Cracks in the hands: Causes and treatment

The skin of the hands can be chapped by multiple external causes, internal or both at the same time. For example, a person may be more predisposed by genetics or disease to have dry or chapped hands, but external factors such as weather or infections can influence this condition more.

For this reason, it is important to know in detail the different causes that can cause cracking in the skin of the hands and answer “why the skin of the hands cracks”:

Very hot and dry environment

Not only in hot weather or in areas of dry or arid climates your hands can crack, but also when you turn on the heat, your skin can become dry and cracked. It is commonly known as having your hands cut by the cold, since the weather conditions the skin and can damage it in many ways.

Heat and humidity

It is a bad combination for sensitive skin. Cracks in your hands can appear if you frequently take long, hot baths or showers, or if you swim in pools with hot water.

Too much humidity

Like all extremes, it is not a good thing either that your skin is exposed excessively to water or other liquids that make it stay too moist. This can cause chapped hands and also promote mycosis.

Mycosis on the hands

These are fungal infections , which are worsened and maintained when you expose your skin to moisture, as we have already mentioned. The cutaneous mycosis are often in the hands and arms or in English, because they are prone body areas to moisture.

Psoriasis

It is a skin disease that usually affects different areas of the skin. One of the possible manifestations is the cracks in the hands, since they usually appear frequently in reddened areas that flake .

Learn more about this cause of hand wounds in Psoriasis: causes, symptoms and treatment .

Perniosis

Perniosis, commonly known as chilblains , is the inflammation of the blood vessels in the fingers of the hands as a result of continuous exposure to cold.

The most common is that lesions appear on the tips of the fingers and can appear in healthy people, although its association with diseases such as:

• Blood problems
• Genetic diseases
• Lupus.
• Anorexia nervosa.
• Low weight disorders.

Atopic dermatitis

It is an allergy that manifests itself on the skin. Often, the skin with atopic dermatitis appears dry, and rashes, itching, and cracks may appear . This hand dermatitis may explain why the skin of dry hands chronically cracks.

For more information, you can read the article Atopic dermatitis: symptoms, causes and treatment .

Cleaning products

Some substances or products can be irritating to the skin, such as:

• Chlorine (including that in swimming pools).
• Soap.
• Detergents
• Antiseptics
• Alcohol in gel.

These are the discomforts that can be triggered on the skin, specifically in the hands:

• Cracks in the hands.
• Eruptions on the hands.
• Reddish spots.
• Dry hands.
• Fissures in the skin or cuts in the hands.
• Propensity to fungus.

This is because the protective layer of the skin can be damaged by the aggressiveness of the products.

cosmetics

If you use products with alcohol, perfumes, dyes or various chemicals, your skin can become irritated and even have cracks on your hands. It is important to know the ingredients of the products we use for hand care.

Ictiosis

It is a genetic pathology of cutaneous origin, in which the skin is cracked and flaky like that of a fish. This inherited disorder is had from birth and cannot be spread to others. Chapped hands and wounds to the hands are common, as well as the entire body, from scaly skin .

Depending on the cause that causes the cracks in the hands, there will be different treatments and measures that you should take into account to improve your chapped skin. Hand care is essential, so below we propose the recommended treatment for each situation:

Treatment for infection

If you have an infection, your doctor will likely prescribe antibiotics . If the lesions on the hands are small, the treatment may be local with hand creams, but if the cracks are very deep and the infection is large, they may prefer to indicate an antibiotic by mouth.

Treatment for mycosis in the hands

If the cause of the cracks in the hands are fungi, the treatment will be an antifungal , in addition to avoiding humidity.

Treatment for perniosis

Chilblains usually heal spontaneously if exposure to cold ceases, but if it is associated with another disease it will surely take longer and another type of treatment indicated by the doctor will be necessary.

Allergy treatment

If your problem is an allergy that causes chapped and irritated hands, the most important thing is to avoid what irritates you, apply hand cream and, in some cases, your doctor may prescribe a corticosteroid cream for a short time.

In addition to the doctor’s treatment according to the cause that causes the chapped hands, it is important to follow the following recommendations if you have cracks in your hands:

• Avoid, if possible, contact with water for a long time. You should bathe in a few minutes and no more than once a day.
• Use neutral or natural products to wash your hands, it is advisable to avoid those with too many chemicals or perfumes.
• If you are permanently in cold weather it is appropriate to use protection such as gloves so that the skin has a chance to heal.
• It is also important that you use rubber gloves if your work task involves being permanently in contact with water, since excessive humidity, as we have seen, does not help in the least. You should also use them to wash dishes or clothes.
• If you do not have an infection, you can use moisturizing cream : it will form a layer that will help the different irritants not to damage your skin any more and it can regenerate. You should apply it several times a day and even before going to bed at night. You can use petroleum jelly or a heavy cream without perfumes.
• If you also have a lot of itchiness in your hands, you can apply cold in that area to relieve it.

There are some home remedies for cracks in the hands that can help you take care of them, in addition to the primary medical treatment. Keep in mind that you must choose one of the options that we propose and keep it for a week to observe improvements, if the injury still persists you can try another.

Manzanilla

It is the healing and anti – inflammatory of the skin par excellence. You can prepare an infusion with it and apply it directly to the injured skin twice a day .

Calendula

The calendula flower helps to heal and reduce inflammation of the skin. Prepare an infusion and apply it twice daily.

Another option is to use a cream that contains calendula, as long as it does not include too many chemicals, and apply it once a day.

Honey

Honey is an excellent home remedy for chapped hands because it has properties:

• Anti-inflammatory.
• Antibacterial.
• Healing.

For that reason, we recommend applying it to clean skin once or twice a day to help heal painful cracks. See more information in Honey helps heal wounds .

Good nutrition

It is important that you accompany this process by eating healthy and healthy, since the skin not only regenerates from the outside, but also comes from within.

A body saturated with toxins such as alcohol, tobacco or processed products will take longer to heal cracks in the skin. If instead you choose to introduce more fruits and vegetables (preferably raw), nuts, fermented, seeds and honey to your diet, you will see how you will feel much better, and not only because of your skin.

It is essential that you visit a professional to avoid delaying effective treatment for your situation, especially if:

• You have fissures that don’t heal.
• Painful cracks.
• You notice inflammation in the hands.
• The annoyance is increasing.
• The itch does not let you sleep.
• You suffer from diseases that lower your defenses such as diabetes.

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Cracks in the hands: why they come out and how to heal them , we recommend that you enter our Skin, hair and nails category .