Wrinkled Hands

After I take a bath or go swimming, my hands get extemely wrinkled. i know that its normal for your hand to get that way but mine is different. they wrinkle up SO much that they feel scaly. They also feel dry and tight. My mom says it could just be dehydration and that i should drink more water, but i have been drinking plenty lately. After that swine flu alert, i started using hand sanitizer. Could the hand sanitizer be the thing that effeecting my hands this way? Or is there something wrong with my skin? Because my hands haven't done this before.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
I cannot confirm anything without examination but it can be due to contact dermatitis due to sopas,detergents etc,dry skin or xerosis or eczema.

The mainstay of management is liberal use of moisturizers after washing with luke warm water. Soap should be used minimally. Moisturizers should be reapplied liberally during the day.You can also use a topical cortisone (steroid) cream or ointment like dermacort(hydrocortisone). Adding a humidifier to the central heating system of your home or using a humidifier also helps. I would also suggest you to hydrate and protect hands from sun damage with a protective and moisturizing cream during the day. At night, repair them with creams formulated from glycolic acid—a must for improving skin texture and tone. For a more intensive nighttime treatment, apply cream and then cover hands with gloves or socks.I would also suggest you to avoid washing hands with soap repeatedly and use gloves while doing any household work.

In case the symptoms persist then pls consult a dermatologist.

I hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional queries.Kind regards.