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Can frequent use of hand disinfectants cause damage to the skin?

Release time:

2020-04-11

Hand dermatitis is a common and serious problem among nurses, with reported prevalence in18%-86%, this situation is mainly related to wet work, hand washing and wearing gloves. The World Health Organization (WHO) Hand hygiene guidelines recommend alcohol-based hand sanitizers, but medical personnel may refuse to use them because of skin irritation or other skin problems and still choose to wash their hands.KampfG和LofflerHThe problem is summarized, probablyOccupational hand dermatitis occurs in 30% of healthcare workers, mainly due to irritant contact dermatitis caused by detergents, and allergic reactions are extremely rare.

The main cause of irritant contact dermatitis is the frequent use of hand hygiene products, especially soaps and other detergents. Frequent hand washing leads to progressive loss of lipids on the surface of the skin and deeper damage to the surface layer of the skin. This loss of lipids occurs faster in dry seasons and in individuals with dry skin. The resulting skin damage may have an irritating reaction to all hand sanitizers.

Although alcohol-based hand sanitizers are safer than cleansers, they can also cause skin dryness and irritation to occur. Prospective studies have shown that ethanol hand sanitizers containing moisturizers are significantly less irritating to the skin than cleansers such as soap. After the first use of alcohol-based hand disinfectants, medical personnel with irritated skin may experience skin burns because their skin barrier itself has been compromised by hand washing or closed gloves. This can lead to a vicious cycle of increasing the frequency of hand washing and reducing the frequency of use of hand sanitizers.

In summary, the proper use of ethanol-based hand disinfectants can improve the skin condition of the hands of medical personnel compared with frequent hand washing. Can be concerned from the following aspects:1. Promote the use of ethanol hand disinfectants containing moisturizers instead of detergents.2Choose products that are less irritating, especially for sensitive skin.3Do not wash your hands routinely before and after using hand disinfectant.4Dry hands thoroughly before wearing gloves.5Use hand cream.