From childhood to old age, hands are the main instrument of man. With their help, we perform hundreds of simple and complex tasks every day. All year round, our hands, to one degree or another, come into contact with the external environment and with various surfaces. In view of this, the skin of the hands is forced to withstand enormous loads. If she is not helped in this, the limit of elasticity, elasticity, regeneration allotted by nature will be violated.
As a result, cracks appear on the hands. Treatment of these wounds should be entrusted to doctors. Some people consider cracks to be only a temporary cosmetic defect, therefore they do not attach much importance to them, at home they smear them with some kind of ointment that brings the appearance of a successful solution to the problem, in society they cover them with gloves in the cold season, and mask them with bodily texture creams in the warm season.
However, you can't hide the trouble from yourself. Cracks on the hands make themselves felt whenever acidic environments, such as lemon juice, enter these areas of the body. For some people, even plain water causes pain. Sometimes it is still possible to heal the wounds, butafter a while, cracks may appear on the fingers, on the cuticle or on the palms. If you encounter such a problem, do not try to deal with it yourself. Cracks and wounds that constantly appear on your hands can be a signal of a dangerous disease of the internal organs that requires professional treatment.
General description of the problem
Cracks in the hands and fingers can have different pathogenesis, depending on the causes of their appearance and the condition of the skin. In some people, cracks occur in isolated cases and only in those places that accidentally hit any strong irritant. As a rule, such wounds heal quickly with appropriate treatment, since the skin on the hands has a high degree of regeneration.
However, many people develop cracks for no apparent reason. Sometimes a couple of days in that place a person begins to itch. Rupture of the skin occurs where it is deformed due to scratching. As a rule, even after the appearance of a crack, itching continues to pester.
In other cases, before the violation of integrity, the skin begins to peel off, exfoliate, become too thin. It is in these places that gaps form, which can be caused by any mechanical deformation when performing actions with hands.
But it also happens that wounds form without preliminary discomfort. A person notices a crack, because suddenly there is pain when some irritant comes into contact with the skin. At first, the wound may be shallow. It gives the impression that withit can be de alt with quickly and easily. But a day or two passes, a person diligently smears the cracks with ointment, but they not only do not disappear, but become larger and deeper, delivering incredible torment during any work. The skin around them becomes inflamed, begins to peel off, sometimes itches a lot. Sometimes it hurts even to wash your face. Going out into the street, he tries to hide his hands from others, embarrassed by their appearance.
Such cracks pass as suddenly as they appeared. At a certain point, they stop hurting, and after a while they tighten up, leaving no trace. However, a complete cure does not occur, because skin breaks appear again, but in a new place.
Only a dermatologist can find out exactly what causes such cracks on the hands. Therefore, one cannot rely only on external means, even the best ones. It is necessary to undergo an examination to understand the causes and get rid of such a skin defect forever.
Possible external causes of cracked hands
Such skin injuries very often appear in those people who do not take care of their skin. Hands, like no other part of the body, need daily care, including the use of moisturizing and nourishing creams. Most of us wash our hands with soap dozens of times a day, trying to protect ourselves from various infections. This is very correct, but after such procedures, the skin dries out, especially when using specific bactericidal agents such as Dettol or Safeguard.
Many people have skin problems even from using chlorinated water flowing fromour taps.
From the above it follows that the main cause of cracked hands is too dry skin.
Wounds can also occur from other external factors:
- Using a variety of household chemical solutions (detergents, laundry detergent and/or soaps, various cleaners and solvents).
- Inappropriate hand cosmetics (cream, lotion, gel).
- Hypothermia (long stay without mittens and gloves in the cold).
- Working with hands in ice water.
- Extended exposure to wind or sun.
- Manipulation without gloves with the earth (for example, planting seedlings).
- Weeding (many weeds have poisonous substances in their stems and leaves that can cause cracks and sores on contact).
- Work with aggressive media (plaster, chalk, glue).
- Cracks on the fingers, where the skin is especially delicate, can cause some products with prolonged contact with them during cooking (garlic, onion, radish, celery, lemons, tomatoes, other fruits, berries, greens containing a large amount of acid).
Internal Causes
If only external factors cause cracks in your hands, treatment will not be difficult. The situation is much more complicated if such a problem is caused by a disease of the internal organs. In this case, the wounds are one of the signals that not everything is good in the body. Cracks in the skin of the hands may indicate such ailments:
- Mycoses (fungalskin infection).
- Eczema.
- Atopic dermatitis.
- Psoriasis.
- Allergic to anything (smells, dust, food, clothing fabrics, cosmetics, hygiene products, etc.).
- Pyococcal infections.
- Helminthiasis.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Diabetes mellitus.
- Vegetovascular dystonia.
- Neurosis.
- Stress.
- Hypothyroidism.
- Avitaminosis (lack of magnesium, omega-3, vitamins A, B7, E).
- Metabolic disorders.
- Hormonal disorders.
As you can see, the list is rather big. It includes quite serious diseases that can significantly impair he alth and life. Therefore, when cracks appear, especially if there are no visible reasons for this, it is necessary to consult a dermatologist. Perhaps he will refer you for a consultation with an endocrinologist, neuropathologist, gastroenterologist or other narrow specialists.
Often, cracks in the skin of the hands occur in pregnant women, which is associated with cardinal changes in their body and a lack of vitamins. Women should contact a gynecologist with this problem, who can refer them for additional tests, prescribe suitable treatment, and prescribe vitamin complexes.
How do diseases affect the condition of the skin?
Some people wonder what could be the connection between cracked fingers or palms and, for example, gastritis or intrahepatic cholestasis.
With mycoses, everything is clear. Pathogenic fungi get on the skin of the hands in many ways:
- Shaking hands with a sick person.
- Touching any surfaces (handrails, railings, etc.) in public places.
- Money actions that tend to change hands many times.
- Using non-sterile manicure instruments.
Mushrooms begin to develop actively only in people with weak immunity. Before the appearance of wounds, the skin of the hands first strongly itches, becomes inflamed, and begins to peel off. If cracks on the hands appeared due to mycosis, they are most often localized between the fingers (there is the most suitable epidermal structure for the fungus), but they can also be located on the palms, as well as on the outer surface of the hand. An indispensable sign of mycosis is itching.
With diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, for example, with gastritis, people's skin condition worsens significantly. Most often, this is manifested by various rashes (acne, hives, acne), but in some patients, due to the fact that problems with the gastrointestinal tract, metabolism is disturbed, dry skin appears, and then cracks in the hands.
Intrahepatic cholestasis (this condition is also called obstructive jaundice) is accompanied by the accumulation of bilirubin and bile acids in the skin, irritating the nerve endings. A person experiences itching, which can be all over the body or only on the hands. Cracks appear in the places of scratching.
Diseases of the stomach and liver are not the only ones that provoke dermatological problems.
Vitamin deficiency is also accompanied by thinning of the skin with the formation of cracks. In addition, with vitamin deficiency in people, vision in the dark worsens,increased fatigue is observed, frequent colds are pestering, the condition of the hair worsens. These symptoms may give clues as to what causes breaks in the epidermis.
Psoriasis is not a contagious disease, but its external manifestations are very unpleasant. Violation of the endocrine system leads to inflammation of the skin. In these places, peeling of individual dry plates is observed, under which very thin skin remains, unable to withstand mechanical loads and exposure to external environments, as a result of which it becomes covered with cracks.
Atopic dermatitis is a hereditary allergic disease. It can manifest itself when exposed to any irritants. Its symptoms are often itching and inflammation of the skin, as well as cracks. On the hands, they occur mainly due to contact with an irritant.
Thyroid diseases are dangerous because they disrupt the production of hormones. One of the symptoms of this is dry skin, and later cracking.
The same etiology of wounds on the hands and in diabetes mellitus, when the production or absorption of insulin is impaired.
In addition to these, many other internal diseases and conditions can cause cracks in the fingers and the entire surface of the hand, as they disrupt the normal course of biochemical reactions and processes in the body, causing dry skin.
Wounds near nails
The areas of skin that frame the nails from the side of the hole are called the cuticle. They are a thin film formed by dead epithelial cells. Underneath is a living andan unusually delicate tissue called eponychium. In the process of nail growth, the lower layer is separated from the eponychium, rushing behind the nail plate, and dead cells are pushed to the surface. It is they who become the cuticle. Its role is to protect the growth zone. Dermatologists say that the cuticle is a "litmus test" that shows the state of a person's he alth.
Cracks on the fingers near the nails can appear for all external and internal reasons listed above. We will not dwell on external factors in detail. Let's just say that aggressive environments and climatic conditions have the greatest impact on the skin near the nail.
Among other factors, the painful condition of the cuticles and nail folds causes a manicure. If it is performed with an insufficiently high-quality instrument, or the master does not have experience, the skin around the nail is often injured. This can cause its inflammation, which in the future will lead to the formation of cracks. In addition, the delicate strip of skin is often exposed to acetone or other nail polish remover. The UV lamps used by masters when building nails also adversely affect it. In clients with hypersensitive skin, such procedures (if they are performed frequently) cause thinning, dryness, peeling and cracks on the fingers near the nail plates.
Another reason for this phenomenon is age-related changes in the human body, in which there is a deficiency of not only collagen, but also fat, as the sebaceous glands gradually stop working. ATas a result, the skin becomes thinner and more sensitive.
Cracked nails
This pathology is observed about two times less often than cracks in the skin, which is associated with a stronger structure of the nail plates. Doctors believe that these small areas of the body can tell about the he alth of their owner no worse than some tests.
Not all patients immediately develop cracks on their fingernails. At first, the nail plates can change their color from the usual flesh to yellow, brownish, whitish. Sometimes contrasting marks appear on them - white spots, dark strokes and stripes. This is already a sign of diseases of the internal organs. Nails can undergo deformation, become ribbed, concave, bumpy. In many people, they become too soft or brittle and cease to fulfill their protective function. Another sign of he alth problems affecting the condition of the nail plates is their layering.
Doctors are well aware that not all people immediately rush to the hospital when the above problems appear. As a rule, men simply dismiss them, and women try to cope with the defect with the help of varnishes. Meanwhile, in medicine, there are diseases, the main symptom of which are cracks in the nails. If they are longitudinal, this is onychorrhexis, and if they are transverse, they are onychoshisis.
The causes and treatment of cracks in the hands and nails are largely the same. These are the external and internal factors, which are described in detail above. However, the deformations are naturally stronger and more rigidnail plates may be associated with their own specific causes. The main one is an unprofessional manicure.
Many women don't care about the quality of nail polish, basing their choice on the color or price of the product. Not everyone knows that the production of cheap varnishes uses formaldehyde compounds, which are dangerous chemicals. Of course, there are an insignificant amount of them in varnishes, but the constant use of such products leads to the diseases mentioned above.
Some ladies, when ribbing appears on their nails, try to get rid of it with a nail file. Such actions significantly thin the stratum corneum of the plates, and also contribute to the penetration of infection into them. The factors influencing the occurrence of onychorrhexis or onychoshisis include frequent nail extensions, which greatly deplete them.
In men and women, cracked nails cause work with unprotected hands with aggressive environments, beriberi, some internal diseases.
Diagnosis
Treatment of cracks in the fingers and nails should be prescribed by doctors. They do this only after determining the cause and making a diagnosis. To begin with, patients are usually prescribed the standard delivery of general blood and urine tests. They also scrape the skin around the crack.
The list of studies may include:
- Biochemical blood test.
- Allergen testing.
- Tests for helminths.
- Examinations of internal organs.
Main treatment criteria
Regardless of the results of analyzes and tests,patients, in order to avoid dry hands, cracks should begin to heal with proper care of their skin.
First you need to exclude contact with any chemical irritants, with the earth and plants. To do this, you need to purchase appropriate gloves and be sure to wear them when performing work. It is desirable that the inner surface of these hand protections be free of talc, as it can also irritate inflamed skin.
The next step is to revise your hygiene products. Perhaps it is one of them (soap, gel, shampoo) that causes skin irritation and cracking. You need to carefully study the composition of the funds. If they contain a lot of fragrances, dyes, thickeners, it is better to purchase more natural products. Hygienic soap, shampoo, oil, conditioner for children can be a good choice. They do not have an attractive smell, but they do not cause skin irritation.
The third important step is to review your diet. According to many patients, only the exclusion from the menu of products harmful to the skin (sweets, smoked meats, pickles, fried meat, spicy dishes) and an increase in the consumption of fruits, raw vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers, herbs), dairy products saved them from cracks in the hands. Note that doctors in any case will prescribe a diet for the period of treatment. It will include foods rich in magnesium, vitamins, and omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids. It would be ideal if you give up smoking, since nicotine causes pathologies in allorgans, not just the lungs.
It is absolutely certain that stress, depression, depressed mood also contribute to the appearance of cracks in the skin of the hands. Therefore, another important criterion for the treatment and prevention of such a pathology is the revision of one's goals, plans, ideals, avoiding pessimistic moods, and introducing positive diversity into one's life.
Baths and compresses
Causes and treatment of cracks in the fingers, as well as on the palms, hands, nails can be quite serious. If the pathology is caused by a disease of any organ, appropriate therapy is necessarily prescribed. Baths with the addition of decoctions of herbs and essential oils in any case will help heal wounds and improve overall skin condition.
It is desirable to carry out such procedures in the evening, after the completion of all household chores. The water should be at a temperature that is comfortable for your skin. The simplest decoctions for baths can be prepared from chamomile, celandine, nettle, plantain. Dry raw materials of the listed herbs are taken at the rate of 1 tablespoon per liter of boiling water.
Another very simple bath recipe is to use tea tree oil. Just a few drops of it can be added to water, and the treatment solution is ready.
More complicated recipes:
- With olive oil. This product can simply be applied to the hands and allowed to soak in. This is what women did in ancient Greece. In addition, with it you can prepare an excellent bath for problem skin of the hands. Heat the oil a little, squeeze vitamins E and A from the capsules into it, add a couple of drops of lemon, mix everything thoroughly. The duration of the procedure with such a bath is about a quarter of an hour. The hands are not washed afterwards, allowing the oil to soak into the skin.
- With honey. In liquid oatmeal with milk, you need to add olive oil and honey, mix. Keep your hands in this mixture for up to 10 minutes. Then they need to be rinsed with one of the decoctions mentioned above, wiped and smeared with cream.
Compresses can be done on the wounds. Here are some recipes:
- Mash boiled potatoes, add olive oil. Apply the mass to the cracks and adjacent areas, wrap with a plastic bag, then with a cloth. Hold up to 15 minutes. Rinse with medicinal decoction and apply cream.
- Squeeze the contents of the aloe leaf into a container, add a little thick honey (you need to make the product not too liquid), apply to the problem area, cover with cellophane, top with a cloth and hold for up to 20 minutes. Then rinse with clean water and apply cream.
Creams and ointments
Perhaps a dermatologist will prescribe a special ointment for cracks on the hands near the nails, between the fingers, on the palms, which will need to be ordered at the pharmacy. If not, then you can use ready-made tools:
- Emollient. They make the skin smooth and supple. The composition of such preparations should include jojoba oil, glycerol stearate, lanolin, squalene, propylene glycol.
- Moisturizing. They protect the skin from drying out. The composition of such funds should be glycerin,hyaluronic acid, propylene glycol, sorbitol, lactic acid.
- Healing. They must include at least one element of their list:
- lanolin;
- vitamins E and/or A;
- oil of calendula, avocado, jojoba, sea buckthorn, peanut, carrot;
- extracts of chamomile, plantain, propolis, grape seeds, Siberian larch, avocado;
- essential oils of chamomile, lemon, fir, tea tree.
For hands with very dry skin, you can use petroleum jelly, cocoa or shea butter, dimethicone. These funds should be applied at night in a thick enough layer, after which thin cotton gloves should be put on hands. You can use such ointments during the day, but in this case you need to apply them very little.
Good reviews have such creams:
- Lipikar.
- Cutibaza.
- HIDRADERM Sesvalia.
- Atopiclair.
- Remederm silver.
- Locobase Repair.
Russian drugs with a healing effect:
- Levomekol.
- "Synthomycin emulsion".
- Vulnuzan.
- Radevit.
- Solkoseril.
- "Actovegin".
Relieve itching well:
- "Psilobalm".
- Gistan.
- Fenistil.
Corticosteroids relieve pain and inflammation. They also protect against penetration into the wound infection. The list of such drugs is quite wide:
- Loriden.
- Elokom.
- Fluorocort.
- Beloderm.
- "Flutsinaar".
- Dermovate.
- Triacort.
- "Advantan".
- Kutiwait and others.
They all have varying degrees of activity. They should be prescribed by a doctor, as these drugs have side effects. Only very weak corticosteroids "Prednisolone" or "Hydrocortisone" can be suitable for pregnant women, but you should also consult a gynecologist before using them.
