Painful Dry Weather Finger Splits

[Marita40]

Starting to get these every winter. Our skin must thin as we get older. It is like a deep paper cut on the top of my thumbs that won't close. It is not infected but I'm kind of surprised its not. A bandaid doesn't work there and I've tried NuSkin without success--if anything it made it worse. Lotion won't stay on and of course I'm washing my hands, preparing food, etc. etc. all day long. Anyone get these and what do you do about it?

 

[REWahoo]

DW has this problem every winter. She's had good luck with this product: https://www.hoofalive.com/

And no, this isn't a joke.

EDIT: DW says this stuff works much better for her than Working Hands.

 

[Jerry1]

Working Hands.

https://okeeffescompany.com/products/working-hands

As for keeping the lotion on, they sell things call finger cots (like a small condom for your finger) or you could just wear a full latex/nitrile glove for a few days.

 

[Alectoris]

Try O'Keefe's Working Hands.

 

[MRG]

That's why I'm suffering more than before, I'm old! Who knew? Between moving to a dry climate and age it's been much worse.

Whatever product you use look at the ingredients. Many contain drying agents to make their product adhere better. Looking at you Working Hands. I couldn't figure out why it made my hands worse for a month. Then I noticed the worst areas where where I applied that junk. Don't buy.

Last year I tried almost everything I could find including paraffin wraps. For me this year is a decent product and many applications.

 

[frayne]

I'm 70 and every winter the skin around my thumb nails split on either side of the nail. I simply use regular super glue to cover the split areas and it helps immensely. I've been doing this for over twenty years without any negative effects. My wife thinks I'm nuts but that is another story, super glue works for me.

 

[Philliefan33]

Another vote for O’Keefe’s Working Hands. If my hands start to get cracked, I apply Working Hands before bed and have relief by morning.

 

[COcheesehead]

Anything with shea butter in it. My heals and hands used to just burn. Now I have two different products, one mostly shea butter, one pure shea butter. They both work about the same and stop the cracking and the burning feeling.

 

[bobandsherry]

One more suggestion to use Working Hands.

 

[RetiredHappy]

If it has open wound, I apply neosporin and wrap it in bandaid. The moment it heals, I apply Vaseline and wrap in bandaid. I use nitrile gloves when I cook or if I have to handle something which results in needing to wash my hands. I change the bandaid out after shower and typically in the morning. It usually takes a month or two to heal properly.

 

[MichaelB]

I’ve had a lifelong battle with split skin on my heels, thumbs, and occasionally other fingers. Very painful. A cream with urea as the active ingredient is most helpful to prevent it from happening, and I find that helps most of the year.

When my skin splits anyway, a bit of A&D ointment rubbed well into the split 3 or 4 times a day relieves the pain and speeds the healing.

 

[TrvlBug]

I also have the problem in winter. I use Neosporin at night for a couple of nights and it heals up. Lots of hand lotion during the day. I use O'Keefe's Working Hands. DH's is worse than mine and the Neosporin really helps.

 

[Sojourner]

There is no one magic solution, as everyone's hands/skin/fingers are different, but this is what I've found to work best for me.

• Every night before bed, apply a good, thick, hydrating lotion to the backs of hands. My dermatologist recommended Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream, and I can attest it works really well.
• Wear gloves while doing anything that would get your hands wet or dirty. Less hand washing = less drying of skin. Very important.
• Reapply lotion after washing hands throughout the day. There is no free lunch here.
• For any cracks on fingers, knuckles, etc., apply a thick, moisturizing ointment before bed and protect with a bandage. Repeat each night until healed.

 

[braumeister]

DW has this problem every winter. She's had good luck with this product: https://www.hoofalive.com/

In a very similar manner, we've used Bag Balm for decades and still like it.

 

[pacergal]

Same concerns here.
I use Jergens Ultra healing for extra dry skin multiple times daily
Gold Bond Ultimate skin therapy cream with healing aloe, slathered on at night.
When really bad: Bag Balm and gloves.
I also have used super glue without a problem, if I had difficulty in getting them healed.

When I was working "Glove and Care" hand cream was the best, I think you can get it from a medical or dental website. It can last through a few hand washings.

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

My niece is a zoo keeper and swears by Hemp hand protector from The Body Shop.

 

[W2R]

I don't have any suggestions of products that would help.

I had an absolutely TERRIBLE time with the insanely dry air in southwestern states where I lived. Not only did my skin split like that, but I always had blood all over my face from the dry air. Such a lovely look, right? I spent a small fortune on various products, and generally used huge amounts of Chapstick but it hardly helped at all.

Louisiana, on the other hand, has some of the most humid air in the country! My skin absolutely loves the climate here. I use no lotions or other products and don't even own a Chapstick. My skin looks and feels great!!!. For me, our humidity is one of the big "plusses" of living here and retirement in Louisiana solved the problem.

I try to keep my mouth shut when people online badmouth the high humidity in my state.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I'm 70 and every winter the skin around my thumb nails split on either side of the nail. I simply use regular super glue to cover the split areas and it helps immensely. I've been doing this for over twenty years without any negative effects. My wife thinks I'm nuts but that is another story, super glue works for me.

My Dad also used superglue. He tried the "working hands" and a couple of other "miracle" products, all to no avail. But superglue? Worked incredibly well. I haven't had that issue, but I have used the SG for cracked nails and it works great for that too.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Starting to get these every winter. Our skin must thin as we get older. It is like a deep paper cut on the top of my thumbs that won't close. It is not infected but I'm kind of surprised its not. A bandaid doesn't work there and I've tried NuSkin without success--if anything it made it worse. Lotion won't stay on and of course I'm washing my hands, preparing food, etc. etc. all day long. Anyone get these and what do you do about it?

I get them on the back of my hands and knuckles and they're painful and bleed. They look like little paper cuts. Cocoa butter or coconut oil lotions work well, I use it after I get into bed and they're gone in the morning. In this cold dry weather I apply it every night.
I don't use hand cream during the day since I've always been very OCD about hand washing, I probably wash them about 50 times a day, I've been like that for years and can't stop myself. It became a definite plus when Covid came along at least I was way ahead of the pack when it came to hand washing.
I totally agree with W2R regarding humidity being good for the skin, it keeps it looking so young and wrinkle free.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I don't have any suggestions of products that would help.

I had an absolutely TERRIBLE time with the insanely dry air in southwestern states where I lived. Not only did my skin split like that, but I always had blood all over my face from the dry air. Such a lovely look, right? I spent a small fortune on various products, and generally used huge amounts of Chapstick but it hardly helped at all.

Louisiana, on the other hand, has some of the most humid air in the country! My skin absolutely loves the climate here. I use no lotions or other products and don't even own a Chapstick. My skin looks and feels great!!!. For me, our humidity is one of the big "plusses" of living here and retirement in Louisiana solved the problem.

I try to keep my mouth shut when people online badmouth the high humidity in my state.

+1 on humidity having SOMETHING good for it. In my w*rking days, I spent a good bit of time in the Denver area and wow...talk about DRY. Without fail, after being there for a few days, I couldn't blow my nose without making a bloody mess. I do like CO, but I think the LACK of humidity would be a deal breaker.

 

[Sue J]

Starting to get these every winter. Our skin must thin as we get older. It is like a deep paper cut on the top of my thumbs that won't close. It is not infected but I'm kind of surprised its not. A bandaid doesn't work there and I've tried NuSkin without success--if anything it made it worse. Lotion won't stay on and of course I'm washing my hands, preparing food, etc. etc. all day long. Anyone get these and what do you do about it?

Yes, that's exactly what I have. I've been treating it overnight with a little neosporin and a bandaid. Can't do this during the day. Mine will open and bleed if I have to squeeze anything using my thumb.

DH just bought Bag Balm and says I should try it. https://bagbalm.com/collections/all He bought some locally.

 

[MRG]

My Dad also used superglue. He tried the "working hands" and a couple of other "miracle" products, all to no avail. But superglue? Worked incredibly well. I haven't had that issue, but I have used the SG for cracked nails and it works great for that too.

My wife was a nail tech, manicurist. When they fix women's long nails and apply art it's superglue. Sometimes they use "special nail glue", thats superglue too.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

My wife was a nail tech, manicurist. When they fix women's long nails and apply art it's superglue. Sometimes they use "special nail glue", thats superglue too.

It doesn't surprise me in the least. As far as I know, the glue that is used in ERs and UCs are just an FDA approved version of it.

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

I don’t think I’ve seen Aquaphor mentioned.
When I had melanoma removed from my forearm that is what the dermatologist had me put on it and then cover with wound dressing.
It has since been recommended for other skin issues so now it is my go to for minor wounds etc. and works like a charm.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I don’t think I’ve seen Aquaphor mentioned.
When I had melanoma removed from my forearm that is what the dermatologist had me put on it and then cover with wound dressing.
It has since been recommended for other skin issues so now it is my go to for minor wounds etc. and works like a charm.

I took a quick glance on AMZN and it has really good reviews; 87% of 50,000+ reviews at 5 stars. Might have to give this a try...thanks for the info!