13/05/2024

Every day, the skin on our hands endures numerous stresses from the external environment, which can weaken its barrier functions and make it dry, fragile and irritated. Chapped hands are the result of the many chemical, thermal, mechanical or physical type attacks that are faced in everyday life, and in the professional field and which can also lead to serious skin conditions.

In fact, many activities and tasks require constant use of hands as work tools and occupational illnesses are one of the most frequent causes of compensation submitted to INAIL (The Italian National Institute for Insurance Against Industrial Accidents). Often underestimated, the phenomenon of cracked hands is a problem to be dealt with decisively, before it leads to more serious complications.

Let’s analyse together the main symptoms of chapped hands, the most effective causes and solutions to prevent and treat this condition.

Chapped hands: what symptoms?

Chapped hands are particularly rough and dry to touch, with little elasticity and very dehydrated skin. Furthermore, the surface of the skin is irregular and characterised by wrinkles, furrows and flaking, as well as even accentuated redness, and a dull and rather lifeless appearance.

In addition, more heat may be felt in the areas of chapped hands, but you may also notice the formation of cracks and even deep cuts.

Chapped hands on palms

One of the areas of the hands most prone to chapping is the palm and palm-sides of the fingers. This generally happens because these are the most common points of contact between the hands and the substances they interact with, which can be irritating or allergenic. The causes of chapped hands on the palm are substantially a loss of hydration and compromised hydrolipidic film, which is intended to preserve the physiological barrier function of the skin.

Chapped hands between fingers

Hands can also chap in the spaces between fingers, because here the stratum corneum of the skin is thinner and therefore irritants or allergens can penetrate more easily. This phenomenon occurs especially in cases of allergic dermatitis or fungal infections, which tend to manifest precisely in the interdigital spaces of the hands and feet.

Chapped hands with cuts and fissures

When the problem of dry and cracked skin is ignored, fissures can form, or rather cuts more or less deep in the skin, on the palms and in the spaces between the fingers, on the knuckles or around the nails. In these cases, the skin has suffered an extreme loss of hydration and elasticity and its capacity is greatly reduced. In addition to pain, thickening and possible bleeding, fissures also facilitate entry of pathogenic microorganisms into the body, therefore they must be treated promptly.

The causes of cracked and chapped hands

What are the main reasons of hand skin loss of elasticity, drying, reddening, cracking and skin which no longer guarantees its indispensable defensive role?

Chapped hands caused by dermatitis

Often, behind dry or chapped hands lies contact dermatitis contact dermatitis, an inflammation generated by contact with irritant substances or allergens. In fact, dermatitis can be from irritative contact or also allergic caused by contact.

In the first case, it is a reaction to aggressive agents that come in direct contact with the skin, such as chemical or toxic substances, certain types of plants, detergents and abrasive products, but also excess humidity. In particular, occupational irritative contact dermatitis is defined as the pathology, acute or chronic, that is triggered within the workplace, linked to exposure to irritants or even phototoxic substances (in the latter case a harmful agent becomes toxic to the skin only when exposed to natural or artificial ultraviolet rays).

Its symptoms can range from flaking to the formation of oedemas, rashes, blisters, cuts and scabs, which are particularly annoying.

Allergic contact dermatitis, on the other hand, is caused by skin sensitivity to an allergen, mediated by T-cells and capable of causing sensitisation and an allergic reaction to subsequent re-exposure. In this case chapping is usually accompanied by itching and pain, as well as injuries, blisters, oedemas, erythema or striations.

Hands cracked by cold

Among the main causes of chapped hands is the harsh climate of the winter season. Exposure to cold, in fact, causes strong vasoconstriction in the skin, which limits the transport of blood, therefore of oxygen and nourishment, to the superficial layers of the skin, with a consequent loss of water and essential fats to maintain elasticity.

A condition which, in the professional field, is exacerbated by contact with irritants or frequent washing typically required by some worker categories.

Hands chapped by detergents

It is known that among the main factors that can worsen the situation of already cracked and dry hands is constant washing, which risks compromising the hydrolipidic layers of the skin. This happens especially when cleaning is performed with too hot or too cold water and using poor quality, over-degreasing and aggressive soap and hand wash products.

The mechanical action of rubbing, both during washing and drying, further promotes the onset of dehydration, cracking and irritative skin diseases.

Chapped hands in summer

Hand health should not be neglected even in summer, because in this period other potentially stressful agents for the skin are active, such as the ultraviolet rays of the sun.

UVA and UVB rays are present to varying degrees throughout the year, but intensify their harmful action in summer, making life difficult for those working outdoors. Ultraviolet radiation, in fact, as well as scalding the skin and causing major rashes and burns, are able to damage the elastin fibres and collagen in the skin, making it dry, flaky, deeply irritated and more exposed to photo-aging processes.

Very chapped hands: the solutions

Preventing and treating cracked and chapped hands is possible, adopting valid and targeted measures, especially when the problem manifests in professional contexts.

What to do, specifically?

Use appropriate PPE

First, it is mandatory to use all the safety measures outlined in the company, including the use of PPE more specific to the task performed. For example, wearing the type and quality of work gloves indicated in occupational safety regulations is an excellent starting point to protect healthy hands and their delicate skin.

In the workplace, safety rhymes with effective but delicate washing. If you need to proceed with frequent cleansing of the skin, it is essential to do so with hand wash products such as those from the Nettuno lines: designed ad hoc for the purpose in our R&D laboratories, they can easily emulsify and eliminate the most resistant dirt, leaving intact the physiological balance of the skin and offering emollient ingredients and nourishment.

In addition to using gloves and specific PPE, it is also recommended to use creams that act as a barrier against skin maceration, which can cause damage to the stratum corneum of the skin, inflammation, cracking and infection. Protexins Plus, for example, is the Nettuno barrier cream formulated against water-based substances, which serves as an excellent support when prolonged use is required of gloves or constant contact with aqueous substances such as dyes, paints, weak acids, fertilizers, cutting oils, cement, alkali, salts and detergents.

Cream for cracked hands: hand protection before your shift

To prevent skin weakening and exposure to irritating contacts, it is also important to protect the skin from the many greasy and oily substances in many workplaces, such as oil and grease, but also metal powders, lubricants, graphite, carbon black, oil-based paints, glues, resins, solvents or glass fibres.

Protexsol Professional was formulated for this reason, a barrier cream that creates an invisible protective film on the skin resistant up to 3/4 hours, able to effectively protect the skin and greatly facilitate subsequent washing operations.

The importance of UV protection cream

As already mentioned, it is essential to keep the skin protected from the action of UV rays, in summer and winter. To do so, it is essential to use lotions containing a high sun protection factor, better if designed specifically for use in the professional environment, such as Protexsun Protection SPF50.

It is Nettuno’s solution to protect face and body skin from UVA and UVB rays. In addition to offering a powerful shield effect, it also provides the skin with emollient substances and vitamin E, essential to keep it healthy and avoid cracking, dryness and irritation.

Hands cracked by cold: the possible remedies

To safeguard the well-being of working hands in the winter and in extreme climatic conditions, it is necessary to pay attention to all three steps that Nettuno is committed to promoting in the professional areas, namely protection, cleansing and care.

After protecting the skin from low temperatures, cold, moisture and temperature changes through PPE and barrier creams suitable for the context, it is useful to clean using professional products only and complete the operation with perfect drying and with one important further step: the application of cream for chapped hands caused by the cold, such as Protexem Rinnova.

Nettuno’s moisturiser was designed for use on the hands and face and contains the emollient and soothing ingredients necessary for skin replenishment and regeneration and to always preserve the tone and elasticity essential to avoid cracking, inflammation and chapping.

Following these steps, you can keep your hands in perfect shape in any season, even when they are at the forefront of the most demanding and potentially risky jobs for their integrity.