one of the B vitamins, strengthens the skin of hands and nails and prevents them from breaking. A dose of 2.4 milligrams of biotin per day has proven to be very effective. Good sources of biotin are brewer's yeast, offal, chicken, fish, egg yolk, bananas, mushrooms and some vegetables such as cauliflower and carrots.
- Non-abrasive, gentle exfoliation is also needed with your hands. Removing a dead layer of skin will reveal a brighter, healthier skin hiding underneath.
- Twice a day, or as needed, apply a protective cream to help the skin fight environmental damage. La PIEL rich hand cream will instantly help dry skin, or one that feels tight. It contains almond oil, macadamia, avocado, wheat germ and shea butter, as well as hyaluronic acid, vitamin B, Aloe vera, green tea and witch hazel. For the care of cracked skin of the hands, it is recommended to use shea butter, which should be effective even in the most severe conditions.
- Every morning after you have washed your hands, applied an exfoliant and a cream, you must also apply a moisturizer with a UV factor of 30 or higher to protect you during the day. Just like on your face, this is a crucial step in the fight against aging. This habit will help reduce the risk of skin cancer - in the short and long term.
- Paraffin hand baths extremely nourish and smooth the skin on the hands, and the procedure is performed by dipping your hands in liquid paraffin, after which you put transparent PVC bags and terry gloves, and everything is removed after ten minutes. Hand care treatments greatly beautify the hands, so professional treatments are used for hand peeling and nourishing masks.
- Certainly, the main culprit for the "old" look of the hands are dark spots. But fortunately, you can use products that contain 2% hydroquinone. Another option is to use a cream that contains ingredients to lighten the skin.
Use of cream after disinfectant
An alcohol-based hand cleanser works by reducing the number of germs on the skin, but does not always kill everything. The reason is that disinfection is not as effective as hand washing, ie it does not physically remove germs from the hands. Also, similar to sunscreen, people rarely use enough hand gel, which means that the gel can sometimes be accidentally wiped off before it takes full effect.
If your hands are very dirty or greasy, hand cleaners may not work well. Thus, it makes sense that a copious amount of hand cream immediately after using a disinfectant can weaken its effectiveness.
For a disinfectant to be effective, it must contain at least 60 percent alcohol. Alcohol kills bacteria and viruses, but if there is another medium they can get their hands on - like hand cream - bacteria will be able to survive.
The use of nourishing hand creams plays a very important role. Wounded and dry skin is easier to miss the intake of microorganisms, which of course is not desirable. In addition, many creams contain harmful ingredients that can:
- cause allergic reactions
- hormonal imbalances
- severe drying of the skin
- clogging of the pores
- skin irritations
- and many other, even much, much worse health problems
Avoid bad ingredients
Why do manufacturers put certain ingredients in products, and it has been shown and proven to be harmful for many? Because they are much cheaper than quality ones. It is more cost-effective to put, for example, silicones, instead of, say, shea butter. Cheap ingredients just create a “film” on your skin that makes your skin feel better but it’s actually just a hoax.
Read the declarations and avoid products that contain the following ingredients, especially if they are at the top of the list, which means that they are in that ratio and represented in the cream:
- parabens - methylparaben, butylparaben and propylparaben
- silicones - ingredients that end in -thicone and -siloxane. Dimethicone, dimethicone, cyclomethicone or other ingredients ending in -thicone or -cone. Cyclopentasiloxane and other ingredients ending in -siloxane or -silanol.
- Petroleum products - Petrolatum, Petroleum Jelly, Paraffin Oil, Mineral Oil, White Petrolatum
See first if your creams have any of the above. If you have more patience, take a look at the ingredients below.
These are just some of the potentially harmful ingredients, unfortunately the list is much larger, but we hope that we have made your job of reading the declaration a little easier.
- PHTHALATES - dibutyl phtalate (DBP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dimethyl phthalate, butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP)...
- Formaldehyde (FRP) - quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3 diol (Bronopol), glyoxal i oxaldehyde
- Polyethylene glycol (PEG) - polyethylene glycol
- ETHANOLAMINES - Triethanolamine, diethanolamine, DEA, TEA, cocamide DEA, cocamide MEA, DEA-cetyl phosphate, DEA oleth-3 phosphate, lauramide DEA, linoleamide MEA, myristamide DEA, oleamide DEA, stearamide MEA, TEA-lauryl sulfate
- Octinoxate,Octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC), parsol, parsol MCX, parsol MOX, escalol, 2-ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate
- Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
We can conclude that care for cracked hands is important not only for aesthetic appearance, but also for health reasons.
It is therefore important to avoid factors that damage the protective hydrolipid layer of the skin, as it helps reduce dehydration or dehydration of the skin and alleviates the accompanying symptoms such as tightness, roughness, itching and cracking of the skin.
If your hands are still chronically dry in spite of all natural and purchased preparations, and when your skin starts to crack and scabs start to appear on your hands, it is recommended to go to a dermatologist.
Our diligent hands are constantly doing something and since they are most exposed, they unhesitatingly discover how we treat ourselves, how much we take care of ourselves and whether we use enough hydrating formulas to stay beautiful and well-groomed - young. Take care of your hand skin and give it the best possible care!
