cracked fingers, need help

“no its not GOJO helinka...we get it from 3M....GOJO works on grease and grime...not much on paint and primers though...ill take a look monday and see...”

“Feels a little greasy at first but soaks right in & you can always wipe off any excess. For really bad hands/feet I'd leave it with maybe cotton gloves/socks. It's cheap & most people have it on hand.”

“I have to thank everyone for all the ideas. I have no idea what Eucerin is, and corn huskers lotion sounds a bit funny, but I will definatly try superglue , bad balm, zims, vitC, and olive oil.
Right now, I use a mix of cream/polysporin/vaseline(heavy on the vaseline) and it works great except when the cracks are already developed. Then I have to use bandaids on every finger to protect them. My fingers are starting to look ugly and they feel rough too.
What exactly is huskers creme?”

“abilene-that's exactly my problem except my fingerpads crack too, right along the little ridges. sometimes this happens to my feet as well.

bagbalm stings a lot, but crazy glue on those spots might be ok. I think bagbalm and vaseline give about the same results anyway.
Mum says try warm olive oil first, then go down the list until something works!”

“De-fatting of the skin....crack.”

“Bag balm has sulfur in it and also antiseptic qualities, that will heal the cracks, then try...Eucerin cream(thick) or corn huskers(liquid) oh, Phils Zim stuff sounds great. The last three are great preventative/maintenance once you are healed.
SUPER GLUE?...WinterSolstice runs screaming from the thread......”

“Helinka, try to find Eucerin creme in the hand lotion aisle of a grocery store or pharmacy or WalMart.”

“try new skin instead of super glue”

“other ideas are chamois butter (non-greasy) and shea nut butter”

“ouch--new skin HURTS. probably superglue will too.
I feel like mixing it all together and plastering the resulting mess on. Problem is, I hate covering my hands at night. and it wouldn't smell too nice either, i bet.”

“I have never tried the new skin, does it really hurt? Too bad, it seems like such a great idea. Why does it hurt?”

“I have no idea Lyndy, but I used it a lot a my last job(it was a rx & had tons of samples and stuff in the first aid drawer). Feels a bit like nailpolish remover on an open wound. Of course I may be overly sensetive or something-the stuff pratically flew off the shelves it was so popular.”

“We don't seem to have corn huskers creme up here. Any Canadians seen it somewhere?---yah, I know--not including the US (smartypants). What are the ingredients?”

“that looks like you could drink it! what the hell is that stuff?”

“Water, Glycerin, SD Alcohol 40, Sodium Calcium Alginate, Oleyl Sarcosin, Methylparaben, Guar Gum, Triethanolamine, Calcium Sulfate, Fragrance, Calcium Chloride, Fumaric Acid, Boric Acid”

“I'm guessing that the glycerin is what makes is good?”

“if that's the case, just get glycerin - or lanolin. I don't buy moisturizers with the first ingredient of water or that contain alcohol.”

“...which of course is a lie since I just read the ingredients on the chamois butter tube...”

“helinka,
after I would first get some cracks
mabe two days later they would be
hurting like hell. Most anything I
did I would knock into them. Felt
like I was getting stuck deep with
a needle. After trying everything,
I happened to think of using clear
finger nail polish. I rationalized
that it would work like chap stick
does on your lips. Keeps the cold
drying air out, keeps the moisture
out which evaporates and drys the cracks on your lips etc. It also
provides a seal to allow the wound
to heal from the inside. I won't
kid you, when I applied the nail
polish to the crack, it stung for
a few moments. It took the normal
amount of time to dry. It worked
OK, but sometimes I had to replace
it before the crack had completely
healed. No problem. Worked pretty
dog gone quick. Within a day the
soreness in the cracks was going
away. The next year I thought of the super glue. Only a micro sting
at application for me. Dried instantly. Bonded the skin together
No reapplication needed. Soreness
of the wound was almost gone within
an hour. Cracks healed within a
couple of days. If you choose to
try the super glue, try it on a few
spots first to if works for you.
The stuff is inexpensive. You have
received many good suggestions.
I agree with twigeater. I would
rather not use alcohol although
common sense wold tell you that
the wounds need to be clean before
sealing them. I used real warm
water and dish washing detergent
dryed my hands with a fresh clean
towel and glued up the cracks. I
only applied glue in the crack. A
big drop would flow and fill up
the whole thing. Tried to keep it off the surface.
We can get Corn Huskers at WalMart,
Tractor Supply, Farmer's COOP.
There is a product (I don't know
the name), a creame that dairy men
use on the milk cows teats that
people have started using on their
hands. It was in the news a great
deal a few years ago. Farm supply
stores should have it.
Please let us know what works.”

“abilene, the product you refer to at the last of your post is bag balm.”

“I'm goung to get some Zim's next time I'm at the drugstore. I'm so glad you started this thread Helinka. I've had problems with cracked hands in the winter for years.”

“the best thing for dry hands that i know of besides lotion, is to use vasoline overnight with rubber gloves over it... i never had any problems with cracked or dry hands, but my mom used to do it and it always worked for her within a day or two.”

“Most drugstores sell little cotton gloves for that too.”

“I don't remember the bag balm stinging but then, it's been almost 20 years since I used it last.

Question. I know doctors are using a medical-grade superglue to close many cuts and incisions instead of using sutures these days. Does anybody know if the medical-grade stuff is available to the public? I wouldn't mind stocking my hiking first aid kit with it and I think I'd rather use the medical-grade stuff than the one you get at the hardware store. You know what I mean?”

“scullcap-my spouse is out getting me some superglue from crappy tire right now. I will try it ASAP and let you know if side effects kill me or whatever. Probably the only difference between med grade and the regular stuff is $$.”

“Thanks helinca. If I can get some of the med-grade I'll be sure and compare the ingredients and let you know.”

“no pain, but they're kinda irritating-an a good way. Like when you get white glue dried on your fingers, you know it's there & want to peel it off, but with this stuff you can't. Guess it has to wear off. Only problem I have is on one finger I got glue on both skin and nail, so my nail is sealed onto the finger a bit....feels odd, but way better than the pain of before! The fingertips/cracks feel solid & well-protected now:) Tomorrow night I'll see how this stuff holds up against alcohol, MIBK, silicone & pummice stuff (GOJO?) that I use at work.
Next: warm olive oil, for my feet too I think!”

“Warm olive oil for feet? I never heard of that before.. what exactly does it do? Take care of calluses?”

“I don't mean to violate any code
of privacy.... what are you doing
at your work? What is MIBK?

I used to do silk screening
commercially. We cleaned the
screens with MEK strong stuff.

You have to find something that
will not dissolve in the chemicals
yet protect your hands while they heal. I of course have no idea
who you are, but I have become
concerned for your health and
safety.

Have your employers no concern for
you? Have you looked in safety
equipment catalogs or in online
safety equipment sites for
appropriate gloves.

You mentioned that you needed to
retain your ability to feel your
work. What kind of detail work
do you do? I hope that you can
share enough facts so that someone
can suggest appropriate gloves to
protect you.

I'm concerned that your continued
exposure to chemicals will have
lasting negatve effect to you.

I have been a teacher for 35 years.
I taught Industrial Arts (shop)and
many other subjects. Safety for
students has been my concern for
years thats why I'm being so pushy.
There, I have revealed too much
and how ancient I am.

Please forgive me for being so
personal and direct. I will not
do so again.”

“We used to get this stuff called "Bag Balm" in Fairbanks. It was designed for cow udders, but was magic for dry cracked hands. Try a feed store. ;-)”

“Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream is pretty heavy duty stuff too. I rub it right into the cracks.”

“no big deal with the chemicals--the alcohol is the worst & is the one I use most often. It's isopropyl -same as I use in my stove (cause we don't have the denatured stuff around here). the alcohol is really drying, and with the weather so cold, my hands really take a beating.
MIBK is gross, softens paint on contact so we can wipe out marks & scratches. I try to wear gloves when I use it, but it eats through them. I'm rather obsessive about cleaning my hands to get the chemicals off! Silicone is same as available at hardware store, comes off easily with pumice. I've checked all the WHMIS info-all is ok.
I can't use any treatment on my hands at work, cause I work with glass, and the adhesives won't stick if the glass has any impurities on it. So ..whatever I use on my hands has to be intensive treatment during sleep, instead of protective coating on skin.

by the way, my problem with fingers is NOT a result of this job-I've had this for as long as I can remember. My heels too.”

“helinka -

10-4

Thanks”

“bag balm is great for icky hands”

“abi--i didn't mean to sound like a bytch. sorry”

“Eucerine is da chit.”

“OKAY
Must I repeat myself....
BAG BALM w/gloves at night to heal
Eucerine to maintain......”

“Hope your hands feel better soon :)”

“thanks WS (but I don't want to wear gloves to bed unless nothing else works)

my fingers feel great. not only did I pickle them from the inside-out yesterday, but the superglue is holding up fantastically!! no pain at all, even when I whack them against something:) I'll see how well this really works tonight.”

“This paste works pretty well.
All the Wal-Marts down South sell a lot of it.”

“The "no gloves" thing reminds me of an old episode of "Love, American Style" where a guy becomes obsessed with a pinup girl's hands, which never show up in her (otherwise nude) pictures. He eventually asks to marry her just so he can see her hands, lol...”

“SS- do you have personal experience with the butt creme?
--now for some whining--
bit, don't make fun of my no-gloves phobia. I couldnt wear socks to bed either until recently. i admit it:i'm a freak.”

“crazy glue seemed to hold up well at work, not that I worked much cause it is monday yaknow.
pumice cleaner-which is actually called Industrial orange(i think)-didn't remove any of my glued-up spots. and alcohol had no effect either! sofar sogood. maybe i'll try slathering on the bagbalm before i leave for work tommorrow, cause i got to wear gloves outside anyway. my fingers are gonna look bee utiful.”

“helinka-

I have experienced cracked bleeding
heels from extended outside winter
farmwork during my teen years. I
can't give any advice on using
superglue on heels because it was
not available back then. If you
choose to make an application on
your heels let us know the results.”

“I am new here, having arrived by doing a Goggle search for 'cracked fingers', in my desperation to find a remedy for MY cracked fingers.
I created an account, so I could 'reply' to the thread about this subject, but can't figure out how to do that, so am doing the "Post a Message" route.

I, too have very dry, itchy skin in the winter, with cracked, painful fingers. For years, I slathered on the petroleum jelly and wore white cotton gloves to sleep in. They bothered me, too-(like wearing socks to bed, as somebody else pointed out...and I don't do THAT, either..). Still, it was a way to keep my skin from cracking, so I did it.

Unfortunately, I seem to have developed an allergy to something in the petroleum jelly, as my hands started itching, and I had a rash, EVERY time I used it. I changed brands several times (brand name "Vaseline" to various other brands, including store brands), but I always developed the rash and itching, if I used petroleum jelly.

I then tried "Burt's Bees Hand Balm", a VERY greasy, bee-wax-based concotion that apparenlty also has enough petroleum jelly (or something in it) that I also developed an itchy rash.

I've used NuSkin (I think that's how it's spelled, but really don't know...). It stings like the dickens when putting it on. I, too, was struck by how much like clear nail polish it is. (Could even be the same thing, for all I know...) It does, at least, help 'seal' the cracked area, preventing water from getting into the crack and, therefore, sort of 'speeding up' the healing process.

I've used Eucerin (recommendation of our pediatrician for our daughter's dry skin). The creme product works much better than the lotion, but it also an be rather greasy-feeling (making it hard to use during the day).

My husband has 'winter itch' (itching caused by dry skin, though he also gets some breaking out...not pimples, but not exactly a rash, too). We found Gold Bond lotion to be VERY helpful with this condition. Unfortunately, they no longer seem to make an unscented version (which we found for one year, only), and none of us in our household can tolerate fragranced items!

I will certainly try some of the suggestions mentioned here. I'd heard that Bag Balm worked well, but haven't ever tried it (will have to try to find a 'feed store' first!).

Thanks to all for your suggestions!”

“Let us know how you do. Also try taking Vit C and zinc ( but only if you haven't had chemo and radiation). All of my family takes the vitamins now and their skin is much better. My kids take 250 mg Vit C and 50 mg zinc each evening and my husband and I take 500 vit c and 50 zinc. The vit c comes in timed release too which is good.”

“I can get bag balm anywhere, even super Wal-Mart - course I can get salt licks there as well, LOL.”

“I'll check out Wal-Mart, to see if they have Bag Balm. Last night, I slathered on the Eucerin creme and wore those dratted gloves, but woke up with REALLY itchy hands. (Hmm... wonder if it's THE GLOVES that make me itch!!!).

Thanks, again!”

“Arrrrr...don't know nothin about itchy hands, but I've seen plenty of itchy fingers in me time! Once after raiding Santa Marta, one o me crew tried to lightfinger a little bauble I had hanging out o me pocket...I seen him reachin for it, drew me pistol and blew off his finger with it...oowwwwww Black Jack screams he, ye blew off me girl's favorite finger! Larn ter use yer manhood right I tells him, and keep what fingers ya got left to yer own loot...lessin yer wants ter lose more o em....har har harrrrrr”