I'm not old, but stuff is starting to bother me more, physically. I work outside all year and I handle alot off paper. ( Then in the spring I start heaving plugs with fireline.:smash: ) This time of year the pain in the tips of my fingers makes me want to cry. I can't reach into my pocket for keys, wallet etc. without agony. If any of you have similar problems I would like to hear all ideas. When they get really bad, I just carry a box of surgical gloves (because they tear constantly) and squirt neosporin in each finger before I put them on. This winter sucks already and the worst thing is it is still fall.:crying:

ok , i work in a warehouse ; handling card board boxes all day . the stuff just pulls all the moisture / oils out of your skin . you need a good hand cream or balm . just make sure it doesn't have any alcohol in it , it will dry your hands out even more . use it 3 or 4 times a day , wear gloves if your are going outside .
it will take awhile but it will get better :)

Use Curel hand lotion! I was having the same problem years ago.....started using Curel on my hands 3-4 times daily.....did the trick!:kewl:

Got you beat by far. Try turning wood all day long with dry sawdust. Worst freikin thing ever. The absolute best hand cream I have found is Gold Bond. Also use Eucerin Plus but the gold bond really soaks in and is non greasy etc. I put it in front of the telephone so every time I pick up the phone I put hand cream on.

If you get splits like that then EVERY night you need to put a bandage over the split while you sleep with the neosporin gobbed on it...it will severely reduce the pain and speed the healing.

put a bunch of bagbalm or eucerin on the hands and then wear cotton gloves to bed. the gloves will keep the stuff from getting everywhere.

winter kills my hands too. I turn pipes all day long that are around 200 degrees and use some hand tools that are wet all the time, so my hands are constantly going from wet to dry wet to dry all day long.

I am a plumber and I have that problem also, I take Neosporen ointment Pain, and it takes care of it I put it right in the cracks before I go to bed and when ever the pain comes back. Also don't let the dead skin build up cut it away.

You need Crack Cream.
Seriously. Look it up. The stuff works pretty good for that.

i work in a hand therapy clinic. the nurse's who do dressing changes use this stuff called iodosorb to heal wounds. it this gritty substance with iodine in it. i haven't seen anything else out there that heals wounds as fast as this. maybe you could get a prescription for it.

after your wounds get closed up:

at night time glob a lot of moisturizer on the hands and put on some very light cotton gloves. sleep with those on every night. i think that may help. most other suggestions would likey work too.

it's tough when you abuse your hands daily. got to take precautions and take care of the hands better. it sucks to loose function and not be able to do what you love.

at night time glob a lot of moisturizer on the hands and put on some very light cotton gloves. ****snip**** it sucks to loose function and not be able to do what you love.
Tell me about it. How the heck can I wax the porpoise before i go to sleep with those damn cotton gloves on my hands :laugha:

I have had terrible dry skin since I was born. If I don't stay on top of it, my hands and feet are a disaster. Seems to get worse as I got older (39.....) The key is keeping things moisturized. The last several years I would get terrible skin cracks on my hands. I have found that using aveeno daily moisturizer (comes in a beige bottle with green cap) really helps. I use that on my face too. I have only had a few finger cracks so far this year. I have counted over 50 cracks on my hands when it gets bad. Eucerin is another good product. They make a real thick cream in a jar. Mary kay actually makes the best stuff. It is called extra emollient night cream. It is a really thick pink smelly cream but it works wonders.

Once you get cracks, there is a product made by 3M called Nexcare skin crack care. It comes in a bottle like nail polish. You paint it on to the skin crack and it helps it heal. I haven't seen it much lately, it used to be everywhere like Walmart and drug stores. I bought 6 bottles at walmart for 1.50, may have been a close out. It was 5.99 and worth every penny. It takes a few layers painted on but it works great. Kind of like glues the cut together. the 3M website lists it and you can find it on Ebay.

I also have some nexcare "liquid bandage" It is very much like super glue, and glues the crack together. I have heard you can also use super glue. Other bandage companies make liquid bandages that would probably work.

I currently have a 2" long skin crack on the bottom of my left foot that was just caused by dry skin. It just lets go. Looks like more of a laceration than a cut. I could barely walk the pain was so bad. Got to keep them moisturized.

Good luck, these are the most painful things. I would really recommend the nexcare stuff.

lansonil works wonders as well. As long as you dont pay attention to what it is really meant to be used for, its great stuff.

Bag Balm !!!:buds:

Bag Balm !!!:buds:


Its Udderly amazing stuff :bo:

So your telling me I need to cream a crack :hee:

You need Crack Cream.
Seriously. Look it up. The stuff works pretty good for that.

:hee::heybaby:

:musc:Its Udderly amazing stuff :bo:

Yup, just like Nebe said and Gone Fishing re-stated with a few jokes in between, get Bag Balm. It works.

bag balm works

nebe...wax the porpoise...LOL

Works wonders !

That's the stuff right there G2. Works great.

nebe...:btu:wax the porpoise...LOL


:btu:Another fish story...........

thanks for all the replies!

I worked outside, construction for 32yrs. Fingers cracked every year in the same exact places no matter what I did. Creams sound nice, but it's not practical if your working with your hands. All it does is is attract dirt, which gets into the cracks, plus it also makes hand colder in winter. Some gloves also make problem worse by drawing the moister out of the skin. Solution = Cry and bare it until you retire. :spin: Good Luck

Badger hand cream