I have painful, dry, cracking skin on my fingers. Any suggestions for ways to clear it up and make it feel better?

Without Googling, which I am going to let you do, I would smear skin with vasoline at night and sleep with cotton gloves on. A Dermatologist may have a better product. Maybe check out Bagbalm also.

vitamin D ointment slathered all over your hands, covered with a pair of cotton gloves overnight.

@poof; what’s Vit. D ointment? I take D3 1200 mg. by mouth daily.

@gail: We used to have it at the hospital… I just assumed it was available in drug stores also.

Bag Balm. Farmer use it on the udders of cows to keep them from getting dry and yucky, and on their own hands for the same thing. (and that’s actually what it’s called.)

I have this problem….if it gets severe enough, I have to use clobetasol ointment (Rx). To avoid this, I have tried dozens of hand creams and lotions. Some have been horribly expensive.

However, bar none, my favorite is this

I second Bag Balm. I’ve used it a lot in the past and it’s great. You might say “it’s da balm!”

Here is what I do if I already have one and it is KILLING me, I fill it up with super glue! Don’t laugh, when you are in that much pain you will do anything. The pro football players do it too. It takes the pain away. They actually make a product just like it for bowlers too.

Aquaphor cream works great; apply it at night and periodically throughout the day.

Mugsie,
Fill what up with Super Glue?
Thanks!

Fissures or deep crackes in skin of fingers and hand. Mugsie’s suggestion is also recommended by Dermatologists.

Shea butter. I have horrible dry skin. If you put shea butter on your hands everynight and place gloves on, it does wonders.

I have used vaseline and bag balm for my hands and feet, then I put on a pair of socks and it works great. The bag balm has a little anitiseptic in it. My only problem is it drives me crazy to have my hands or feet covered when I sleep. I have to use mind over matter. I remember reading somewhere that Doris Day used to slather her entire body with vaseline and put on socks, gloves and a flannel nightgown before bedtime, yikes! She said it kept her skin young looking.

neosporine ointment and cotton gloves at night. Take care to protect from coldwinter air and soapy dish water.

@cdwccrn…I would also add to your list of things to avoid: hand sanitizer. Ouch!

When mine gets really bad (ie: spontaneous bleeding), nothing but a prescription steroid cream works. Definitely avoid hand sanitizer, and also anti-bacterial soaps!

I had eczema bad when I was younger, and when my dermatologist found out I was a nurse, he groaned. Hand washing is vital to hygiene, but canbe hard on the hands.
Dove soap is the best bar soap for sensitive skin.

Lac-Hydrin lotion.

Eucerin lotion

jvgr LacHydrin has an acid in it and burns on my cracked skin :(

Wow – Thanks for all of the help, everybody!

vaseline and gloves at night for sure.

@SoapChef: Cover your entire body with Vaseline? I can’t imagine anything worse. Ergh. The hell could she sleep? Not even mentioning the fact that you’d have to shower for about an hour and a half to get it off in the morning. I hate wearing clothes in bed, nevermind clothes that stick to your skin!

@ richard I knoooooooow! I imagine things were a little scarce in the sex department on those nights as well. ewwwwww

She said dry fingers!!!! Vaseline works for feet and fingers.
If you’ve got other dry things…um…that’s another story.

Yeah, I am limiting this to a discussion of just one of my body parts!!

@deaddolly: I had to do this when I was a kid because my hands got so damn dry. It works too! I still have fingerprints!

Anybody know where I can get Bag Balm? I haven’t seen it in any stores lately. Thanks!

@ answerjill Where do you live? Have you tried Walgreens etc.?

Here

Thanks, Gail!

Ismear a good coat of petrolium gel on my hands then put on throwaway latex gloves at nite heals pretty good but in time comes back, is there any lasting cure?

Update: When I saw my dr., she said that it was a form of eczema and that I should use this steroidal cream, just for a short time, until it clears up. Then, I should be careful after that to keep my hands moisturized. Also, I should keep the steroid cream on hand for when it flares up again. (And it will.)

I use Nexcare skin crack care. It comes in a small bottle like fingernail polish. It burns a little, and seals some what like superglue. The outer sides of my thumbs are so bad right now, if I don’t put this on a couple time a day, they throb. I get this at wal-mart. It’s back by the band-aides.