Smooth solutions to dry, chapped hands

Until spring arrives, we’ve got to deal with the winter’s chill and the damage it can do to our skin. Particularly on our hands. You can count on the left – or the right – the reasons why our hands take a beating at this time of year:

“First, the no-brainer – it’s the season. Cold, dry air saps moisture from the skin.

“We’re continually washing our hands or using sanitizers to tackle germs and avoid colds.

“We sometimes don’t wear enough protective gear, such as gloves.

Plus, for those who make it their living to be in and out of hot water – doctors, salon workers, even fun-loving bartenders – chapped, irritated skin is the winter norm.

What to do?

Of course, you break out a product that forms a moisturizing barrier on your skin. Lotions come in a variety of formulations and prices.

Here are some other tips to help keep hands healthy and worth holding.

Fight the faucet

Come winter, Dr. Suzanne Kilmer gets tiny cracks in her hands that seem to worsen when she’s at high altitudes.

But Kilmer, director of a Sacramento dermatology clinic, adds that “the constant hand washing as a doctor, that’s where my hands take the brunt of it.”

Kilmer’s colleague, Dr. Vera Chotzen, agrees, saying that nonstop wetting and drying – as well as the use of soaps or hand gels – strip skin of its natural oils.

“It only takes a minute, once your hands come out of the water, for them to become dehydrated,” Chotzen says.

And, while we’re mainly focusing on hands here, keep in mind that – while it might feel really good – an overly hot bath or shower is not good for the skin anywhere on your body.

So, keep it short. And after a 10- or 15-minute soaking, slather on the cream, because your skin will be receptive to the moisturizer. Wait too long, and pores close without any hydration.

Kilmer says prolonged exposure to certain irritants can lead to a condition known as contact dermatitis, which is especially painful on the hands.

“You can get breaks in the skin, even bleeding,” she says. The condition could require medical attention and certainly merits finding the cause of the problem.

Which may not always be evident.

“One thing I tell patients is to avoid handling fabric softener dryer sheets,” Kilmer says. “The fibers in the sheets have soap and perfume, which can be transferred to your hands.

“The fibers can even stick in your dryer for up to 20 loads of laundry.”

Keep the protective supplies, er, on hand

Call it an occupational hazard.

“We’re constantly wet!” says bartender Christina King.

Her daytime counterpart, Danny Royster, adds that hand washing is simply part of the job, often done more than 20 times during a six-hour shift.

Also part of the job: cutting up citrus fruit to go in drinks. That “really dries the hands,” Royster says. Plus, “there are olives and onions and sweet, sticky things like cherries.”

There’s also the liquor and ice that come in contact with skin.

And the shaking of hands with customers, bartenders being the congenial types that they are. Not to mention the hand washing and the “hit of hand sanitizer,” Royster says, that come with serving food and handling cash and credit cards.

What works best for him, Royster says: an aloe vera-based lotion or cream. That, and “using gloves.”

Finally, don’t forget: ‘it’s a dry heat’

During cooler weather, low humidity occurs – inside, with heaters, and outside.

Maintaining proper humidity – that is, the level of moisture in the air – in your home is another way to protect your skin.

Invest in a small humidistat or hygrometer, which can test the relative humidity of a room. If it shows that it’s below 20 percent, consider purchasing a humidifier. In your home, humidity levels should be between 30 percent to 50 percent, with the ideal level being 45 percent, according to the Web site www.doityourself.com.

In the end, though, if you’re still wringing your dry hands, try applying a liberal dose of Udderly Smooth udder cream and sleep in cotton gloves.