Beautiful men’s and women’s hands are a matter of pride. However, not everyone can boast of delicate and silky skin. Due to hormonal changes, aging, improper care, skin conditions, lack of vitamins, or exposure to moisture, weather, and chemicals, painful cracks can appear on the hands.
These skin defects cause a lot of inconvenience, as any touch becomes sensitive and painful. Barely healed wounds quickly crack open again and bleed. It is essential not to dismiss them as trivial, as infections can easily enter the body through the cracks.
It is recommended to visit a doctor to identify the cause of the unpleasant condition (including psoriasis, fungal infections, dermatitis, neurodermatitis, eczema) and start active treatment, such as using folk remedies.
However, before visiting a medical facility, it is advisable to protect yourself from the appearance of new cracks. To do this, it is recommended to adhere to the following advice:
- Minimize prolonged contact of the skin with water and exposure to the sun.
- Use rubber gloves to protect yourself from contact with household chemicals.
- Wear warm gloves when going out in cold weather.
- Try to postpone heavy work and cooking for a while.
These recommendations will help minimize the impact of adverse factors on cracked skin.
Nutrition (diet)
Despite cracks being a problem that arises on the skin, the healing process should start with a change in diet quality.
First of all, exclude strong allergens from your diet: chocolate, exotic fruits, coffee, carbonated and alcoholic beverages, products with synthetic dyes, smoked and canned foods. Reduce sugar and salt intake, fats, and spices.
And be sure to include in your diet foods that positively affect metabolic processes in the body as a whole and the condition of the skin in particular: lean meats, spinach, broccoli, flaxseeds, wheat (including sprouted), Brussels sprouts, walnuts, spinach, potatoes, plums, parsley, fish varieties high in Omega-3.
Add antioxidant sources to your list: freshly brewed green tea, seaweed, liver, beets, radishes, red cabbage, blueberries, garlic, to not only forget about cracks on your hands but also preserve youthfulness for a long time.
Remember to drink plenty of clean water!
Remember! To achieve visible health results, it is necessary to adhere to this dietary recommendation for a long time.
Cracks on hands. Treating with folk remedies
The methods of treating cracks are aimed at antibacterial, softening, moisturizing effects, as well as the ability of herbs to activate the regenerative function of the skin.
Soaks
For the procedure, you will need a deep bowl in which both hands can be comfortably submerged. You will also need hot boiled water and a strong decoction from the following healing plants (one or several):
- water pepper;
- ground ivy;
- wild strawberry (leaves);
- comfrey;
- stinging nettle;
- yarrow;
- burdock;
- St. John’s wort;
- chamomile;
- lime (flowers);
- oats.
Freshly cut raw material has a greater effect than chopped and dried. Approximate dosage for preparing the decoction: 4-5 tablespoons (about a handful) of the plant or collection per liter of water. The soak is boiled for a maximum of 15-20 minutes, after which it is poured into the bowl for the procedure.
When the temperature of the liquid becomes comfortable, immerse your hands in the soak for 10-15 minutes.
After the soaks, apply nourishing ointment to the cracks and wear clean cotton gloves.
In addition to herbal procedures, baths with honey and starch added to warm boiled milk, one tablespoon of each ingredient per liter of liquid, are excellent for softening the skin. The procedure (lasting up to 20 minutes daily), when performed regularly, helps get rid of cracks even on very rough skin.
A bath with oatmeal flakes and milk will help restore the smoothness of the skin if the procedure is carried out at least once a week.
Oatmeal flakes should be boiled in milk with the addition of olive oil and honey, after which the palms are soaked in the resulting mixture. Limit the duration of the procedure to 15 minutes daily. After the bath, rinse off the remnants of the mixture and apply cream, ointment, or oil to the affected areas.
Paraffin Therapy. Effective elimination of even deep cracks
Several sessions of paraffin therapy will restore the skin’s former softness, and the cracks will disappear completely. The procedure is not economical, but in terms of effectiveness, it ranks first on the list of all existing hand care measures.
Preparation for paraffin therapy involves peeling. The skin of the hands is treated with a scrub, a stiff washcloth, or a brush to soften rough areas as much as possible.
Next, pre-purchased paraffin (2 kg) is placed in a high bowl and melted in a water bath. The melting temperature is checked by applying a drop of liquid paraffin to the back of the hand. It should warm up but not burn (optimal – 53°C).
The procedure begins with treating the skin of the hands with almond, sea buckthorn, or olive oil. Then each hand is dipped into a bowl with warm paraffin. The hands are kept in paraffin for 10 seconds, then pulled out for 2-3 seconds and dipped back into the paraffin. The dipping cycles continue until a thick layer of paraffin forms on the hands.
At the end, gloves are put on the hands: first paper, then warm cotton gloves.
After 25-30 minutes, remove the gloves, and the remaining paraffin is peeled off from the wrists to the fingertips.
During the therapy, the skin of the hands will be deeply moisturized, smoothed, blood circulation and lymph flow will be greatly enhanced, and cracks will begin to disappear.
Contraindications to therapy: hypertension, diabetes mellitus, infected wounds on the skin.
Ointments, masks, creams, rubs for cracks on the hands:
Softening and healing dense mixtures prepared according to wise folk recipes are best applied before bedtime and after warm baths, remembering to protect the skin of the hands with cotton gloves.
Glycerin-honey mask with flour
To make a mask for healing deep cracks, you will need a mixture of a tablespoon of honey, 15 drops of glycerin, and a small amount of oat flour. Mix the ingredients, adding warm boiled water, and apply a thick layer to the hands. After half an hour, wash off the product, and treat the skin with almond oil.
Ointment with flower powder
Orange medicinal calendula flowers are crushed into finely dispersed powder. The powder is added to vaseline (1 part powder to 4 parts vaseline) or natural lard, melted in a water bath (1 part powder to 2 parts lard). The finished ointment is poured into a glass jar and stored in the refrigerator door.
The ointment with flower powder is used several times a day, helping to heal deep cracks, reduce inflammation, and decrease bacterial attack on the skin of the hands.
Mask with potato puree
Potato puree is prepared without salt and spices, mashed through a sieve, and applied warm to the skin of the hands. During the procedure, the hands are necessarily insulated with gloves (paper and terry).
A greater effect can be achieved by adding warm milk to the mask and applying sea buckthorn/flaxseed oil to the palms.
Miraculous aloe
Cracks can be treated with slices of aloe leaves cut lengthwise and attached to the hands. The cracks heal quickly with systematic continuous exposure of the plant’s juice to the cracks.
