I get really bad eczema on my hands, and the doctors tell me I wash my hands too much, never knew that was a thing but I work in a restaurant so don’t really have a choice. But I just don’t understand why we need lotion or prescribed ointment, why can’t I just skin my hand in a tub of water for an hour and bam hydrated.
In: Biology
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I’ve dealt with this my entire life. Washing your hands too much isn’t great but what’s even worse is using sanitizer in your restaurant. It’s the standard cleaning chemical and will dry your hands out worse than anything. Any time you use sanitizer or really any cleaning chemicals, wash your hands immediately. I can almost promise that if you are using sanitizer regularly you will see an improvement by doing this. Especially if you clean up at close, go home and go to sleep without washing your hands thoroughly
Because water evaporates. Your skin is supposed to be a barrier to water going in or out. Water isn’t supposed to go past the top layer of skin. Your body produces oil to help it keep the inside water in, and the outside out. Soap gets rid of it, so now your skin is dry.
Oil (commercial moisturizer for example) hydrates. Water washes away the oil, thereby drying the skin.
There are two major reasons. The first is that your skin is waterproof. Wouldn’t be much use otherwise. The second is that water isn’t wet*. That’s why you use a wetting agent, usually soap, when you wash.
**I mean it is but then again it isn’t.*
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