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| Photo by Moyan_Brenn |
Looking at hands you can guess the professional domain professional domain in which a woman works and her life style. More than that, if the physical appearance can show or not the actual age of the woman, instead hands will always betray her.
Hands are subject to daily atmospheric factors (cold, wind, sun, water, etc..) and also to a large number of chemicals (detergents, soap) which removes the natural layer of sebum that keeps the suppleness of skin, leading to drying and cracking them and to the appearance of eczema.
Here are some health problems of hands and how they can be prevented and remedied:
• Cracked hands
Factors that cause drying and cracking of hands are:
- Their unprotected exposure to extreme cold, high heat, too cold or too hot water
- Contact with different allergens (detergents, insecticides, dyes, oil, etc.).
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| Photo by wolfgangfoto |
- Lack lipids from surface of the skin
- Poor peripheral circulation (constant feeling of cold hands)
Excessive drying of hands skin may lead to its cracked thus facilitating the penetration of bacteria and various pathogens, leading to atopic dermatitis (eczema) or psoriasis. When these conditions occur, if the skin of hands is cracked and if there are bleeding cracks, a dermatologist should be consulted.
Precautions to avoid excessive drying and cracking of hands:
- Wearing of protective gloves against extreme cold
- Wearing of protective gloves when you are working with different chemicals, even when you clean the house or wash the dishes
- Wiping of the wet hands before exposing them to cold air
- Avoidance of washing hands with cold or very hot water
- Avoidance of thermal shock (cold air - high heat)
- Washing hands with soap moisturizing, wiping them with a soft towel of cotton (avoid hot air dryers) and then applying a moisturizer that contains ingredients and plant extracts with healing and soothing properties such as aloe vera (Aloe vera ), marigold (Calendula officinalis), comfrey essential oil of tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)
Treatments for harsh and dry hands:
- Anointing of hands, every week, with lukewarm olive oil
- Bath salt (Dissolve 100 grams salt in 1 liter of lukewarm water and hold hands in the mixture for 5-10 minutes)
- Use of protective creams against powerful rays of the sun (with SPF) or against various chemical irritants
- Application of emollient creams with vitamin A, vaseline or glycerin and wearing of cotton gloves overnight.
- Milk baths. Place hands (enough to cover the palms) in warm milk and keep it about 10 minutes. Wipe them gently with a soft cotton towel and apply a moisturizer for sensitive skin.
• Hand Sweating
Excessive sweating of the hands (hyperhidrosis) can be caused by:
- Neurovegetative imbalance exacerbated by stress or excitement
- Fever
- Menopause symptoms
- Alcohol
- Obesity
- Physical effort or insufficient ventilation
- Some drugs (anti-inflammatory, birth control pills or antidepressants)
- Some occupational diseases (from chemists, hair-stylists)
- Certain chronic diseases (diabetes, hyperthyroidism, heart failure, tuberculosis or cancer)
- Lack of calcium and iron in the body
- Poor diet (fast food, sweets, snacks and carbonated drinks)
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| Photo by Camera Eye Photography |
Treatments for sweating hands
Before administering a treatment to stop the disease the medical specialist is recommended. Physician will diagnose and prescribe the proper treatment.
Here are some remedies to treat excessive sweating of hands:
- Psychotherapy or acupuncture
- Local embrocation of hands with camphorated alcohol
- Hands washing with medicinal soap tannin-based
- Gentle massage with antiperspirant products
- Application of talc-based powders
- Local baths with salt
- Local baths with a mixture of 100 grams of walnut leaves, boiled in a gallon of water
- Frequent washing with teas which help to remove this disorder (sage tea is best or chamomile). The consumption of such teas is also a good remedy.
- Avoid of excessive consumption of coffee, foods rich in iodine (white onion, asparagus or broccoli), consumption of beef or turkey or boiled liver.
• Spotted hands
With age, but also due to excessive exposure to sun rays, an accumulation of pigment occurs in the deep layer of the epidermis, which leads to appearing of spots on back of the hands.
Here are some solutions that help to the whitening of hands skin:
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| Photo by nikolys |
- Intensive treatments by application of lotions or creams with lighting effect based on hydrogen peroxide (performed to beauty parlor)
- Application of oily Vitamin E directly on spots, regularly.
- Applying of lemon juice regularly throughout the skin. The result will appear in time.
• Red and swollen hands
Swelling and redness of hands can be caused by certain endocrine disorders. Also, this can happen due to prolonged contact of the hands with cold water.If your hands are a color cyanotic (bluish red), persistent and accompanied by pain, could be a condition called acrocyanosis, which affects mostly women and is caused by spasm of peripheral vessels of skin. Disease is not severe and does not affect the functionality of hands. Include foods rich in vitamin A in your diet (butter, liver, carrots, apricots, peaches, etc.) and avoid as much as possible the exposure of hands to cold.
Hands swollen due to physical effort, cold, allergy, excessive salt consumption, rheumatism (when there are also joint pains). If your feet are also swollen it could be a matter of cardiology (eg. hypertension).
When your hands are swollen, gently massage the fingers to activate blood circulation.
