With the outbreak of COVID-19, sources from the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that coronavirus disease pandemic is on a speedy exponential increase with more than 3,00,000 cases tested positive. In this situation of a pandemic, it becomes critical to maintain personal hygiene and washing hands frequently.
But, while prevention of COVID-19 by washing hands is important, what steps can you take to take care of your skin besides the frequent hand-washing? Read on for 7 helpful tips to keep your skin healthy.
1. Warm is the key
Wash your hands with “warm” not hot water, heed the fact that warm is the key. According to doctors from the Massachusetts General Hospital, lukewarm water is better than hot since hot water causes dryness and influences the efficacy of the hand-washing process. Also, the hot water strips off any natural oils from your hands that it needs to stay waterproof.
2. Scrub for 20 seconds
Just so you know that the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says that one should wash hands with soap and water for a time limit of at least 20 seconds. They also recommend that one should use sanitizer in between the washes. Want a tip for a 20-second timer? Hum the popular Happy Birthday Song twice, and there you go! Check below infographic to know how you should wash your hands:
3. Sanitizer or Soap?
It is a known fact that soap and water is the best remedy against microbial infections. But, how to protect yourself when these aren’t available? Sanitizer is the perfect answer to COVID-19. It is preferred by most doctors that you use alcohol-based hand sanitizers have at least 60 per cent alcohol content (which you can easily check by the product label).
4. Moisturizing is bliss
Doctors suggest that water acts like a magnet and it can attract water from the interior layers of the skin which can cause dryness. So, it is best to use hand cream rather than lotions which have a lot of water content in them and have ingredients such as occlusive, humectants and emollients to help protect the skin. Moisturizing is basically the topical treatment to skin problems caused by disruption of the skin barrier.
5. Sheet Masks for Hands – Gloves
Due to consistent washing of hands to prevent infection, your hands can become really dry and chappy. According to skin doctors, the best remedy is to heavily moisturize your hands and wear cotton gloves after that similar to facial sheet masks to retain moisture for 6 to 8 hours. Want a tip? Go through the process at night and see the magic!
6. Vaseline is there for rescue!
To top it up a notch, you can use a humidifier to keep the air moist which in turn can keep your skin hydrated. Doctors recommend applying Vaseline, which acts as a skin-saver for your dry skin. If you can tolerate the thick coating of Vaseline, you can put it overnight for maximized effect and hydration.
7. Towel or Air Drying can Help
Why? Well, as a matter of fact, germs have a high rate of transmission from wet hands and vice-versa. And thus, it becomes important to dry your hands after washing and there are studies that suggest that using a clean towel and air drying methods are helpful.
As a responsible citizen, we must join the wash hands movement to curb the spreading of COVID-19. It is really critical to change our hygiene habits and the wave of movement is spreading globally. Remember not to forget about keeping your skin healthy and follow the tips for skincare – wash, scrub, dry, moisturize, and sanitize.
