Excessive Use Of Hand Sanitisers Can Lead To Hand Dermatitis, Here's How To Avoid It

Hand sanitisers have irreversibly become the most important thing in our lives - at least for the forseeable future - to protect ourselves during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

They have become a necessity in the wake of the outbreak and while they are extremely integral to the hygiene protocol, excessive usage of anything is bad. As much as it helps in killing germs and bacteria, using it too much can end up in it killing good bacteria as well.

Also read: 'Essential Commodity' Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitisers To Attract 18% GST & People Aren't Happy

ET

Alcohol-based sanitisers are considered to be extremely effective in terminating bacteria. However, there have been claims that using it too much can cause problems like hand dermatitis.

Other than that, people have experienced skin problems like severe dryness, burning and redness of the skin, along with cracked or bleeding skin.

Also read: Alcohol In Sanitiser Lands Sober Former-Alcoholic In The Hospital With An Allergic Reaction

Healthline

Dr B.L. Jangid, Dermatologists & Hair Transplant Surgeon, SkinQure Clinic, New Delhi, said there are a few things to keep in mind while using sanitisers.

1. Limited usage: Excess of everything and anything is bad, and the same goes for hand sanitisers. If used sparingly, they can be really useful in keeping germs and bacteria at bay. Overusing them, however, can damage your skin, leading to hand dermatitis.

Also read: Rubbing Hands With Sanitiser For 30 Sec Needed To Kill Coronavirus, Says Study

WebMD

2. Unwanted chemical contamination in hand sanitisers: The presence of unwanted chemical contamination in hand sanitisers can be harmful, if used in excess. The texture of skin depends from person to person, which is why the chemical ingredients present in hand sanitisers can accordingly be useful or detrimental. So, it is best to use them only when absolutely necessary.

Healthline

3. Moisturising creams & healing ointment: In case you have been using hand sanitisers for a long time now, your hands may start to show symptoms of hand dermatitis. Sometimes it's best to quit using a sanitiser until it's absolutely necessary. A few home remedies, include using good moisturizers along with healing ointments. You can also opt for healing moisturisers containing aquaporin and wearing gloves overnight to heal the cracks on your skin.

4. Soap & Water - An evergreen combination: Washing your hands with soap and water should be preferred to the use of hand sanitisers. This switch can also prove fruitful in preventing allergic reactions depending upon your skin type. Try using hand sanitisers only when there are no other options. Otherwise, antiseptic soap can do the trick, or wet wipes in situations where there's no running water and soap.

RD

Sanitisers have been our saving grace since the pandemic took over our lives. We don't have to abandon them altogether - we just have to use discretion and avoid overusing them.