What is the main danger of frequent hand washing during a pandemic
Hand hygiene receives special attention during a pandemic. Doctors advise to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after every walk, as well as before eating. For additional disinfection, many people use alcohol antiseptics, which dry the skin of their hands.
Dry hands can cause skin irritation and inflammation. This happens especially often in the autumn-winter period, when the weather is windy and cool.
In autumn and winter, we are faced with cold weather that negatively affects the health of our skin. The central heating is also switched on, which increases the dryness of the indoor air. All of these factors can trigger eczema, psoriasis, and itching. That is, the main reason for dry skin is insufficient moisture, which, if desired, can be easily corrected, – said dermatologist Latanya Benjamin.
In addition to these reasons, constant hand washing and the wearing of gloves are now added to the risk factors. Tight rubber gloves are another cause of not only itching, but also allergic skin rashes.
Most scientists agree that gloves are a useless precaution that won’t keep you from getting infected. But gloves can harm the health of your skin.
If you begin to notice that your hands have become too dry and irritated during the pandemic, then apply a thick cream after each hand wash. Not only women, but also men should pay attention to this.
It is also worth replacing the soap if your skin dries from the usual laundry or lump soap.
Doctors advise taking a closer look at liquid soap. Thanks to the dispenser, it is considered to be more hygienic and easier to use than regular bar soap. It often has a neutral or low pH and a lot of moisturizing additives, so it doesn’t dry out the skin very much.
Dry skin is not only an aesthetic problem. Dryness can provoke eczema, which will take a long time and not always easy to treat. With this inflammatory disease, the skin cracks, which increases the risk of infection, the dermatologist concluded.
