Winter is at our door. Often neglected, hands are an important part of your skincare routine everyday. We interviewed Dr.Onyeka Obioha, MD about the best way to care for your hands.
Why does the skin on hands look so fragile and thin with time?
The leading cause of premature hand aging is cumulative sun exposure, UV radiation degrades collagen and results in wrinkling and thinning of the skin as well as hyperpigmentation. However, chronic irritation from frequent hand washing also contributes to fragile and thin skin on the hands over time. Unlike facial skin, the skin on the hands have less oil glands, it is particularly vulnerable to dryness and irritation with frequent exposure to water, oil-stripping soaps, hand sanitizer and weather changes.
What ingredients should we look for in a hand cream for winter?
An ideal winter hand cream contains humectants, occlusives and emollients. Humectants act like a sponge and draw moisture into the top layers of the skin. Look for creams with heavy hitter humectant ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and alpha hydroxy acids during winter. Goat milk is a great humectant due to its’ high lactic acid content (an alpha hydroxy acid) which draws in moisture, yet also functions as a gentle exfoliant to treat dry skin. Occlusives create a physical barrier and prevent transepidermal water loss. Look for hand creams with occlusive ingredients such as petrolatum, lanolin, dimethicone, mineral oil. Emollients also have occlusive properties, but additionally help restore the skin’s barrier function. Look for emollient ingredients such as shea butter, lipids, and fatty acids. The fat content in goat milk makes it an effective natural emollient.
Is it a good idea to put sun protection on hands too?
It’s critical to protect the hands against UV radiation by using sunscreen and/or gloves with SPF.
Here are our favorite hand creams for caring your hands this winter.
Dionis Goat Milk Skincare Goat Milk Hand Cream smoothes and heals very dry hands covering them with a silky hydrating film that keeps them moist for hours. Goat milk naturally contains vitamins, minerals that help retain moisture in the skin. A sweet creamy vanilla fragrance diffuses from the Vanilla Bean sort. Try also the Sea Treasures Natural Goat Milk Hand Cream. Goat milk is a great humectant due to its high lactic acid content (an alpha hydroxy acid) which draws in moisture, yet also functions as a gentle exfoliant to treat dry skin. https://www.ulta.com/p/milk-honey-goat-milk-hand-cream-pimprod2007921?sku=2550700&cmpid=PS
The Jane Iredale HandDrink Hand Cream with SPF 15 feels like a luxurious well of moisture that rids your paws of all uncomfortable dryness creating a cozy protective barrier around your hands that lasts for hours. It also provides broad spectrum sun protection in a clean ingredient formula that includes white and green extracts as well as apple extract to provide nourishment and antioxidant protection. Jane Iredale skincare is clean and vegan. It contains no toxins, no heavy metals, mineral oil, no synthetic preservatives. Order it for winter at https://janeiredale.com/products/handdrink-hand-cream
The Arbonne Korean Beauty Shea Butter Hand Cream is a ultra-moisturizing yet non-greasy vegan hand cream formulated with sustainable shea butter, coconut oil and vitamin E to soften, soothe and smooth the hands with long-lasting hydration that resists cold weather. The scent is subtle and enchanting. It leaves hands velvety soft and hydrated for hours. Find it at: https://www.arbonne.com/us/en/shop-all/body-care/shea-butter-hand-cream/p/7275%20US
Hand Cream is a thoughtful gift or stocking stuffer for the holidays!
_______________
