Our skin gets moisture from small blood vessels beneath its surface layer. This moisture is retained when the surface layer remains intact and is covered by a thin film of sebum (secretion of the sebaceous glands lying beside each hair) mixed with sweat.
Anything that disturbs the surface layer or removes the film leads to increased loss of water and other natural emollients from the skin, resulting in roughness, flaking, chapping and cracking.
Soap and water wash off the sebum film; soap, detergents and certain oils remove the fatty substances that are important in holding the surface layer together. Dry air, extremes of weather and exposure to wind increase loss of moisture from skin. Older people produce less sebum and sweat, and are more prone to dry skin.
To correct and prevent dry skin avoid excessive washing, hot water, excessive use of soap, and dry air. The term ‘moisturiser’ has come into use since 1952, when it was shown that water, more than anything else, maintains the skin’s suppleness. This discovery led to a new development and marketing of skin cosmetics.
There are two main types of moisturisers. The most effective reduces evaporation by forming a waterproof coating on the skin’s surface. The coating may consist of lanolin, vaseline, mineral oil or other waxy and fatty substances, which are mixed into an emulsion with water to produce a creamy texture; they are then less greasy on the skin. The other class of moisturiser contains substances such as urea and sorbitol that are similar to the natural emollients. They take up water that can then be held in the skin; however, this moisture is easily lost if drying conditions persist. Many moisturisers are a blend of the two types.
Wrinkles due to sun damage and ageing are caused by changes in the deeper layers of the skin and moisturisers cannot prevent or get rid of them, but they can improve the appearance of dry skin with wrinkles.
Cracked hands are a common problem if you work outside, especially in cold weather. In summer, wearing open sandals, thongs or going barefoot can lead to hard cracked skin around the margin of the heel and along the inner edge of the big toe and ball of the foot. Cracked hands and feet are aggravated by washing with soap.
Once the cracks have developed it’s hard to get rid of them. Rub in emulsifying ointment, urеа cream от soap-less cleaner (from the pharmacy) before showering or bathing. A tablespoonful of emulsifying ointment may be stirred into hot water and added to a bath. If the skin is very hard, the ointment may be rubbed in gently with a pumice stone. Apply a softening cream, such as 10 per cent glycerine in sorbolene, after drying.
The mainstay of treatment (and prevention) is to protect the feet with cotton socks and shoes, and the hand with gloves in winter and when gardening, preparing vegetables, and washing dishes or clothes. This can be quite difficult. There’s a limit to how much you can do in gloves. I find it impossible to wear gardening gloves to thin out or transplant seedlings – thin latex gloves are better. But there’s always a temptation to do ‘just a little bit’ with bare hands. These little bits add up to damaged skin and more cracks, so we must be unrelenting in wearing gloves and hand cream and using soap as little as possible, even after the cracks have healed.
A bush remedy used since the pioneering days is guaranteed to keep hands free from cracks. Mutton fat is rendered down by boiling with water until the water evaporates, and a teaspoon of glycerine is added to each cup of the hot fat to soften it. Use liberally before any outdoor work. Keep in the fridge in warm weather.
If there’s any sign of dermatitis, allergy or other inflammation on cracked hands or feet, see your doctor.
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