Frequent hand washing is one of the main hygiene measures to avoid any type of infection , but with the coronavirus crisis , this habit has become fundamental and obligatory in the entire population, so every time we go out or enter At home or we touch something , whether or not it is disinfected, we wash our hands.
Although the majority of people do it, to a greater or lesser extent, the reality is that, in certain areas or professions, such as health workers or those who work in supermarkets , this action is even more frequent. Can this cause damage to the skin? How should you wash your hands correctly?
The best way to wash your hands, as Antonio Clemente Ruíz de Almirón, member of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV) explains to CuídatePlus , “ is to do it with soap and water, always ,” and not just with water, since with “this virus has a lipid capsule that makes it quite sensitive to common disinfectants or soapy water.”
The ideal, he details, “is to do an intense and vigorous wash for a few minutes or to use a hydroalcoholic gel with an alcohol content greater than 60%.”
In principle, ” it would not be necessary to do both things at the same time (washing with soap and use of gel), although if you want to use both it would not be bad”.
What must be taken into account is that, ” if the hands are dirty, the hydroalcoholic gel could see its effectiveness reduced, so we would have to wash our hands with soap and water beforehand,” recall Mercedes Fraga and Ana María González Cáceres, of the Dermatology Group of the Spanish Society of Family and Community Pharmacy (Sefac) . According to the pharmaceutical companies, “it should also not be used on unhealthy skin and it is also contraindicated in dry or sensitive skin due to the great dehydration they cause.”
In addition, “the continued use of gels with high alcohol content can hangover the foot , even in healthy skin, for this reason, it is recommended to use those that also contain moisturizers and oils so that they do not dry out , thus improving hydration”, advise the Sefac experts.
What should never be forgotten is ” rub well between the fingers and under the rings or bracelets , if they are worn, since it is recommended not to do so,” adds Jose Luis Ramírez Bellver, from the International Dermatological Clinic (CDI) .
As for the temperature of the water , although many people believe that it does influence washing and disinfection, the reality is that “it does not matter” as much as the fact of using soap, according to the AEDV expert.
Another important thing is the type of soap that is used, since it should be suitable for the hands, since “if unsuitable products are used, irritating eczema may appear”, as warned by Ramírez Bellver.
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA), “there is no scientific evidence to indicate that the use of antibacterial soaps is more appropriate than normal soap,” they point out from the Dermatology Group of the Spanish Society of Pharmacy. Family and Community (Sefac) .
Therefore, for the CDI expert, ” people with a tendency to eczema should benefit from using syndet soaps for handwashing .”
The drying also part of cleaning hands is essential to do well. For this, “you have to use a personal towel or disposable paper, since sharing a towel is not the most appropriate”, advises the AEDV expert. It is also important, ” dry them without rubbing, with soft towels and apply moisturizing products afterwards, if necessary, ” they point out from the CDI.
Moisturizing products
As Ruíz de Almirón indicates, as a general rule and in other types of circumstances, “it would not be necessary to use a moisturizer after washing hands”, however, in the current situation, it is recommended to use it , especially by people with drier, more atopic or more irritable skin , “in which frequent hand washing can remove the lipid mantle from the skin and produce irritative dermatitis,” warns Ramírez Bellver.
These patients should use a product adapted to their dermatological problems, but, in all other cases, the dermatologist advises applying, for example, ” sterile petroleum jelly without perfume “. This would be “a good moisturizing option for hand care, as it is highly hydrating and prevents water loss”, describes the CDI expert.
In the opinion of Mercedes Fraga and Ana María González Cáceres, from the Dermatology Group of the Spanish Society of Family and Community Pharmacy (Sefac) , “after cleaning our hands we should use creams that contain moisturizing, soothing and repairing actives , which for one On the other hand, avoid the unwanted effects generated by the continuous washing of the hands (dryness, tightness, irritation) and on the other, repair the skin, restoring the skin barrier, providing comfort and softness to this area of the body so severely affected. ”
Among the active pharmaceutical companies recommend:
- Ozonized oils (with moisturizing, healing, soothing, regenerating, germicidal and repairing properties).
- Niacinamide (anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, improves barrier function).
- Hyaluronic acid (humectant).
- Gicerin (humectant).
- Panthenol (moisturizer that improves hydration and restores the skin barrier).
- Bisabolol (anti-irritants and anti-inflammatory).
- Ceramides (restore the skin barrier while maintaining hydration).
- Shea butter (emollient).
- The madecassoside (favors epidermal repair, increasing collagen synthesis).
- Urea (moisturizing in low concentrations).
- Zinc and copper sulfate (prevent bacterial growth).
These creams “we will use several times a day, according to the need and occupation of each person,” say the pharmacists. In the most punished hands, they advise, as a trick “to apply at night a generous amount of cream on the hands , we cover them with a cotton glove and we let it work all night”.
On the contrary, ” we must avoid active ingredients that are irritating , abrasive, that promote deterioration of the skin barrier or that can lead to an allergic reaction such as perfumes.”
What happens to the rest of the body? For the rest of the body, and assuming that there has been no direct contact with potential sources of contagion, the CDI dermatologist believes that ” no special measures should be taken, beyond showering with soap and water , preferably without use a sponge and without lathering the whole body daily, dry the areas of the folds well and apply a moisturizer if we have a tendency to eczema or in the areas that we see that are drier than normal, such as legs or forearms ”.
How does Covid-19 affect the skin?
In addition to knowing what to do to properly wash and care for their hands, many people want to know if this new coronavirus affects the skin, as it does with other non-dermatological diseases.
According to Ramírez Bellver, ” any viral infection can have rash-like skin manifestations, which is usually nonspecific .” In the coronavirus case “different skin lesions are being described, although none is highly specific.”
In fact, according to their information, ” urticaria-like lesions (hives that last a few hours and change their location and, in addition, usually itch), erythematous rash (scattered reddish spots), lesions similar to those of pityriasis rosea ( pink oval spots with characteristic peripheral desquamation, which usually appears first as a larger lesion and later smaller ones), and varicella-like lesions have also been described, ”he describes.
Precisely to clear these doubts, the AEDV has launched a study with dermatologists from different Spanish health centers . This is the COVID-Skin study , an investigation that will be carried out throughout the national territory in order to know and categorize the cutaneous manifestations linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients of any age.
“This is a descriptive study in which we intend to categorize and understand the impact of certain skin manifestations that are occurring in people who have or have recently had coronavirus infection,” says Cristina Galván Casas, of the Dermatology Service of the University Hospital de Móstoles in Madrid.
And, according to reports, dermatologists from all over the country are detecting, and are interested in quantifying and classifying in this study, the appearance of dermatological alterations in any area of the skin , coinciding with Covid-19 infection.
These manifestations are very varied, from rash-type eruptions (mainly on the trunk), urticarial eruptions, chickenpox-like vesicles, purpura … etc. Patched acro-cyanotic lesions , usually small in size, sometimes confluent and sometimes blistered , are also being observed in the fingers and toes .
These lesions are similar to perniosis (chilblains) and are frequently found in children and adolescents without other symptoms. It is very important to categorize these manifestations, to be able to relate their presence as an external symptom of study orientation for the diagnosis of the disease. This is especially important in asymptomatic cases regarding the guiding symptoms of the disease.
Although some cases have been published in scientific publications of patients with the pathology of China or Italy, to date there is no record or study in our country of this type of skin manifestations linked to infection by this coronavirus.
