Hand Care

Do you care for your hands as much as you do for your skin? If the answer is NO, we must tell you that hand care is also an important aspect of holistic wellness. If you don’t take proper care of your hands, they would become dry, dull, and aged. Visible fine lines would make your hands look like your grandma’s. Besides, long-term dryness can also cause severe skin problems that can be difficult to handle afterward. Thus, it is very important that you pay to heed to hand care and practice regime to keep your hands look soft and youthful. In this section, we will tell you about some common hand problems, tips to take care of hands and articles related to hand care that you would like to read.

Common Hand Problems

We must know about common problems related to hands to understand the warning signs and what they might be indicating about hand health. Scroll down as we have listed some common hand problems along with their causes and prevention methods.

Infections

These are highly common hand and finger problems that can happen to anyone. If you are susceptible to infections or you have had a history of hand infections or your skin is sensitive, you must watch out for signs of infection. Most commonly, insect and animal bites cause infections. Also, bacteria and fungi also cause infections such as bacterial infection, fungal infection, herpetic whitlow, felon, hand abscess, nail infection, etc. Depending upon the severity of infection, pain and inflammation may occur that requires medical assistance or you can also relieve them with some home remedies.

Hand and finger deformities

Deformities mean disfigurement or distortion that causes a body part to look misaligned and different from others. Deformities could be congenital(by birth) or maybe a result of any injury or other autoimmune disorders such as arthritis. While a deformed hand or finger can be easily identified with the appearance, doctors may also conduct certain tests to confirm the same. Most common hand and finger deformities include neck deformity, Boutonniere deformity and Dupuytren's contracture. Short-term deformities or the ones that are timely diagnosed can be treated with exercises or splinting but if you have hand and finger deformities for a long time period, it may not be easily treated. This is because scarring would have occurred that can only be treated with surgery.

Nerve-related problems

Nerve compression is not very common but it can occur when you accidentally compress a nerve that connects major organs. There are several nervous disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome, radial tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome that can be caused. In these disorders, when you compress a connective tissue or bone, a nerve gets compressed which can cause abnormalities including movement restriction and sensitivity. Symptoms of nerve compression issues in hand are pain, tingling sensation, weak hands and lack of sensitivity. Nerve compression syndrome can be treated by electromyography and nerve conduction. In these syndromes, surgery may be necessary to relieve pressure on the nerve. If symptoms are severe despite other treatments, a doctor may continue to treat them.

Hand Care Tips

Here are some tips that will help keep your hands healthy and beautiful.

Clean your hands

Whenever you come in contact with anything suspicious or even if you have touched any familiar thing, try to wash your hand. If not with soap but at least clean them with water to get rid of any bacteria or virus present on your hands. Contaminated hands can cause contaminated diseases. Bacterial and viruses such as influenza or salmonella can cause infections that may become mild to severe. The coronavirus pandemic situation made us more aware of hand hygiene and its importance. We have learned why it is necessary to clean your hands often. Thus, clean your hands regularly and properly. Follow handwashing guide to know how to wash hands in the right way. Use mild, antibacterial soaps if your hands got exposed to unfavourable or damaging environment/surfaces. Clean the gaps, wrist and nails properly. Make sure to moisturise your hands after cleaning to avoid dryness.

Clean your Cuticles

Most of us ignore cuticles but they need to be cleaned equally as hands. Cuticles protect your nails and the skin around them from all kinds of infections. Trimming and cleaning cuticles are, therefore, a necessary step of hand hygiene. If you don’t do this, infections can easily occur causing acute discomfort. You can ask your salon person to do it for you but it can also be done at home. Just soak your fingers in warm water to soften the cuticles and then trim them carefully to not cut the skin.

Hand Massage

Face massage and body massage are common but hand massage is also imperative. Massaging your hands regularly can not only improve blood circulation and beautify your hands but can also provide several other health benefits. Stress reduction, nervous tension release, better sleep, improved mood and increased cognition are some of the benefits linked to hand massage.

Exfoliation

Just like you exfoliate your face to get rid of dead skin cells, exfoliate your hands to shave off the layer of dead skin. Use a light exfoliant such as homemade sugar or coffee scrub to exfoliate your hand. Doing this once a week can bring positive results. Your hand would look beautiful and feel soft, smooth. There are various hand scrubs available in stores. You can use them or make one at home with nourishing ingredients such as natural oils, coffee and sugar. After washing your hands, don’t forget to moisturise them with a good hand cream to lock moisture to complete exfoliation and prevent dryness.

Trim your nails

You might be liking your long nails but it is okay only if you can take proper care of them. However, it is suggested to trim your nails on a regular basis. This is to eliminate dirt that gets easily trapped inside the nails and can trigger infection. This should be seen as a personal hygiene practice that helps in preventing various long-term health problems such as food poisoning.

Watch your diet

To keep your hands healthy and beautiful, it is important to maintain a healthy diet and nutrition. A nutritious diet can help improve the health of your hands and nails. Adding foods rich in vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, biotin, essential fatty acids, vitamin B can promote hand health and skin. Eating a balanced diet is, therefore, a must for hand health.

References

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/hand-pain-and-problems

https://www.trihealth.com/dailyhealthwire/health-topics/orthopedics/common-hand-conditions-and-their-treatments

https://www.wikihow.com/Take-Care-of-Your-Hands