Cracked skin on the arms and legs: causes and treatment with traditional and folk remedies

Our skin is very often exposed to chemicals, air changes, cold and hot water. Which subsequently leads to skin injuries, for example, the skin cracks or peels. Another main reason for skin cracking is vitamin deficiency. At the first symptoms, you need to consult a specialist to make a correct diagnosis. Only after this the doctor will be able to help you and prescribe the correct treatment.

To eliminate cracks in the skin, you can use different oils; they will soften the skin, and the cracks will gradually go away. You can learn more about methods for treating cracked skin by reading our article.

General information

Our hands, starting from infancy, come into contact with the environment or some surfaces almost every minute. Therefore, the skin of the hands (especially on the hands) is constantly exposed to air, moisture, wind, toxins, and various chemicals when performing many types of work. All this contributes to skin fatigue, as a result of which it loses its elasticity and freshness. If no action is taken, painful sores may appear on the palms, fingers, and 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, 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 cause incredible suffering, as they cause pain when walking. Therefore, the legs need to be given no less attention than the arms or face.

Parasites

The presence of irritations on the surface of the feet, between the toes or on other parts of the body always indicates the presence of health problems.

Sometimes dryness and cracks appear in the presence of helminths. Parasites increase the permeability of the intestinal mucosa, as a result of which it intensively absorbs various harmful substances that were previously successfully eliminated from the body.

Parasites are perceived by the human immune system as foreign objects. Therefore, she directs her forces to destroy them. This leads to the fact that the immune system cannot cope with other negative effects on the body. A person becomes more susceptible to external irritants, which most often provoke dryness.

Pathogenesis of cracks in the hands

For many people, such wounds appear suddenly. They are noticed at the moment when some aggressive liquid (soap, lemon juice, alcohol, etc.) gets on the sore spot. In such cases, you should immediately rinse the wound under running water, wipe it and apply an anti-inflammatory and analgesic agent, 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 irritants. Such wounds soon heal during treatment and do not appear again.

However, it often happens that cracks in the hands appear for no apparent reason. If they can be healed, soon the integrity of the skin in the same area is again compromised. Some patients report that before a wound appears, the skin in that area becomes thin and very itchy. This is most often 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 the cracks itches and peels until they heal. If an infection gets into the wounds, an inflammatory process and suppuration may begin.

Reasons for appearance

The skin becomes dry and cracked due to the fact that it has weak protection in the form of a lipid film on the surface. It is this that prevents the negative impact of external factors on the epidermis and maintains its attractive appearance.

The protective film of the skin consists of special proteins and oils. Each person has a different intensity of release of these substances. This is influenced by the characteristics of the body and the state of health. When the integrity of the film is broken, the skin dries and bursts.

The presence of microtraumas on the surface of the epidermis increases the risk of developing bacterial infections, which poses a potential danger to human health.

External reasons

Many people, trying to protect themselves from all kinds of viruses and bacteria, wash their hands with soap and water many times throughout the day. Some try to use widely advertised bactericidal agents for this purpose, for example, Dettol, and particularly 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, you must definitely use a moisturizing hand cream, since the main cause of cracks is dry skin. Not only soap, but also other means and media can make it this way:

Chlorinated water (this is exactly what flows from our taps).
Household chemicals that we use to clean the house and wash dishes.
Washing powders.
Exposure to wind and frost without gloves.
Unsuitable cosmetics.
Working without gloves on the ground or in cold water.
Prolonged exposure to the sun.
Some substances and compositions used in professional activities if a person works without gloves (plaster, solvents, dyes, alcohol solutions, glue and others).
Food products during their culinary processing (garlic, radish, lemons, onions, tomatoes and others).

Most often, people who allow the skin of their hands to come into contact with aggressive environments understand why they get wounds. To heal them, you need to avoid contact with irritating substances and contact a dermatologist so that he can prescribe effective treatment using external medications. If they do not help, then the problem is not only in external factors.

Treatment

https://youtu.be/bk5Mz2TD3xo
Cracked skin near the nails can only be cured if it happened under the influence of external factors. If the root cause is a malfunction of the body, then healing will lead to the reappearance of cracks.

It is necessary to begin treatment at an early stage, since advanced cracks are much more difficult to treat. First of all, it is important to prevent infection in the affected areas, because they need regular treatment with antiseptics.

Expert opinion

Sakania Luiza Ruslanovna

Dermatovenerologist, cosmetologist, trichologist

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Try to replace regular soap with antibacterial soap, and use chamomile infusion instead of water for washing.

As care products, it is better to use special healing ointments, for example:

Bepanten.
Panthenol (it is similar in composition to the first ointment).
Solcoseryl ointment (heals well but has a short shelf life due to natural ingredients).

All of them are sold without prescriptions, so you can even get advice from a pharmacist at a pharmacy. For deep skin lesions, doctors will recommend a special glue that significantly speeds up the healing process.

Internal causes of cracks in the skin of the hands

Many diseases of 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. Wounds that do not appear from contact with irritants are a symptom of one of the following diseases:

Psoriasis.
Eczema.
Mycoses.
Helminthiasis.
Atopic dermatitis.
Diabetes.
Allergy (it can be to any product, clothing fabric, dust, cosmetics and other irritants).
Hypothyroidism.
Neurosis.
Gastrointestinal diseases.
Vegetovascular dystonia.
Vitamin deficiency (basically, the skin reacts with the appearance of cracks to a lack of vitamins E, B7 and A, magnesium, iron and unsaturated fatty acid omega-3).
Pyococcal infections.
Stress.
Hormonal disorders.
Metabolic disease.

A dermatologist cannot diagnose all of these diseases himself. Therefore, he refers the patient, who often has cracks in his hands, to specialized specialists such as an endocrinologist, allergist, neurologist and others.

Diet for skin problems

And finally, I would like to draw your attention to the list of products, the regular use of which will undoubtedly have a beneficial effect on the health and appearance of the skin on your hands. If the skin on the palms dries and cracks, you can add a special menu to the treatment.

dark chocolate, red wine, apples and tea will provide your skin with flan-like substances (protection against free radicals),
citrus fruits, legumes, nuts and apricots will help improve metabolic processes in the skin,
fish and flaxseed oil will supply the body with omega-3 fatty acids (quickly get rid of cracks, prevent the appearance of wrinkles),
carrots will enrich you with keratin, which will protect the skin on your hands from the effects of UV rays, sunflower and olive oil will provide you with vitamin E, which will allow the skin of your hands to look young and fresh longer,
The beneficial substances contained in oatmeal will protect your hands from the harmful effects of sunlight.

Take these simple tips into account and your hands will be beautiful and healthy!

Sores near the nails

Skin cracks on the fingers are most often observed in the cuticle area. This is a thin strip of skin framing the nail from the side of the hole. Wounds in this area can appear for any of the reasons listed above. In addition, some women experience cuticle cracks due to manicure. If it is performed by a professional without experience, it can injure the thin and delicate skin around the nail. This applies to both classic manicure and hardware manicure. Nowadays, nail extensions are in fashion, as well as covering them with gel polish, for which a UV lamp is used.

All this was invented to create real masterpieces on your nails that should last a long time. However, the developers did not take into account the negative impact of the lamp. It can become one of the causes of cracked skin on the fingers. Experienced masters, performing manicures with a lamp, apply protective agents to the clients’ cuticles. If this is not done, the skin becomes very thin and cracks form on it. In addition, cuticles often become inflamed due to infection, which causes significant pain in women.

Hormonal disorders

Cracks in the skin on the fingers and palms often appear in women during pregnancy, which is associated with changes occurring 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 cracks in the skin. If he deems it necessary, he will refer the patient for a consultation with a dermatologist.

Another category of people in whom cracks in the skin can be observed are the elderly. Due to age-related changes, they produce less collagen and fat, and their skin becomes very thin and dry. Together, these factors often cause cracks in the hands.

Adolescents during puberty and hormonal changes in the body are also at risk. According to medical statistics, they most often experience skin cracks on their fingers near the nails. Inept hand care and unprofessional manicure can contribute to this.

Causes

The most common reason why the skin on your hands becomes very dry and cracks is chapping in cold weather.
Such symptoms are especially common in people with dry skin types; for them, going outside in windy or frosty weather without gloves can lead not only to dryness and flaking of the skin, but also deep cracks.

Fungus on hands

It affects people of all ages, regardless of gender and nationality. Less commonly diagnosed in children under 10 years of age. The source of infection in 70% of cases is mycosis of the feet, which begins the spread of fungal spores throughout the body.

There are also a number of professions whose workers are at risk of hand fungus - builders (those who deal with cement, mortars), confectioners, cooks and dishwashers. There are two types of fungus that most often affect human hands - dermatophytes and candida.

The former are more common in men, the latter in women. In both cases, symptoms include dry skin, the appearance of scales, slight itching and burning. Candida is also characterized by weeping and a whitish coating in the affected areas.

The nail plates may not be affected at the initial stage, but any yellow or white spots or changes in shape indicate the penetration of spores into the thickness of the nail.

Dermatitis

Most often, contact and allergic dermatitis can cause the skin on the hands to dry out and crack until it bleeds. Contact dermatitis develops only after direct contact with an allergen. It is characterized by an inflammatory process, swelling and redness of the palms and hands.

Allergic dermatitis can occur without direct contact with an irritant or allergen. It is also characterized by swelling, redness, the appearance of small blisters and slight itching in the area of the fingers and palms of the hands.

Eczema

In most cases, chronic eczema of the palms and fingertips is diagnosed. It is characterized by the appearance of peeling, hyperkeratosis, swelling and weeping of the lesions.

Almost always accompanied by severe itching.

During the period of exacerbation, large cracks may appear on the palms and in the interdigital folds, the skin becomes thickened due to scratching, and hyperpigmented.

Exfoliative keratolysis

Most often found in young people. Characteristic differences are peeling and severe dryness of the skin in the summer. The first signs of the development of exfoliative keratolysis are the appearance of small blisters filled with air on the surface of the palms or fingers.

Provoking factors can be soap, detergent or solvent. There is a tendency towards a recurrent course, and activation of the process can occur within a few days after improvement.

In such situations, large cracks are often observed on the palms and in the folds between the fingers. Severe itching occurs only in isolated cases.

Cold urticaria

An allergic reaction caused by exposure to external factors. Most often it is frost, dampness or cold wind.

Expert opinion

Sakania Luiza Ruslanovna

Dermatovenerologist, cosmetologist, trichologist

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A distinctive feature is severe swelling and redness of the hands, dryness and flaking of the palms, the appearance of blisters on open areas of the body exposed to low temperatures (even cold water can cause an allergic reaction).

All symptoms first appear 15-20 minutes after exposure to external factors. It is also impossible to exclude dermatological manifestations of diabetes, which are characterized by local hyperkeratosis of the palms, wrinkling of the fingertips and dry skin.

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 (ground, 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 (made from artificial materials), which causes an allergic reaction.
Increased sweating.
Wearing uncomfortable shoes that pinch or rub.
Unstable heels.
Lack of proper foot care (many people limit themselves to only washing their lower extremities, not thinking that there are special creams, scrubs, masks for feet).

Separately, it is necessary to say about mycoses. The feet are most often affected by all kinds of pathogenic fungi. Without treatment, the disease in 100% of cases causes cracks, inflammation and peeling of the skin, accompanied by severe itching.

If the fungus appears on the hands, most often it is localized on the palms and between the fingers.

If parasitic microorganisms have infected the feet, cracks may also appear between the toes. In addition, they are observed on the soles and heels.

Diagnostics

To establish the causes of skin cracks on the arms and legs, a number of tests are required:

Scraping Biomaterial from the skin surrounding the crack is taken. This analysis reveals the presence or absence of pathogenic fungi that are causing the problem.
Allergen tests.
General blood analysis. Hemoglobin and red blood cell levels are determined to exclude or confirm iron deficiency.
Analysis for the presence of helminths.
Biochemistry of blood.
Be sure to conduct an examination of internal organs, in particular, determine the levels of glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin. They are one of the main ones for diagnosing diabetes mellitus, which often causes cracks in the skin.

Vitamins for treating chapped hands in winter

If problematic skin on the hands, associated specifically with climatic cooling, becomes a periodic phenomenon, then you need to add therapeutic ones to cosmetics, for example, vitamins A and E. To do this, you can use Vaseline or a cream more saturated with heavy components from the protective formula line.

These include beeswax, cocoa or shea butter, and dimethicone. For the purpose of intensive effect, this cream is applied pastely to the skin of the hands and gloves made of natural cotton or, better, linen are immediately put on them. For longer therapeutic hydration, extend this procedure with gloves until the morning.

We are good diagnosticians for ourselves if we constantly monitor our health, and for this reason, at the first signs of even harmless, uncomfortable dry skin of the hands, regardless of the season, and first of all in cold seasons, even use a preventative moisturizer after any contact with water and detergents. If the preventive line is missed and the skin on the hands begins to dry quickly, redness appears on it, accompanied by itching and non-healing cracks, then it is necessary to use a steroid cream to suppress the lesions that cause suffering - to prevent the skin on the hands from cracking.

If this “heavy artillery” turns out to be powerless, then your next step is to see a doctor: a therapist or a dermatologist, so as not to develop or exclude quite serious diseases, for example, eczema or psoriasis. And all your further therapeutic actions will be under the supervision of a doctor and will lead to the best results, which does not dismiss all the good advice on hand skin care given in this article! Health and beauty!

Foot therapy methods

To treat wounds on the arms and legs, two main treatment methods are used:

Using external means.
Drugs taken orally.

As a rule, these methods work in combination.

Various remedies are used to heal cracks in the legs and arms.

Externally for the treatment of cracked skin of the heels use:

"Radevit."
"Calendula".
Zinc ointment.
"Balsamed"
"Bepanten."
Regular Vaseline.
"Zazhivin."

Before applying the ointment, it is advisable to steam your feet by making a bath with sea salt (1 tablespoon per 1000 ml of water) or herbal decoctions (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, and calendula to the bath. After the procedure, it is advisable to carefully remove dead skin from the heels with a pumice stone, wipe well, apply cream and put on socks.

There are special sock masks on sale that have an insert that has healing properties.

How to treat dry and cracked aging skin?

Natalia Gaidash, dermatologist:

I recommend that mature women consult a cosmetologist or dermatologist with this problem. Over time, our skin loses its elastic properties, becomes thinner and becomes more vulnerable. To restore the quality of aging skin, home care alone is no longer enough. Doctors have many methods in their arsenal that allow them to stimulate the synthesis of their own collagen and elastin: PRP therapy, preparations based on hyaluronic and polylactic acids. Hardware techniques are also used: fractional resurfacing and photodynamic therapy. These procedures not only improve the quality and structure of the skin, but also correct age-related changes - hyperkeratosis, pigmentation. Winter is the ideal time to carry out such procedures.

Hand therapy methods

You can also use baths to treat cracked hands. They relieve irritation, soothe pain, itching, heal wounds, and nourish the skin. Hand baths can be made with the same ingredients as for feet. Herbal decoctions are prepared in the amount of 1 tsp. dry mixture per 1000 ml of boiling water. They need to pour the grass and let it brew. Next, the infusion is filtered and used for its intended purpose.

The most popular hand creams are listed below.

For healing cracks:

"Solcoseryl".
“It makes me happy.”
"Levomikol".
"BoroPlus".
"Pantestine".

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, and squalene.

Moisturizing creams should contain glycerin, lactic and hyaluronic acids, sorbitol, and propylene glycol.

If the tube with the cream says that it is healing, it must contain at least one or two elements from the list:

Vitamins A or E (it’s good if you have both).
Propolis oil, sea buckthorn, chamomile, jojoba, grape seed, avocado.
Lanolin.
Essential oils of tea tree, eucalyptus, lemon, chamomile, calendula.

A good effect in healing cracks in the hands is observed if a person adheres to the following algorithm:

Makes a bath for 20 minutes.
He wipes his hands dry.
Apply 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 Vaseline, which should 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."
"Mikospor".

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, pregnant women are prescribed Prednisolone and Hydrocortisone.

Oral medications are prescribed when diseases of internal organs, helminthiasis, and stress are detected. In addition, almost every patient is prescribed a course of vitamin therapy.

Preventing dry skin

Hand cream for very dry hands

You should listen to the advice of doctors to prevent the causes of dry skin on your hands:

Tap water and chemicals used during cleaning dry out the skin of your hands. It becomes dehydrated and thinner. Therefore, to prolong the youth of your skin, you need to make it a rule: you need to wear rubber gloves when cleaning your apartment, washing dishes, and cleaning the bathroom and toilet.

How to wash your hands

It is necessary to pay attention to what kind of soap is used to wash your hands. Liquid gels with a normal pH balance for the skin are best suited and will not dry out the skin.
It is easier to prevent a disease than to treat it. Therefore, you need to take care of your hands. When going outside on a frosty day, be sure to wear mittens. When you return, you need to wash your hands with warm water and rub nourishing cream into your skin.
A very good product that cosmetologists recommend is a nourishing and at the same time moisturizing hand mask for the night. It contains oil, moisturizer and lemon juice. Mittens made of natural fabric should be worn on your hands. In the morning, the skin of your hands will be velvety and soft.
You need to dry your hands after washing with a soft towel. It is not advisable to let them dry under an electric dryer.
Follow the advice of dermatologists and endocrinologists on proper nutrition.

Folk remedies

Healers have a lot of recipes for decoctions and ointments that improve the condition of the skin and heal cracks.

Foot baths. Healers recommend making them using sea salt, which should be taken in the amount of 1 tbsp. l. per 1000 ml of water. For greater effect, you can literally add 3-5 drops of one of the following essential oils to this solution:

Lavender.
Rosemary.
Calendula.
Tea tree.
Fir trees.
Pines.
Siberian larch.

To improve skin condition, healing, and 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 rinsed with clean water.

Hand baths. The simplest and most effective:

Softening. Pour 1 cup of bran into 400 ml of boiling water, cover, let cool to a comfortable temperature, immerse your hands in the mixture for 10 minutes. After this, 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 salt. Stir and place your hands in the solution for 10 minutes. After this, rinse the skin and lubricate it with cream.

Masks. For dry hand skin, a mask with the following ingredients is very useful:

Olive, burdock and almond oils (2 tbsp each).
Honey (1 tsp)

Mix the oils, heat slightly, add honey, mix everything well again and apply to the skin for 10 minutes, then rinse with water and apply cream.

Recipe for another mask that softens too dry hand skin:

Take 1 tbsp. l. honey and flaxseed oil, mix, heat slightly, add ½ tsp. grapefruit juice, mix, apply to hands, put on cotton gloves. After an hour, wash off the mask and lubricate your hands with cream.

Ointments. The most affordable remedy is prepared from petroleum jelly and powdered dry herbs of calendula, chamomile, and plantain. The herbs are simply added to the Vaseline and everything is thoroughly mixed. You can take any amount of herbs, but the product should be such that it is convenient to apply to the skin.

Effective hand baths that soften the skin

In order for the skin to be soft, moisturized and healthy, it is necessary to use caring hand baths for both preventive and therapeutic purposes. It should be noted that to prevent drying out of the skin, one procedure per month is enough, but in order to restore damaged skin, systematic measures are required, in courses of 2-3 baths per week.

A starch bath helps to moisturize and soften the skin, to create which you need to dissolve two tablespoons of starch in one liter of warm water. You need to immerse your hands in the resulting solution for 15 minutes, after which you need to remove them from the container, pat them dry with a towel and cover the top with fish oil. Then glycerin is applied to the skin, after which soft gloves are put on, in which you need to spend the whole night.
No less effective are baths based on herbal decoctions and infusions. To create an effective remedy, you need to pour a tablespoon of chamomile flowers and a teaspoon of dried plantain and sage leaves into a container. These herbs need to be poured with a liter of boiling water and let the healing composition brew for half an hour. When everything is ready, you need to put your hands in the infusion and keep them in the container for at least 15 minutes.