Guest Phil10 Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 Anybody have bad skin due to hand washing? I sometimes don’t dry my hands or need them wet or covered in hand soap. I have bad deep cuts in my fingers due to it anybody else had this? One cut is taking to heal as it’s near my thumb and I move it anybody else have this issue? Link to comment
daja Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 I used to about 10 years ago. I now use Simple Soap which has no perfume or whatever in it. Link to comment
taurean Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 I use simple too - no unpleasant additivies plus it moisturises too. When my hands get chapped, as they do in the cold, I use Nivea Soft refreshingly soft moisturising cream. If your hands are getting chapped because of excessive washing due to OCD contamination, you must learn the cognitive side of CBT - why the urge to multiple wash is a gross exaggeration of likely minimum threat - and stop using a hand-wash that says it kills germs - this might have a relevaance in a hospital environment, but not for daily use. Link to comment
daja Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 Also for some hand washes scrap the soap and just use water. Link to comment
Lost_in_a_Dark_Maze Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 (edited) I have bad skin on my hands and arms from using antibacterial wipes meant for surfaces. (I don't recommend this!) They used to be even worse before my sink blocked though, when I was washing them all the time. They were cracked open and bleeding, with layers of skin peeling off. Can you put some cream on at bedtime? Then it can soak in properly without being washed straight off again. I hope it heals soon. It's horribly painful, isn't it? Edited December 26, 2018 by Lost_in_a_Dark_Maze Link to comment
daja Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 Antibacterial wipes... jeez. I would be afraid to use say Dettol wipes because most dirt would be safer I would think. Though I do use 70% rubbing alcohol wipes as the alcohol evaporates in half an hour roughly. I think alcohol wipes safer than wipes aimed for the toilet. I am trying to curb my use of alcohol wipes. Link to comment
Lost_in_a_Dark_Maze Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 (edited) It is Dettol wipes I use, and not just on my hands and arms either. I have wiped just about every part of my body with them at one time or another. I know it's not good, but at the time, the germs/contamination feels worse. Edited December 26, 2018 by Lost_in_a_Dark_Maze Link to comment
taurean Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 It feels like that only because of the OCD. Do we all go around using these antibacterial wipes on our bodies? No. Have we caught all these various feared issues? Don't think so. We get better from OCD when we recognise the false or erroneous messages of OCD and refuse to play along with them. Link to comment
jenny77 Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 Hi Phil, I've had contact dermatitis for years due to excessive hand washing. My hands are very dry and I have painful splits usually on the knuckles because of it. My hands have become infected too due to the open cuts and I had to take antibiotics. I'm sorry that you are experiencing this too, and anyone else, it's very painful. I use Palmers Intensive Itch Relief and it's very good. It's not perfumed and is more like an emollient so gives a little protection too. It's also a cruelty free brand which I like. J Link to comment
daja Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 (edited) 13 hours ago, Lost_in_a_Dark_Maze said: It is Dettol wipes I use, and not just on my hands and arms either. I have wiped just about every part of my body with them at one time or another. I know it's not good, but at the time, the germs/contamination feels worse. I don’t think Dettol wipes are supposed to be used on ANY part of your body. I would even wash my hands with plain soap after using them (with my hands) Edited December 26, 2018 by daja Link to comment
PolarBear Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 Discussing what you use to combat excessive handwashing is not helpful. Discussing NOT washing excessively is helpful. Link to comment
Lost_in_a_Dark_Maze Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 13 hours ago, taurean said: It feels like that only because of the OCD. Do we all go around using these antibacterial wipes on our bodies? No. Have we caught all these various feared issues? Don't think so. We get better from OCD when we recognise the false or erroneous messages of OCD and refuse to play along with them. People do catch sickness bugs though, and other illnesses, that is the way I see it. I am emetophobic. Link to comment
Lost_in_a_Dark_Maze Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 1 hour ago, daja said: I don’t think Dettol wipes are supposed to be used on ANY part of your body. I would even wash my hands with plain soap after using them (with my hands) You are right, it says on the packet to wash your hands after using them (on surfaces). Link to comment
Angst Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 (edited) Agree with polar bear. You need to confront the compulsion. A common concomitant of contamination OCD is excessive hanwashing. I use special soaps and hand creams because of recurrent eczema on my hands. Not OCD relalated. Though there are risks with these because their composition contains liquid paraffin which can smear on clothing. Recent government warnings say to take care when close to flames BUT contain taking if a medical need. You might need temporary treatment but not long term. Edited December 26, 2018 by Angst Link to comment
taurean Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 In OCD the possibility, however remote, of a small threat can balloon into a threat of catastrophic potential. Non-sufferers deal with real threats and wouldn't believe the false or grossly-exaggerated ones. Link to comment
gingerbreadgirl Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 (edited) I have a friend who literally never washes his hands even when cooking or when using the loo. He doesn't even own hand wash. Kind of gross yeah - but he's only ever been sick once and that was when on holiday in a foreign country where lots of his fellow travellers were getting ill. If there was such a big risk you'd expect him to get ill constantly. I'm inclined to think that sickness bugs are quite random and you're probably gonna get one at some point no matter what you do. So why ruin your life with ocd in the process? Edited December 26, 2018 by gingerbreadgirl Link to comment
Lost_in_a_Dark_Maze Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 Sorry, Phil. I didn't mean to hijack your thread. I think the message for us both though is that creams etc are helpful in the short term, but what we really need to do is to confront our compulsions that are damaging our skin in the first place. Link to comment
taurean Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 This is absolutely so Lost. Another angle to contamination fears is the kitchen. Ours is tidied up twice a day. We have a dishwasher for bulk of the washing-up and hand-wash selectively. But do we wipe up every day with anti-germ products and disinfectant? No. We just use those periodically, we don't see the germ infestation risk that the product manufacturers want us to see from their advertising. Do we need to use hand-wash items that kill 99% of known germs? No we don't think so, and don't. And we do very nicely. Link to comment
Guest Phil10 Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 I use one full hand pump a day so that’s 7 I buy a week anybody else like that? I first have to reduce the amount of soap I use.. Link to comment
taurean Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 (edited) That's far too much Phil. Yes you need to work on reducing the excess. I reckon the one at our handbasin in the showerroom/toilet lasts around 3 weeks with both of us here most of the time. Edited December 26, 2018 by taurean Link to comment
jenny77 Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 12 minutes ago, Phil10 said: I use one full hand pump a day so that’s 7 I buy a week anybody else like that? I first have to reduce the amount of soap I use.. Oh my goodness Phil do you mean one full bottle of handwash a day? Poor you and your hands. I hope you are able to cut down on your hand washing and cope with the anxiety that will come along with it a little better. J Link to comment
ineedahug Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 7 hours ago, jenny77 said: Hi Phil, I've had contact dermatitis for years due to excessive hand washing. My hands are very dry and I have painful splits usually on the knuckles because of it. My hands have become infected too due to the open cuts and I had to take antibiotics. I'm sorry that you are experiencing this too, and anyone else, it's very painful. I use Palmers Intensive Itch Relief and it's very good. It's not perfumed and is more like an emollient so gives a little protection too. It's also a cruelty free brand which I like. J Hi Jenny, How do you know it was infected? As for dry hands-- you need to apply a thick cream and wear gloves at night. Link to comment
jenny77 Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 (edited) I honestly have no idea, I suppose it could have been anything. At the time my hands were so full of splits and bleeding that it could have been anything. It did encourage me to be kinder to my hands and I did see a dermatologist. She said that using antibacterial hand washes are bad for our skin and we should avoid them. I did mention to her the handwashing was due to OCD and she was lovely about it. Edited December 26, 2018 by jenny77 Correct mistakes. Link to comment
jenny77 Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 Hi ineedahug, I'm so sorry just realised I've addressed the wrong person. Please accept my apologies I knew I'd do something wrong! J Link to comment
ineedahug Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 1 minute ago, jenny77 said: Hi ineedahug, I'm so sorry just realised I've addressed the wrong person. Please accept my apologies I knew I'd do something wrong! J Nah you're good! Thanks for the response. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now