Why has the skin on my hands gotten so fragile and what can I do about it?

Is this the first time this has happened? Do you use lotion every day?
If you have no underlying health problems (the diabetes does this to me; I have persistent sores on my hands all winter), I would suggest that it might just be a combination of winter air and dehydration.

@bookish1 I think your right about the hydration. I’ve been slipping a bit with that. Thanks, I’ll work on that.

How old are you? My skin texture has changed dramatically in the last year or two, something that I suspect is an indicator that I may be perimenopausal.

51, and I don’t think I’m perimenopausal. :)

It’s dry skin. It happens to me every year towards the end of winter, too. And I’m sure that you’re a lot more active out there in the woods than I am here at my desk or in my living room. For me it’s “Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts”.

This product designed for people who are outdoors a lot is supposed to be very good.

I have a similar problem. Hydrate and cream up. It helps. @marinelife that looks like a good product, I’ll have to give it a try.
Udder Cream Something like this or this works well too.

What you describe sounds like what is called “paper skin,” and the wounds are “skin tears.” It occurs when you lose a few of the layers of protective fat that we all have under our skin. These layers serve as insulation and help to store oils which keep the skin supple, and water for general hydration. When you get older, over sixty say, you begin losing some of this fat and your skin becomes dryer and more fragile, you don’t store water as efficiently and require more frequent hydration, don’t tolerate cold weather as well, and are easily subjected to skin tears. This condition happens naturally with age, much earlier in smokers and people who are exposed to the sun for many years and is exacerbated by cold, dry weather, exposure to sun, and cigarette smoking. Some meds, such as the new blood thinner Effient (prasugrel) cause paper skin.

Clean skin tears by patting with clean moist gauze or cloth, or hold under cool running water, pat dry, apply thin layer of triple antibiotic ointment, leave open to air or cover with a synthetic skin product available at most drugstores that is recommended for covering these tears as the removal of tape or bandaids can cause the skin to tear further.

Hydrate and moisterize frequently and be more careful about bumping into things.

You need some of my products. Stop using crappy soap or detergent to wash your hands, especially during the very dry winter we both have. PM me with a delivery address. Give me an idea if you like fragrance and I will whip you up a shea butter mouse and also send you a solid lotion bar, and sit back and wait for it.

I doubt it’s this but my sister drank heavily and her skin was paper thin. No idea why and I don’t really think this is your problem but make sure your diet and alcohol consumption is healthy too.

I am washing my hands more because of flu season, I lost some weight, and I’m not working at hydrating. I guess I had better get some good products and get to work on the last two. Thanks for all your answers.

@Adirondackwannabe for some reason I thought you were a much younger fellow! Anyhow I always have my hands and out of water and my skin is so dry. I drink a lot of water but nothing seems to help much. So when they get really bad I put vasoline on them at night and wear cotton gloves to bed. That works better than anything else for me. Not particularly romantic, but it beats the pain.