Re: Handwashing/Chapped hands

[Guest guest]

Oh, the chapped hands! Aren't they miserable? I do remember that Avon used

to sell a lotion that didn't wash off easily. It was more of a top coat I

believe and I would imagine that there are other products like that on the

market. If I were you I would ask the pharmacist. My kids feel that Aquafor

(on

the shelf) burns the least when applied to very chapped hands. It is greasy but

they are both willing to use it when everything else hurts. doesn't

like to dry her hands so she suffers the most. Right now she looks like she has

major road rash on both hands from the whole thing! Good luck, Kelley in NV

[Guest guest]

My daughter was washing her hands 35-40 times a day in the beginning. We

started prozac and switched cleansers to Cetaphil--gentle skin cleanser by

Galderma. Can be used without water. My daughter carries a small one in her

backpack to school and we have one in the car. She uses it whenever she needs

to

because it does not chap her hands like regular soaps. She wasn't under control

with her medication until we reached 40 mg of prozac and her handwashing

practically stopped. in Houston

[Guest guest]

Hi Melinda-

Kathy R. has already given you some great advice. The paraffin was

wonderful for my daugher last year. Although she would not leave

the wax on overnight, we did use gloves at night.

We found that Cetaphil was the best tolerated moisturizing lotion--

it felt less 'slippery' than some of the others. Additionally,

Cetaphil makes SOAP, and I think it was the use of the soap that

actually made the biggest difference. Last year, handwashing was a

HUGE ritual, requiring two or three washings at one sink visit. The

Cetaphil soap was much less drying, and we saw a dramatic

improvement once it was tried. The soap comes in both the liquid

pump variety as well as the bar variety. It's not cheap, but it was

very well worth the investment.

One other medication we used (prescription) was Eladil. It's a non-

steroidal medication used for eczema. We would put it on Anne's

hands before using the white cotton gloves at night.

Hope something you read here helps. I know how red, raw, and

painful hands can become in the winter, especially.

Blessings-

(Ohio) Anne (13)

[Guest guest]

Hi Melinda,

I have cotton gloves that are made to be worn over hand cream at night.

You can get them in the hand cream section of drug stores and Walmart, I

believe (I mailed ordered mine a very long time ago). My kids like the

novelty of the gloves and will even wear them watching TV when the

dryness gets really bad. A night with good cream and the gloves can make

a huge difference. Good luck.

Sue in Phoenix

MlndHall@... wrote:

> I know it's going to be hard getting an answer because I'm sure

> everyone is

> busy for the holiday, but I had a question regarding handwashing. Due

> to the

> cold, dry weather, and all of 's handwashing, his hands have become

> severely chapped. After consulting a doctor, we are using Nutragena

> hand cream to

> help with the chapped hands. However, fairly soon after it is applied,

>

> feels the need to wash his hands. (He can go for like 30 min. or

> more). We are

> trying to keep him from washing his hands after it's applied at night,

> to try

> and give his hands a chance to heal. But he just really has to wash

> his hands.

> We've tried other lotions/creams with the same result of his needing

> to wash

> his hands.

>

> He also fails to put the cream on, even with out prompting. He either

> forgets

> to do it or if I remind him to put it on-to keep his hands from getting

> worse, he says they are okay and won't do it. Then, of course, they

> start hurting,

> and then that complicates matters. We are trying to get him to use the

> cream

> to help his hands heal and to keep them from getting worse, but he is the

> obstacle keeping them from healing.

>

> Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also, I must say that I

> join

> the club of those who have children with increased anxiety/symptoms

> due to the

> holiday. We didn't have any of this when he was on Paxil. But then the

> Paxil

> levelled off, and it created a monster to try and increase it. Right

> now he is

> on no medication and we have seen great improvement. I am anxious to

> see if the

> anxiety we are seeing due to the holiday (pretty much the same as it was

> before we started meds to begin with-however a little better than

> before), will

> decrease once the holiday is over, or if the lack of meds is becoming

> an issue.

>

> Thanks for your posts in advance, and Happy Holidays!

>

> Melinda Hall

>

>

>