What causes dry and cracked hands and feet? Factors causing dry and cracked hands and feet

Many people's hands and feet are not only severe in winter, but also obvious in other seasons. The reasons for dry hands and feet include physiological reasons, external factors and environmental factors. Pay attention to care in life, soak your hands and feet in warm water more often, and then apply moisturizer in time.

1. Causes of chapped hands and feet

Physiological characteristics (15%):

The skin of the hands and feet, especially the palms and soles, has the following anatomical and physiological characteristics: there are no hair follicles and sebaceous glands on the palms and soles, and the stratum corneum is often protectively thickened, making the skin there dry and hard to resist the erosion of various physical and chemical factors in the external environment. However, due to the lack of sebum protection, in dry and cold seasons, the local skin is pulled by movements, causing local damage and cracking. 1. The stratum corneum is thick, especially on the palms, soles and heels, so it is prone to cracking. 2. The skin on the palms and soles has no hair follicles and sebaceous glands. Therefore, when the temperature is low and the humidity is low in winter, the skin lacks sebum protection and is prone to cracking. 3. The above factors, together with the elderly, ichthyosis and keratosis, cause dry skin and thickening of the stratum corneum, making it more susceptible to disease under the influence of some external factors.

External factors (35%):

1. Physical factors: dryness, friction, trauma, etc. can cause the disease. 2. Chemical: Acids, alkalis, organic solvents, etc. dissolve sebum, causing the skin to lose its lubricating protection. 3. Biological: Infection by fungi etc. causes the skin to become over-keratinized and lose its original protective ability.

Environmental factors (40%):

Hands and feet are exposed to the outside, especially the hands, which often come into contact with various substances and are easily affected by acids and alkalis, the fat-dissolving effect of organic solvents, and the invasion of microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria, which cause infections. These factors make the skin of the palms and soles dry, brittle, hardened, and less elastic. On this basis, due to the stretching and traction of the hands and feet, chapped skin may occur. The elderly, patients with ichthyosis, palmoplantar keratosis, keratotic tinea pedis, etc. are more susceptible to this disease due to the thickening of the stratum corneum and dry skin.

2. Lifestyle and Health Care

1. In daily life, be careful to avoid using too much alkaline soap, alkaline water and other detergents when washing your hands and feet.

2. In winter, soak your hands and feet in warm water frequently, dry them after bathing, use skin care products to keep your skin moisturized, and keep warm.

3. When working in an environment that is prone to occupational chapped hands and feet, labor protection should be strengthened to reduce the possibility of illness.

Dry skin is an important cause of chapped hands and feet, so you can apply moisturizer several times to keep the skin hydrated and moisturized. In addition, when bathing, choose a mild bath gel to avoid using an alkaline bath gel that will wash away the sebum secreted by the skin and cause it to lose protection.