Dermatologist Hand Care Tips for Dermatitis, Dry Skin, & More | Dr. Sam Ellis
Summary
TLDRIn this informative video, board-certified dermatologist Dr. Sam Ellis addresses common hand skin issues like dryness, flakiness, and irritation. She explains the concept of hand dermatitis and its causes, emphasizing the importance of avoiding irritants and allergens. Dr. Ellis offers practical advice on using gloves, mild cleansers, and moisturizers, and touches on the use of super glue for fissures and topical steroids for inflammation. She encourages seeking professional help for persistent issues and hints at a future video on nail care.
Takeaways
- π¨ββοΈ Dermatologist Sam Ellis emphasizes the importance of hand care, which often gets overlooked despite the prevalence of hand skin issues.
- π« The video is a guideline and not a substitute for personalized dermatologic care, especially for severe or persistent hand conditions.
- π Inflammation on the hands is sometimes mistaken for dryness but can be low-grade inflammation manifesting as flaking and itchiness.
- π€² 'Hand dermatitis' is a term used for rashes on the hands without a clear source or cause, and it's common due to multiple influencing factors.
- π§ Irritation from repeated hand washing, exposure to weather extremes, and contact with chemicals is a major contributor to hand dermatitis.
- ποΈββοΈ Frictional trauma from activities like sports or manual labor can also lead to micro traumas that contribute to hand inflammation.
- πΏ Allergic reactions to substances that hands frequently come in contact with can cause persistent hand dermatitis.
- 𧀠Gloves are essential for protecting hands from irritants and should be used during wet and dry work, as well as in cold weather.
- 𧴠Hand lotion is crucial for repairing the skin barrier after washing hands and should be applied every time hands are washed.
- π Topical steroids can be an effective treatment for hand dermatitis when used correctly under professional guidance.
- π The goal for managing hand dermatitis should be improvement rather than complete clearance due to its stubborn and easily triggered nature.
Q & A
Why does hand care not receive as much attention in the skincare world?
-Hand care may not receive as much attention because issues with hand skin, while prevalent, are often overlooked or not given the same priority as facial skincare.
What is the term used in dermatology to describe inflammation of the skin on the hands without a clear source or cause?
-The term used is 'hand dermatitis', which is a catch-all term for any type of rash on the hands that doesn't have a clear source or cause.
What are the common causes of hand dermatitis?
-The common causes of hand dermatitis include irritation from repeated hand washing, exposure to weather extremes, contact with chemicals, repeated trauma from friction, and allergic reactions to substances the hands come in contact with.
Why is it important for a healthcare professional to examine the entire skin of a patient complaining of hand inflammation?
-Examining the entire skin can help identify rashes elsewhere that might provide clues to the diagnosis, such as psoriasis, eczema, or fungal infections, which might be the underlying cause of the hand inflammation.
What is the primary advice for someone suffering from chronic hand dermatitis?
-The primary advice is to avoid irritants as much as possible, which includes not touching soaps, detergents, and protecting hands from wind or dry air by wearing gloves.
Why do people's hand dermatitis often improve when they go on vacation?
-Hand dermatitis often improves on vacation because it provides a forced break from the usual irritants, allergens, and trauma present in their day-to-day lives.
What is the significance of using gloves in the management of hand dermatitis?
-Gloves serve as a barrier to protect hands from potential irritants and allergens, and they can be used during wet work to prevent contact with water and soap, as well as in cold weather to prevent dryness and chapping.
What is the recommended approach to washing hands for someone with hand dermatitis?
-The recommended approach includes using lukewarm water and mild, gentle soap, and applying lotion every time after washing hands to repair the skin barrier and reduce inflammation.
What is the purpose of applying a hand lotion like 'gloves in a bottle'?
-The purpose is to form a thin film barrier over the hands that is non-greasy and doesn't transfer to other surfaces, providing additional protection against irritants throughout the day.
Why might a dermatologist recommend using super glue for fissures on the hands?
-Super glue can help seal fissures, providing support as the skin heals, and reducing pain. It is not absorbed systemically and peels off as the skin repairs itself.
What role do topical steroids play in the treatment of hand dermatitis?
-Topical steroids are potent anti-inflammatory medications that can help calm down the skin and reduce inflammation, providing temporary relief and allowing the skin to reset its tolerance to environmental factors.
Outlines
π Understanding and Treating Hand Dermatitis
Dr. Sam Ellis, a board-certified dermatologist, discusses the common issues of dry, flaky, irritated, or itchy hands and emphasizes the importance of hand care in skincare. He explains that inflammation on the hands often appears as dryness but may be a symptom of low-grade inflammation, which can be caused by a variety of factors including irritation, allergens, and trauma. The term 'hand dermatitis' is used to describe rashes on the hands without a clear cause and is often due to a combination of factors that affect the skin. Dr. Ellis stresses the importance of avoiding irritants and allergens, and seeking professional dermatological care if necessary.
𧀠The Importance of Gloves in Hand Dermatitis Management
The second paragraph focuses on the role of gloves in managing hand dermatitis. Dr. Ellis suggests that gloves can protect hands from irritants and allergens, and can be used during various activities such as dishwashing, laundry, and gardening. He also mentions the benefits of using gloves during nighttime routines to seal in moisture and enhance the efficacy of medications. The recommendation is to have gloves readily available and to use them whenever possible to minimize exposure to potential irritants and to maintain hand health.
πΏ Gentle Handwashing and Moisturizing Practices
In this paragraph, Dr. Ellis discusses the importance of gentle handwashing techniques and the use of mild cleansers to avoid further irritation of the skin. He advises against the use of harsh soaps and suggests using facial cleansers instead. Additionally, he emphasizes the necessity of applying lotion after each handwashing to repair the skin barrier and reduce inflammation. Dr. Ellis also recommends specific hand lotions, such as 'gloves in a bottle,' for their non-greasy formula and protective barrier properties.
π©Ή Creative Solutions for Healing Hand Fissures
The final paragraph presents unconventional methods for treating hand fissures, such as using super glue to seal small cuts and alleviate pain. Dr. Ellis also touches on the use of topical steroids as an effective treatment for hand dermatitis, under the guidance of a dermatologist. He encourages viewers to seek professional help if their hand condition does not improve and invites feedback on nail care, indicating a potential future video on the topic.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Dermatologist
π‘Hand Dermatitis
π‘Inflammation
π‘Irritation
π‘Trauma
π‘Allergens
π‘Moisturizer
π‘Gloves
π‘Topical Steroids
π‘Super Glue
Highlights
Hand care often lacks attention despite the prevalence of skin issues.
Hand dermatitis is a common term for inflammation of the skin on the hands without a clear source.
Low-grade inflammation can manifest as dry, flaky, itchy skin, often mistaken for simple dryness.
Irritation, allergen exposure, and trauma are the main contributors to hand dermatitis.
Healthcare professionals should examine the entire skin surface for clues to diagnose hand dermatitis.
Chronic hand dermatitis can be improved by avoiding irritants and allergens.
Wearing gloves is essential for protecting hands from irritants and allergens.
Gloves can help prevent hand dermatitis from worsening during daily activities.
Using mild, gentle soap and lukewarm water for hand washing can reduce skin irritation.
Applying lotion after every hand wash is crucial for repairing the skin barrier.
Gloves in a Bottle is a recommended hand lotion for its non-greasy and protective properties.
Nighttime hand care can involve heavy creams and wearing gloves to lock in moisture.
Super glue can be used to alleviate pain from fissures in the skin when done correctly.
Topical steroids can be an effective treatment for hand dermatitis when used appropriately.
The goal for managing chronic hand dermatitis should be improvement, not necessarily complete clearance.
Nail care for common nail issues may be addressed in a separate video if there is interest.
Viewer engagement is encouraged to share favorite hand creams and additional tips for hand care.
Transcripts
do you struggle with your hands are they
dry or flaky or irritated or itchy I
have some tips to help you out
[Music]
for Sam Ellis and I'm a board certified
medical and cosmetic dermatologist in
Northern California I'm here to help you
understand your skin and find products
that work for you if that sounds good
give this video a thumbs up and don't
forget to subscribe to the channel I
feel like when it comes to the skincare
World hand care specifically doesn't get
a ton of time or attention or love but
the reality is issues with hand skin
come up all the time and they're very
very prevalent and so I want to give you
some tools and some guidelines to take
better care of your hands and speaking
of guidelines that's all this video is a
guideline it is not a substitute for
personalized dermatologic care so if you
have really been struggling with super
itchy super flaky super painful hands
that you can't seem to get better taking
sort of the normal measures that are
outlined in this video please please
please see a dermatologist
and before we talk about treatments and
interventions I think it's important to
take a moment to talk about inflammation
on the skin of the hands oftentimes this
looks like dryness people come into my
clinic all the time and say my skin is
dry my hands are really dry but when I
look at it it's not just dryness it's
low-grade inflammation that manifests as
flaking itchy skin and so people
perceive oh it's just that my hands are
dry but oftentimes there might be
something else going on there as well we
have a term in dermatology called hand
dermatitis which essentially is a
catch-all term to Encompass any type of
rash on the hands that doesn't have a
clear Source or cause it literally means
inflammation of the skin on the hands
and we typically Reserve this term for
when exclusively the hands are involved
because if someone has a body rash we
usually can tie their hand rash into
that for example people who have atopic
dermatitis or more colloquially known as
eczema they often will have hand
involvement and in that case we don't
call it hand dermatitis we call it
atopic dermatitis of the hands or hand
eczema but the reality of the situation
is oftentimes people don't have a rash
elsewhere it's exclusively involving
their hands and oftentimes we have to
call it hand dermatitis until we sort of
rule out some potential other causes and
when it comes to hand dermatitis most
commonly it is due to multiple things
influencing the skin on the hands
simultaneously or sequentially and we're
going to talk about those by Far and
Away the biggest contributor to hand
dermatitis is irritation and irritation
can sometimes be a little bit sneaky so
repeated hand washing for sure can
irritate the hands exposure to cold dry
weather or even really hot weather can
irritate the hands using things like
hand sanitizer repeatedly or touching
some type of chemical that you might not
even be aware of at work can do this
another really common contributor to
hand dermatitis is repeated trauma and
I'm not talking like slamming your hand
in the door type of trauma I'm talking
about frictional trauma so say you play
a sport like you're gripping a baseball
bat or a lacrosse stick over and over
again you can have some micro trauma
under hands if you do gardening or you
do other types of manual labor that's
another way that you can sort of incur
small amounts of trauma on your hands
over time but that also makes you
susceptible to other types of irritation
like I just mentioned so you can see how
these things start to add up another
thing that leads to hand inflammation
which is not really super super common
but because I'm a dermatologist I see it
all the time is an allergic reaction or
an allergy to something that your hands
consistently come in contact with and
it's not something your hands have to
come in contact with every single day
but maybe a few times a week or even
every couple of weeks and that's enough
to keep that hand dermatitis or that
inflammation on the hands going so
irritation allergen exposure and Trauma
are sort of like the Holy Trinity of
hand dermatitis and if someone comes to
me as a dermatologist with chronic
inflammation of their hands those are
sort of the first three things I look at
now one little tip if you're a
healthcare professional who treats
patients and someone comes to you with a
complaint of chronic hand inflammation
it's really important to have the
patient undress and to look at the rest
of their skin because the patient might
be hyper focused on their palms because
that's what's causing the most Strife in
their life but they might have a tiny
little rash elsewhere that gives you a
clue to the diagnosis so for example
they might have a little bit of
psoriasis in their belly button that
lets you know that oh they're dealing
with Palmer psoriasis in this case or
they might have a little bit of eczema
behind their ears and that might let you
know oh they have atopic dermatitis that
might be primarily manifesting on their
hands but they have it elsewhere or they
might have fungus all over their feet
that has transferred to their hand or
has caused sort of a systemic
inflammatory reaction that is leading to
this hand dermatitis so it's very
important to look at the entire patient
even if they're just coming to you for
their hands sorry I had to say my piece
on that because I have seen too many
times people had something very obvious
going on in their body that was causing
their hand dermatitis and it was just
missed because the patient didn't take
the rest of their clothes off anyway the
reason that hand dermatitis is so
persistent and consistent is because
people have chronic repeated exposure to
allergens and irritants and Trauma to
their hands that if this was going on on
somewhere else on their body they would
easily be able to kind of protect that
area and give it a break but it is so
hard to give your hands a break you need
them for everything you do aside from
having to contend with a uniquely
intense exposure to environmental
stressors the skin on your hands is also
super sensitive so once it gets revved
up by irritation or an allergen or
trauma it will start reacting to things
that normally wouldn't cause a problem
so the hand soap that you use every day
and normally hasn't caused an issue once
the hands are a little revved up and
inflamed now you're going to have a
problem with that hand soap and that's
what makes it extra tricky to treat this
is all in anticipation of saying that
the number one by far and away the best
thing you can do if you have chronic
hand dermatitis is to avoid irritants it
is the hardest thing to do but it is the
best thing to do it's not about the hand
lotion it's not about the cotton gloves
at night we'll talk about that it's
really about a avoiding potential
irritants and babying your hands like
crazy it's a very well documented
phenomenon that people's hand dermatitis
gets miraculously better when they go on
vacation because they're essentially
taking a forced break from all of the
normal irritants allergens and Trauma in
their day-to-day lives so I guess if you
get any bit of information out of this
video it's you need to go on vacation
but in all seriousness if you struggle
with chronic hand dermatitis then you
need to cut the irritants out of your
life so you should not be touching soaps
or detergents you should not be exposing
your hands to wind or dry air which
might mean you need to wear gloves or
protect your hands and we'll talk about
that as well it means that there are
certain chores that you might not be
able to do or you shouldn't do and
sometimes people go well Dr Ellis that's
like not practical for how I want to
live my life and what I tell them is I
get that like there are compromises that
have to be made and sometimes there's no
perfect solution but it's all about how
much does this bug you how much do you
want to get better and what kind of
sacrifices do you need to make to meet
your goals so if hand dermatitis is
something you think about all the time
it affects your quality of life it bugs
the crap out of you then you need to cut
those potential exposures out of your
life if your hand dermatitis is sort of
a mild nuisance and you come into the
clinic and you're like yeah this bugs me
but like I can live with it then it's
fine you don't have to make any major
changes in your life it really is about
how much you want to get better how much
something bothers you and it's always is
a balance the reality of chronic hand
dermatitis is that it is super stubborn
and super easily triggered essentially
and so the goal when it comes to
improving your hands really should be
Improvement not complete clearance
because oftentimes people who are prone
to hand dermatitis will always have a
little bit of that dermatitis or
low-grade inflammation running in the
background the goal is to improve your
hands to a point where you can go and
live your life and function in your
normal daily activities without thinking
about your hands all the time one of the
best things you can do if you suffer
from chronic hand dermatitis is to make
gloves your best friend you're going to
invest in a lot of gloves and it's worth
the investment it's not practical to
tell someone to avoid touching
everything in their life you need to use
your hands to do most daily functions
but you can use gloves to protect your
hands from potential irritants you need
to use them for wet work protection so
if you are washing dishes if you are
moving the laundry from the washing
machine to the dryer you need to put
gloves on if you you are bathing your
child you need to put gloves on it's all
these tiny little exposures to water and
soap and irritants that add up and cause
hand dermatitis it's not like anyone is
sticking their hand in Caustic chemicals
every day and going oh yeah that's
what's causing my hand dermatitis it is
these tiny exposures that add up now I'm
not saying use a public restroom and
then don't wash your hands if you suffer
from hand dermatitis there will be
compromises that need to be made but
anytime that it's reasonable to put on
gloves to protect your hands you should
it's also important to wear gloves to
protect you from what I would call dry
irritants so probably the most common
activities that lead to this are
gardening weight lifting where you have
a lot of friction on the palms and then
also just normal daily activities where
your hands are exposed to cold dry air
this is probably the most neglected but
one of the most common issues with
people who have chronic hand dermatitis
is their hands get really chapped when
they go skiing or when they're running
errands during the winter you need to
have your hands in gloves or shoved in
your pockets another thing that's
important to keep in mind when it comes
to using gloves is whether or not you
want to bring them in to your nighttime
hand care routine so overnight putting
on a nice thick hand creamer moisturizer
and we'll talk about some
recommendations in a little bit followed
by a pair of gloves can really help seal
in moisture also if you're using some
type of medication on your hands I mean
talk to your dermatologist before you do
this and then applying a pair of gloves
can help enhance the efficacy of that
medication you can use plain white
cotton gloves that's fine but actually
vinyl gloves work even better for this I
recommend investing in a few pairs of
heavy duty vinyl gloves I like these
better than rubber gloves because
sometimes people have a rubber or latex
allergy and I'll link some options in
the description box but buy a few Pairs
and kind of have them spread all over
your home where you might be tempted to
touch water without them so by the
kitchen sink for when you're doing
dishes buy the laundry by the bathtub
Etc if you develop a hole in any of your
gloves you need to toss those gloves
immediately wearing gloves that have a
hole in them is worse than wearing no
gloves at all because as soon as
something gets trapped underneath that
glove it goes through it it it's going
to get pressed up against your hand and
cause more problems if you like to cook
it's also worthwhile to think about
wearing gloves when you do activities in
the kitchen and I know that sounds
annoying and not very sexy but when you
peel potatoes when you chop garlic when
you peel onions or tomatoes or citrus
fruit it's so important to have your
hands protected because again it's all
these little exposures adding up
essentially anytime you're doing an
activity around your home and you think
I'm going to have to wash my hands after
I do X Y or Z you should put gloves on
if it's wet work that you're doing then
I do recommend using a pair of
waterproof gloves like those vinyl
gloves but if it's dry work like you're
just wiping down a countertop or you're
doing some other type of chore or you're
changing your baby's diaper or whatever
you can use cotton gloves that's fine
and when you're done with the activity
you just take your cotton gloves off you
put them in the laundry and you don't
wash your hands in dermatology we sort
of have this saying for people who
suffer from chronic hand dermatitis and
it's wash your gloves not your hands so
anytime that you could put on a barrier
of protect action and get away with not
washing your hands afterward you should
absolutely do that it sounds annoying it
sounds like a pain in the butt to do and
it is it's not the easiest way to live
your life but if you suffer from chronic
hand dermatitis and you want to do
everything in your power to try and get
better it's worthwhile and then when
you're outside in cold or windy weather
wearing a pair of unlined leather gloves
is the best way to prevent dryness and
chapping of the hands sorry I had to go
hardcore on gloves there but I cannot
tell you how much of a difference they
really make and that's why I emphasize
it so much other things you can do to
protect your hands when you do have to
wash them you want to use lukewarm water
and the most mild gentle soap possible I
actually really like using just a gentle
facial cleanser like a CeraVe gentle
wash or a Cetaphil gentle wash and
that's just a nice way to not overly
strip your hands you do not need super
strong antibacterial soap and definitely
do not be washing your hands with dish
soap I see that so many times in like
why also if you're someone who wears a
lot out of rings you want to make sure
that you remove your rings before you
wash your hands sometimes little
irritants soap Etc can get trapped under
your rings and cause more of a problem
and then every single time you wash your
hands you need to apply lotion afterward
this means often buying multiple bottles
of lotion having them stationed all over
your home keeping one in your bag
keeping one next to your faucet at work
etc because every time you wash your
hands you're doing damage to the Skin
Barrier there and by following it up
with a good supportive hand lotion
you're taking at least one step towards
repairing that barrier and reducing
inflammation in your hands my all-time
favorite hand lotion I talk about this
all the time is gloves in a bottle this
is the best especially for hand lotion
that you have to apply during the day
because it's non-greasy it essentially
forms this very thin film barrier over
your hands so one it doesn't transfer to
other things so you can go type on your
computer afterward or turn a doorknob
and not leave sticky handprints behind
but two it's like this barrier of
protection so if you are inadvertently
coming in contact with potential hand
irritants over the course of the day
your hands are additionally protected I
feel like after I went on my rant about
how important gloves are it's only
fitting that the number one hand lotion
that I recommend is gloves in a bottle I
remember when I first posted about this
on my Instagram I got a lot of messages
saying you know in cosmetology school
this is something that a lot of our
teachers recommend because of course we
can't really wear physical gloves when
we are cutting someone's hair or washing
someone's hair at work though I would
argue you could if you're washing
someone's hair but regardless using
gloves in a bottle is sort of the next
best option I also really like the event
hand cream because maybe like my third
or fourth bottle of this it's kind of
Addicting in a way not that it's
actually literally addicting but it just
makes your hands feel so good and it's a
very luxurious experience to apply it so
this is one that I leave sort of on my
bedside table it's also one that I keep
in my purse because I feel like in
addition to being effective that
packaging is a little more Chic so it's
a lot cuter to pull out in public than
this guy though I'm not above pulling
this out in public that's for sure I
love that one as well but that's another
option and then probably the heaviest
hand cream that I use is the Neutrogena
Norwegian hand cream this one much more
feels like an ointment it's a lot
greasier it's a little bit stickier so
that to me is like a nighttime only hand
cream but it's really thick it's great
for locking things in and sometimes if
someone's going to put cotton gloves on
at night to sort of lock in their
moisturizer or the ointment that they're
using that's the one I will recommend
another product I want to talk to you
about when it comes to hand care is
super glue and you might think I am
crazy for saying this but ask pretty
much any dermatologist we're pretty much
all on the same page here if you have
little fissures which essentially are
tiny little Cuts in your fingers or on
your hands they can be incredibly
incredibly painful and one thing you can
do to help with the pain is to put a
teeny bit of super glue right in that
cut you're not going to get systemic
absorption of the glue it's not going to
cause a big health problem and as your
skin is supported and as it heals it'll
sort of just force that glue up and out
and it will peel right off of your skin
I have literally had hand dermatitis
patients come into my clinic and go Dr
Ellis if you won't believe it my last
dermatologist was absolutely crazy can
you believe they told me to put super
glue on my hands and that's where I kind
of have to get real and be like I do
believe it because it can be incredibly
helpful people who also get big cracks
in their heels you can also use super
glue in this case again run it by your
dermatologist make sure they're okay
with it but when done correctly and
precisely it can help so much with this
discomfort of fissures the last thing I
sort of want to talk about is topical
steroids because a lot of times one of
the best things and one of the most
effective things for helping with hand
dermatitis aside from all of the
lifestyle interventions that I talked
about is using topical steroids which
are very potent anti-inflammatory
medications to help calm down the skin
like I mentioned in the beginning of
this video when the skin on the hands
gets irritated it then becomes
hypersensitive to everything in your
environment and even things that
normally weren't bothersome and so
steroids sometimes can be a great
temporary solution to help reset the
skin on your hands so that it can
tolerate the stuff that it used to be
able to tolerate steroids get a really
bad rap but when used correctly under
appropriate guidance they are
life-changing for people and I don't
want people going around suffering
because they're too nervous to use a
steroid when in fact they can be
extremely effective for people also
going back to the beginning of this
video if you're doing all the right
lifestyle interventions and your hands
are still not getting better for sure
get plugged in with a dermatologist
there might be additional diagnostic
testing that can be done there might be
other types of medications or
interventions that we can offer you but
your hands are part of your everyday
life and we want you to be comfortable
with them and we can help you do that I
also really debated if I should talk
about fingernail nails and Nail Care in
this video but I truly believe that
deserves its own dedicated situation so
if you want a video on how to take care
of your nails and how to solve some
common nail issues let me know in the
comments and I can definitely make that
for you do you have a favorite hand
cream put it in the comments below also
if you have any additional tips or
tricks for taking care of your hands or
something that you have found
particularly helpful put it in the
comments as always thank you so so much
for watching I love having you here
don't forget to like this video And
subscribe and I'll catch you in the next
one
foreign
[Music]
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