Beautiful Hands and Health Care Workers

Health-care workers’ hands are frequent washed and will often become dry and cracked. This can increase their risk of infection when exposed to infectious material in the work place. This can effect the beauty of their hands.

Health-care workers can’t just grab any moisturizer to provide relief from the effects of frequent hand washing and exposure to disinfectants. Some moisturizers aren’t compatible and will reduce the effectiveness of some infection barriers like latex gloves.

The following conditions can be managed with the use of proper moisturizers

• Dry, flaky skin
• Crusty bumps
• Redness
• Pain
• Itching
• Localized inflammation

Only moisturizers that are approved by the Infection Control Department can be used by health care workers Using the wrong moisturizer can put a health-care worker at risk if the moisturizer could compromise the integrity of the gloves used for protection from bodily fluids.

Glove liners may help to protect severely irritated hands,  damaged hands from further irritation from the gloves until healing is finished. It will also provide a barrier if the gloves are the source of irritation.

When not at work, extra hand care that includes regular moisturizing, will help keep health care workers’ hands beautiful.