my hands do this every winter

[u/Fratzenfresse]

It doesn’t hurt but it’s annoying as hell

YES I MOISTURIZE

[u/Early-Resolution-631]

My hands do this despite moisturising and when I asked my doctor about it they were essentially "damn thats crazy idk" so. not sure what to do, why it happens, or how to stop it lol. I assumed it was fungal but I was given a few antifungal creams about it to no avail by a previous dr (had it for a while, then it went away for a few years, now its randomly back again) so I'm stalking the comments hoping SOMEONE has had a competent medical professional in their life lol

[u/smashablanca → u/Early-Resolution-631]

I am not a doctor but I do live in a harsh climate and have insanely dry skin.

It's not just about moisturizing. Once your skin gets flakey like this you also want to make sure you're exfoliating to remove the skin cells that are essentially goners.

In the winter you're also losing a lot of moisture to the air. You can put on lotion all day but its not going to do any good if the dry air is pulling all the moisture out of your skin.

There are a bunch of ways to help your skin retain moisture. The most basic ways are to add a cover after moisturizing to give your skin more time to absorb it. Wearing gloves at night is an easy way to do this. You can also apply ointments like Cerave Healing Ointment or Vaseline.

Another option is to look for products that have extra ingredients focused on moisture retention. Hyaluronic acid and ceramides will both help with this but how much they help depends on the individual. I have more success with ceramides.

[u/ChiefCasual → u/smashablanca]

Had to scroll way to far down to see someone mentioning exfoliating. It's a must. Once the outer layer of skin is too far damaged no amount of moisturizer can fix it.

I like to think of it as moisturizer is preventative care and exfoliating is corrective care.

[u/orangejuice3 → u/ChiefCasual]

Exactly! If the skin starts flaking, you gotta exfoliate.
Then you moisturize to prevent further flaking.

[u/Darth_Vorador → u/Early-Resolution-631]

Go to a dermatologist. Could be eczema and you’ll get prescribed a steroid based ointment/cream.

[u/Lambrambram → u/Darth_Vorador]

This is likely it. I have had eczema for years and two years ago my hands started looking like this. Like OP I assumed it was fungal because I never had it on my hands. Now it's a regular thing.

Use eczema specific lotions, the thicker the better. If it pumps, it's too light and will not absorb well enough to help. Anything that has a jar is going to be the thickest and best for winter.

[u/Early-Resolution-631 → u/Darth_Vorador]

I already have multiple steroid creams for my eczema, and I do have the cracked skin version of eczema on top of my hands and the blister version in between my palms and fingers, but I've had it since I was young, the same cannot be said for the skin flake thing which is why I'm at a loss :')

[u/PlantsBeeMe → u/Early-Resolution-631]

I whip extra virgin olive oil and coconut vegetable glycerin into my body butter lotion (I use Andalou) but also make sure to get enough vitamin d (15 min sun or pill).

[u/anonymous6366 → u/Early-Resolution-631]

Exact same situation. I have a dermatologist appointment next month and I really hope they know what it is and how to fix.

[u/Separate_Salamander6 → u/Early-Resolution-631]

Try cortisone cream. This looks similar to the eczema I get on my hands and steroid cream helps. Also gently exfoliate. I use a baby washcloth and dove body wash, which is the only one that doesn't irritate my skin. I just use it as a hand soap if they get really bad.

[u/Sorry_Koala_8181 → u/Early-Resolution-631]

what doctor? A dermatologist? I mean the doctor is not wrong imo, this isn't dangerous nor is it a huge inconvenience. Not really a life or death Situation