Dry skin can be especially challenging in the winter, when cold dry weather seems to make it worse. At this time of year, we frequently hear from people struggling with cracked fingertips. These can make it painful to button a shirt or operate a keyboard, so we are always interested in the solutions people find.
Q. I suffer in the winter with cracked fingertips. As a passenger train conductor, I have to use my hands a lot so this is a problem.
Rubber Gloves:
To solve it I treat the cracks with antibiotic ointment, cut the tips off cheap rubber gloves and tape them to the tips of my fingers. This heals the cracks quickly.
I can still wear gloves and work with some level of dexterity. Do you have any recommendations for prevention?
Instant Glue Offers a Quick Fix for Cracked Fingertips:
A. Many readers report that instant glue provides a quick fix for cracked fingertips. It seals the crack, allowing it to heal without pain.
High-Urea Moisturizing Cream:
A moisturizing cream with 20 percent urea can be quite helpful for prevention. That’s because urea regulates gene activity in skin cells and helps them defend themselves against germs (Journal of Investigative Dermatology, June, 2012).
Other preventive measures include heavy moisturizers such as Aquaphor or Vaseline. Applying such greasy products at bedtime under a pair of inexpensive cotton gloves protects the bedding and helps seal in the moisturizer just as your cut-off rubber glove fingertips do.
Other readers have turned to oral supplements such as flaxseed oil or vitamin D.
