In humans, cracks in the skin can appear anywhere on the body. This is observed with eczema, psoriasis, mycoses, thermal and chemical burns, frostbite, allergic reactions. However, most often this ailment and at the same time a cosmetic defect is observed on the hands and on the heels. The article discusses the causes of the appearance and methods of treatment of cracks in the skin that appeared in these areas of the body.
General information
Our hands, starting from infancy, almost every minute come into contact with the environment or with any surfaces. Therefore, the skin of the hands (especially on the hands) is constantly exposed to air, moisture, wind, toxins, the influence of various chemicals when performing many types of work. All this contributes to skin fatigue, as a result of which it loses elasticity and freshness. If no action is taken, painful sores may appear on the palms, on the fingers, on the back of the hands.
Cracks in the skin of the heels are mainly observed in women and men in the summer, when these areas of the body,being open, they are constantly in contact with the external environment and dust, and sometimes with the ground. Cracks in the legs are easier to hide from the eyes of others, but they can be incredibly painful, as they cause pain when walking. Therefore, the legs should be given no less attention than the hands or face.
Pathogeny of cracks in the hands
In many people, such wounds appear suddenly. They are noticed at the moment when some aggressive liquid (soap, lemon juice, alcohol, and so on) gets on the sore spot. In such cases, you should immediately rinse the wound under running water, wipe it off and apply an anti-inflammatory and analgesic, for example, Levomikol ointment. These actions are a solution to the problem only when the appearance of cracks in the skin of the hands is caused by external stimuli. Such wounds in the process of treatment soon heal and do not appear again.
However, it often happens that cracks in the hands occur for no apparent reason. If it is possible to heal them, soon the integrity of the skin is again violated in the same area. Some patients say that before the appearance of a wound, the skin in that place becomes thinner and itches a lot. Most often this is observed on the palms and fingers. Such cracks are difficult to treat with external means and cause a lot of unpleasant moments. For some people, the skin around cracks itches and flakes until they heal. If an infection gets into the wounds, an inflammatory process, suppuration may begin.
External causes
Many people, trying to protect themselves fromall kinds of viruses and bacteria, during the day they wash their hands repeatedly with soap and water. Some try to use widely advertised bactericides for this purpose, for example, Dettol, and especially scrupulous citizens even wipe their hands with alcohol (just in case). Hygiene is a good thing, but we must not forget that soap and all kinds of disinfectants greatly dry out the skin. That is, after hygiene procedures, it is imperative to use a moisturizing hand cream, since the main cause of cracks is dry skin. Not only soap, but also other means and environments can make it so:
- Chlorinated water (this is what flows from our taps).
- Household chemicals, with the help of which we clean the house, wash the dishes.
- Washing powders.
- Staying in the wind and cold without gloves.
- Unsuitable cosmetics.
- Work without gloves with the ground or in cold water.
- Extended sun exposure.
- Some substances and compounds used in professional activities if a person works without gloves (plaster, solvents, dyes, alcohol solutions, glue, etc.).
- Food products in their culinary processing (garlic, radish, lemons, onions, tomatoes and others).
Most often, people who allow their skin to come into contact with aggressive environments understand why they get wounds. To heal them, you need to exclude contact with irritating substances and contact a dermatologist so that he can prescribe an effective treatment using externalmedicines. If they do not help, then the problem is not only external factors.
Internal causes of cracks in the skin of the hands
Many diseases of the internal organs contribute to the appearance of wounds on the skin. A visit to the doctor is required precisely in order to correctly determine the cause of the problem. Sores that do not appear from contact with irritants are a symptom of one of the following diseases:
- Psoriasis.
- Eczema.
- Mycoses.
- Helminthiasis.
- Atopic dermatitis.
- Diabetes mellitus.
- Allergy (it can be on any product, clothing fabrics, dust, cosmetics and other irritants).
- Hypothyroidism.
- Neurosis.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Vegetovascular dystonia.
- Vitaminosis (mainly, the skin reacts with the appearance of cracks to the lack of vitamins E, B7 and A, magnesium, iron and omega-3 unsaturated fatty acid).
- Pyococcal infections.
- Stress.
- Hormonal disorders.
- Metabolic disorders.
Dermatologist cannot diagnose all these diseases himself. Therefore, he refers the patient, who often develops cracked hands, to specialized specialists, such as an endocrinologist, an allergist, a neuropathologist, and others.
Wounds near nails
Cracks in the skin on the fingers are most often observed in the cuticle area. This is a thin strip of skin that frames the nail from the side of the hole. Wounds in this place can appear for any of the reasons listed above. In addition, in some women, cuticle cracks occur due to manicures. If it is performed by a master without experience, he can injure the thin and delicate skin around the nail. This applies to both classic manicure and hardware. Now nail extensions are in fashion, as well as gel polish, for which a UV lamp is used.
All this was invented to create real masterpieces on nails that should last a long time. However, the developers did not take into account the negative impact of the lamp. It can be one of the causes of skin cracks on the fingers. Experienced masters, performing a manicure with a lamp, apply protective agents to the cuticles of clients. If this is not done, the skin becomes very thin, cracks form on it. In addition, the cuticles often become inflamed from infection, which causes tangible pain in ladies.
Hormonal disorders
Cracks in the skin on the fingers and palms often appear in women during pregnancy, which is associated with changes in their body. In addition, wounds are a signal that the expectant mother does not have enough vitamins.
A pregnant woman should first consult a gynecologist about cracked skin. If he deems it necessary, he will refer the patient to a consultation with a dermatologist.
Another category of people in whom cracks in the skin can be observed is the elderly. Due to age-related changes, they produce less collagen and fat, and the skin becomes very thin and dry. Together, these factors often cause cracked hands.
Adolescents during puberty and hormonal changes in the body also fall into the risk group. According to medical statistics, they most often have skin cracks on the fingers near the nails. Inept hand care and unprofessional manicure can contribute to this.
Cracked heels
It is believed that this problem is typical only for older people, especially those who often walk without shoes on various hard surfaces (earth, dusty road, etc.). However, this is only partly true. The causes of skin cracks on the heels can also be both external and internal, which include all the diseases listed above.
In addition, the following factors can cause wounds on the legs:
- Wearing shoes of poor quality (man-made materials) that causes an allergic reaction.
- Excessive sweating.
- Wearing uncomfortable shoes that pinch or rub.
- Unstable heels.
- Lack of proper foot care (many people limit themselves to washing their lower extremities, not thinking that there are special creams, scrubs, foot masks).
Separately, it must be said about mycoses. All kinds of pathogenic fungi affect the legs most often. Without treatment, the disease in 100% of cases causes cracks, inflammation and peeling of the skin, accompanied by severe itching.
If the fungus appeared on the hands, most often it is localized on the palms and between the fingers.
If parasitic microorganisms have infected the legs,cracks may also appear between the fingers. In addition, they are observed on the soles and heels.
Diagnosis
To establish the causes of skin cracks on the arms and legs, a series of tests is required:
- Scraping. The biomaterial of the skin surrounding the crack is taken. This analysis allows you to determine the presence or absence of pathogenic fungi that caused the problem.
- Allergen testing.
- Complete blood count. Determine the indicators of hemoglobin and red blood cells to exclude or confirm iron deficiency.
- Analysis for the presence of helminths.
- Blood biochemistry.
- Be sure to conduct an examination of internal organs, in particular, find out the indicators of glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin. They are one of the main ones for diagnosing diabetes mellitus, which often causes cracks in the skin.
Therapy methods for feet
Two main methods of treatment are used to treat wounds on the arms and legs:
- Using external agents.
- Oral drugs.
As a rule, these methods work in combination.
Different remedies are used to heal cracks in the legs and arms.
Externally for the treatment of cracks in the skin of the heels use:
- Radevit.
- "Calendula".
- Zinc ointment.
- "Balmsam".
- Bepanthen.
- Regular vaseline.
- Zazhivin.
Before applying the ointment, it is advisable to steam the legs by making a bath with sea s alt (1 tbsp. per1000 ml of water) or decoctions of herbs (chamomile, calendula, nettle). The duration of the procedure is up to 30 minutes, but you need to make sure that the water remains warm all the time. You can also add essential oils of lemon, lavender, sea buckthorn, calendula to the bath. After the procedure, it is advisable to gently remove dead skin from the heels with a pumice stone, wipe it well, apply cream and put on socks.
There are special sock masks on sale that have an insert with healing properties.
Hand Therapy Methods
For the treatment of cracks in the hands, you can also do baths. They relieve irritation, soothe pain, itching, heal wounds, nourish the skin. Baths for hands can be made with the same components as for legs. Herbal decoctions are prepared at the rate of 1 tsp. dry mixture per 1000 ml of boiling water. They need to fill the grass and let it brew. Then the infusion is filtered and used for its intended purpose.
The most popular hand creams are listed below.
For crack healing:
- Solkoseril.
- "Pleased".
- Levomikol.
- BoroPlus.
- "Pantestin".
To relieve itching:
- "Psilobalm".
- Fenistil.
To relieve inflammation and protect against infection:
- Triacort.
- Beloderm.
- Elokom.
- Kutivate.
- Dermovate.
Imported drugs:
- Lipikar.
- HIDRADERM Sesvalia.
- Remederm silver.
- Cutibaza.
- Locobase Repair.
When choosing a softening hand cream, make sure that it contains lanolin, propylene glycol, glycerol stearate, squalene.
Moisturizers should contain glycerin, lactic and hyaluronic acids, sorbitol, propylene glycol.
If it is written on the tube with a cream that it is healing, it must contain at least one or two elements from the list:
- Vitamins A or E (good if you have both).
- Propolis, sea buckthorn, chamomile, jojoba, grape seed, avocado oil.
- Lanoline.
- Essential oils of tea tree, eucalyptus, lemon, chamomile, calendula.
A good effect in the healing of cracks in the hands is observed if a person adheres to the following algorithm:
- Makes a bath for 20 minutes.
- Dries hands dry.
- Applies cream.
- Puts on light cotton gloves.
Of course, you need to perform such procedures before going to bed. To moisturize the skin, you can use regular petroleum jelly, which must be applied in a thick layer.
Note that if the patient has mycoses, the dermatologist prescribes medicinal ointments, which may include:
- Nizoral.
- Clotrimazole.
- Ketoconazole.
- Lamisil.
- "Mycospor".
For pregnant women, even drugs for external use should only be prescribed by a doctor, since many drugs have a negative effect on the development of the fetus. Most often, ladies in position are prescribed Prednisolone, Hydrocortisone.
Oral drugs are prescribed fordetection of diseases of internal organs, with helminthiasis, stress. In addition, almost every patient is assigned a course of vitamin therapy.
Folk remedies
In the piggy bank of healers there are a lot of recipes for decoctions and ointments that improve skin condition and heal cracks.
Foot baths. Healers recommend making them based on sea s alt, which must be taken in the amount of 1 tbsp. l. per 1000 ml of water. For greater effect, literally 3-5 drops of one of the following essential oils can be added to this solution:
- Lavender.
- Rosemary.
- Calendula.
- Tea tree.
- Firs.
- Pine trees.
- Siberian larch.
To improve the condition of the skin, heal, reduce sweating, you can add 5 ml of iodine to the base solution. The duration of the bath is 15 minutes, after which the feet should be washed with clean water.
Hand baths. The simplest and most effective:
- Soothing. Pour 1 cup of bran with 400 ml of boiling water, cover, let cool to a comfortable temperature, immerse hands in the mass for 10 minutes. After that, wash off what remains on the skin and lubricate it with cream.
- For dry skin. For 200 ml of hot water, you need to take 1 tsp. regular baking soda and sea s alt. Stir, place hands in the solution for 10 minutes. After that, rinse the skin and lubricate with cream.
Masks. For dry skin of the hands, a mask with the following ingredients is very useful:
- Olive, burdock and almond oils (according to2 tbsp. l.).
- Honey (1 tsp)
Mix oils, heat slightly, add honey, mix everything well again and apply on the skin for 10 minutes, then rinse with water and apply cream.
Recipe for another mask that softens too dry hands:
Take 1 tbsp. l. honey and linseed oil, mix, warm slightly, add ½ tsp. grapefruit juice, mix, apply on hands, put on cotton gloves on top. After an hour, wash off the mask and grease your hands with cream.
Ointments. The most affordable remedy is prepared from petroleum jelly and powdered dry herbs of calendula, chamomile, and plantain. Herbs are simply added to the Vaseline, everything is thoroughly mixed. Herbs can be taken in any amount, but the remedy should be such that it is convenient to apply to the skin.
Prevention
Preventive measures are based on the causes of cracks. If diseases of the internal organs are “to blame”, they need to be diagnosed and treated in time.
To exclude external factors that affect the occurrence of wounds, it is necessary to prevent skin contact with harmful substances, that is, wear gloves.
You also need to review your cosmetics and replace those that do not suit you.
Of course, you need to monitor the hygiene of hands and feet, use softening, nourishing and relieving skin irritation.
Be sure to provide plenty of vitamin-rich foods in your diet.
To prevent cracked feet, wear only comfortable, quality shoes.
An important point in preventive measures is to avoid stress and organize the correct daily routine, in which enough time is given to rest.
