Excessive handwashing may lead to skin problems, warn experts

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 18

Covid-19 pandemic has shifted the focus on heath, hygiene and prevention due to growing awareness about the disease. Be it grocery items, bags, vegetables, fruits or any other household items, we use soaps/sanitisers to disinfect these every now and then. However, the increased frequency of handwashing amid Covid-19 pandemic is taking toll on skin health. Our hands are constantly exposed to soap, water and sanitisers. Hence, cases of allergy to sanitisers are on the rise these days.

Use mild soap having well-balanced pH

• Be gentle while washing hands. Do rub but don’t scrub. Don’t overdo it
• Follow the seven steps of hand washing starting with rubbing in between the fingers, inside and outside of the hands, wrists, thumb and the nails. Don’t forget to moisturise your hands after washing. Use mild soaps or liquid handwash, which have well-balanced pH.
• In case of irritation or allergy, consult a dermatologist

Dr Jastinder K Gill, Senior Dermatologist and Cosmetologist, SPS Hospitals, says, “I would request people to be gentle while washing hands, do rub but don’t scrub. Don’t overdo the hand wash routine. Don’t be obsessed about it. Do follow the seven steps of hand washing starting with rubbing in between the fingers, inside and outside of the hands, wrists, thumb and the nails, especially so when you come out from an outdoor activity. Use gentle soaps or liquid handwash, which have well balanced pH. Be sensitive to your skin. If a particular soap/handwash is causing irritation, stop that and use another,” said.

Advising further, Dr Gill said one really don’t need sanitisers, they are to be used when you don’t have access to soap and water. A good sanitiser has to have over 60% of alcohol to be effective, otherwise it’s of no use. Soap is the best way to get rid of the virus. The virus has an outer layer of lipid/fat, which gets dissolved on washing with soap and the virus becomes inactive. You really don’t need any harsh handwash or sanitisers, these will rather damage the skin and lead to irritation. Go for a well-balanced pH soaps.

“Don’t forget to moisturise your hands after washing. In case of irritation, consult a dermatologist,” added Dr Gill.

Dr Alka Dogra, former head, Department of Dermatology at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, said patients are coming with contact dermatitis type of picture with irritation being the main symptom. Hands are the common site of allergy with redness, oozing on hands, especially with finger webs being involved. In some cases whitish deposits occur on finger webs further leading on to fungal infections and complicating the problem. Some patients have symptoms of burning and itching and occasionally pus discharge due to constant scratching which can further lead to pain and fever as well.

Dr Dogra advises people with sensitive skin to either go for baby soap/handwash or soap-free gentle hand washes which usually have Cetostearyl Alcohol. Excessive use of gloves also causes contact allergic dermatitis in several cases due to latex part of rubber gloves. If allergy is more on hands then soothing ointments can be used with oral allergens.

“In their era of pandemic when use of strong cleanser or spirit-based hand washes have become a norm, there are lot of problems for people with sensitive skin. Affected persons could go for patch allergy test for diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis,” says Dr Dogra.