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The most important prevention against viral infection is thorough handwashing according to health professionals, but our hands are drying out. They can sting, the skin can tighten and subsequently crack and peel. Experts advise how to wash your hands so that unpleasant drying does not occur.
How to properly wash your hands
Because of the spread of the coronavirus people are finally learning how to wash their hands so that it really makes sense. The recommendations from health professionals are:
- warm water,
- (antibacterial) soap
- at least thirty seconds.
During half a minute we should switch between several techniques so that we wash our hands thoroughly and do not miss any spot.
But after repeated washing, hands can become dry.
The question to the expert is: May I immediately put cream on my hands after washing, or will I thereby reapply bacteria, viruses and dirt onto my hands?
The question was addressed for the British Guardian by physician Lindsay Broadbent: “There is no need to be afraid to rub cream on your hands after washing. Just make sure to dry them sufficiently before applying the cream.”
She also adds that ideally each of us should carry our own cream and not share with others. Simply put, we cannot be sure that the person we lend the cream to washed their hands properly.
“The coronavirus would not survive too long in hand cream, but certain bacteria and fungi could. In such cases I recommend squeezing the cream onto the back of your hand and only then spreading it. For preventive reasons it’s better not to touch the neck of the cream at all,” advises Broadbent.
Hydrating hands after washing them is very important.
Hands with cracked and weakened skin are more prone to infection than healthy hands, so it’s not just an aesthetic issue.
Experts add that the skin is the first of the barriers that viruses or bacteria meet. It’s up to you how thoroughly you care for your hands so that nothing penetrates them.
These images will also help you with thorough hand washing.
