Causes of cracks in the hands

Almost the entire human body is covered with a protective layer that prevents the penetration of bacteria, viruses and other pests. This protective barrier is called skin. Alas, the strength of such a natural barrier, even with proper care, is not as great as we would like. Damage to the skin can result from injuries as well as from a disease that disrupts the structure of the protective layer, negative environmental effects, exposure to aggressive chemicals, etc. The skin of hands is most affected by negative factors. But hands are the main working tool of a person, on whose health much depends. It is clear that the  cracks in the hands  in this regard should be considered not only as a cosmetic defect, which is commonly done on women's sites. Micro- and macrodamages on the skin are a weak point in the protective barrier that allows infections to enter the body, this is one of the factors that adversely affect the quality of life of a person and his ability to work.

[1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

External causes of cracks in the hands

It is believed that by the state of the skin one can judge the age of a person, and the skin of the hands and neck are indicators of the biological age of women. It’s not for nothing that the weaker sex is so careful about its pens. True, many people think that well-groomed hands are fingers with a beautiful manicure. In fact, a manicure should be only a nice attachment to the well-groomed skin of the hands.

And for the skin to shine with beauty, it needs proper care. But how difficult it is to ensure it, given the fact that human hands are considered the main working tool. Water, earth, air, chemicals used in the home and at work, exposure to low and high temperatures does not contribute to the improvement of the skin condition. Moreover, they are able to violate its structure, making it coarser, dry and inelastic. Therefore, it is often not necessary to go far to understand what provoked the appearance of cracks in the hands.

The following points can be considered as risk factors for the violation of skin integrity:

• Systematic exposure of sunlight to unprotected skin of hands. Ultraviolet radiation destroys proteins (including elastin and collagen) and amino acids, as a result of which the skin begins to lose moisture. But it is water that is responsible for maintaining the elasticity and attractive appearance of the skin. The proteins in the skin that are responsible for its elasticity and ability to withstand stress are destroyed by the action of sunlight, and the high temperatures that accompany tanning slow down the synthesis of much-needed proteins. It is clear that all these moments can not affect the condition of the skin. And if we also take into account that hands that are not protected by clothes are exposed to this effect regularly, it is not surprising that the cracks most often form on the hands.
• But the sun is not the only weather factor affecting the skin of the hands. Frosty air, cold water, wind, skin contact with ice also do not contribute to the preservation of the health of the skin. Low temperatures, as well as excessively high, reduce skin moisture and inhibit metabolic processes in it, making the skin more fragile and sensitive to mechanical stress.
• No less dangerous for the skin and a sharp change of moisture. If, after hand washing or washing dishes, when the hands have been in the water for a long time, go out into the cold or strong wind, the skin of the hands will become incredibly fragile and will crack.
• Does not add health to the skin of the hands and work in the ground. The skin becomes more dry, porous and coarse, cracks appear rather quickly on it.
• Cracks in the hands can even appear from water if it is too cold or has a rich chemical composition. What can I say, abundantly chlorinated drinking water from water taps is already a vivid example of an environment aggressive to the skin of hands. It is water that promotes not moisturizing, but overdrying of the skin. No wonder many cosmetologists do not recommend her to wash, or after washing to apply moisturizers.
• High temperatures with regular exposure to the skin dry it up like sunshine, and dry skin becomes less elastic and durable, so it can crack under tension.
• Sometimes cosmetics purchased by us to protect and nourish the skin of the hands contain components that can only harm. Cosmetics of dubious quality are not uncommon even on the shelves of branded stores, and what can we say about supermarkets where the quality of cosmetics is not a priority. But it is also necessary to take into account the individual factor, which manifests itself in the form of intolerance of individual components of caring means.

If the use of hand cream causes symptoms such as redness, itching, peeling, rashes and cracking on the skin, it is better to refuse this remedy regardless of how much money was paid for it.

• And, of course, household chemicals, which are equipped with various aggressive substances to perform the functions assigned to it. How much has already been said about the negative impact of household chemicals on the skin, but many of us still do the dishes, do the laundry, clean the surfaces in the kitchen and bathroom without hand protection (gloves). But after all, household chemicals are terrible not only by possible allergic reactions, but also by a strong overdrying of the skin, destruction of collagen structures, and a decrease in local immunity.
• Even relatively safe detergents (for example, baby and household soap) with regular or long-term use can reduce the moisture of the skin. And if we consider that we use soap in combination with chlorinated tap water, we can say that this is a real skin dryer.

The situation is even worse with antibacterial soap. On the one hand, it helps protect the body from germs, and on the other hand, dries the skin and reduces its natural immunity. As a result, inflammation, flaking and cracks appear on the hands.

Statistics show that every fifth inhabitant of the planet faces the problem of cracks in the hands due to drying of the skin. The dependence between the appearance of this unpleasant symptom and the nature of human activity is traced, since the enterprises do not always meet the requirements for the protection of the skin of hands.

To say that women who regularly perform various homework using household chemicals, this problem bothers more than men can not. For example, motorists who are constantly forced to come into contact with various lubricants and aggressive liquids have cracks on the skin of their hands at least as often as housewives.

As for age restrictions, this problem is usually characteristic of older people, whose skin undergoes not the most pleasant age-related changes. As for young people, cracks in her arms do not appear all that often. And the appearance of such defects is associated either with insufficient protection of hands when working with chemicals, or with health problems that have similar external manifestations.

Many skin care products provide her with nourishment, hydration and protection from negative environmental factors. This helps the skin stay healthy and supple for a long time.

Protective cosmetics for hands, as well as cloth and rubber gloves are likely to help protect our pens from the appearance of various injuries on them, if the reason lies in the external environment. But such protection is unlikely to help solve internal problems that affect the condition of our skin.

[6], [7], [8]

Internal causes of impaired skin elasticity

The elasticity of the skin provides moisture. If the skin is not sufficiently moist, it becomes dry and coarse, and under tension, instead of stretching, such skin begins to burst. Having noticed cracks in the hands, it is logical to assume that they appeared as a result of the influence of negative factors on the skin from outside. But this is not always the case. Some internal causes are capable of changing the structure of the skin, making it more dry and sensitive to external influences. Therefore, at first glance, it is sometimes even difficult to determine what causes the appearance of cracks on the skin of the hands.

Speaking of internal causes, again, you need to understand that they can be both pathological and physiological. The physiological (non-pathological) cause can be called the natural process of aging of the organism, when many processes in it are inhibited. For example, synthesis of certain hormones and collagen decreases, metabolism slows down, efficiency and speed of regenerative processes decrease. It is clear that all these processes will be reflected on the condition of the skin of the hands, which are regularly exposed to negative factors.

This is confirmed by the fact that, according to statistics, older people are more concerned about cracks in their hands. For example, such menopausal women often suffer from such defects, who may have had no skin problems before menopause. The reason for such changes in the state of the skin becomes hormonal imbalance. The production of the female hormone estrogen during menopause is markedly reduced. Namely, this hormone is considered a stimulator of hyaluronic acid production, due to which our skin maintains an adequate level of moisture. What do we observe? In the body of a woman there is a decrease in moisture content of the mucous membranes and skin. Dry skin becomes thinner, and a decrease in elastin production (for the same reasons) makes it less resistant to stretching.

If the skin becomes excessively dry and begins to crack in places of tension in a woman of reproductive age, and no other signs indicate illness, it cannot be excluded that the body of a young lady also has a hormonal failure, causing specific external symptoms. So the reason is not always covered in external factors (unsuitable creams, the use of detergents, insufficient care for the skin of hands, etc.).

In men, the sufficient thickness of the skin is caused by androgens, which stimulate the production of collagen. But the point is not even in the thickness of the skin, but in its elasticity, which decreases with age. Do not think that only thin skin can crack. This confirms the appearance of cracks in the palms, where the thickness of the skin is 3–8 times thicker than in other parts of the hand. Vulnerable skin makes the lack of sufficient moisture. Therefore, even thick, dry skin can crack.

Another non-pathological reason for the appearance of cracks in the hands is a deficiency in the body of certain vitamins. Lack of vitamins A, C, E and P can be manifested by the fact that peeling and cracks appear on the hands of a person, indicating insufficient skin moisture. Most often this is a temporary phenomenon, because the body usually experiences a shortage of vitamins in the spring-winter period. It is at this time that it is recommended to include in the diet not only fruits and berries, which by this time have lost most of the nutrients, but also vitamin complexes, which are on the shelves of pharmacies a great many. Yes, the same "AEvit" in combination with ascorbic in two accounts will help solve the problem of skin cracking due to vitamin deficiency.

Alas, hand creams and vitamin complexes will not help to cope with the same problem, if it is caused by internal pathological disorders in the body. There are a number of diseases in which the skin on the hands and other parts of the body becomes unusually dry and sensitive, with the result that redness, peeling and cracks appear on it.

For example, cracks in the hands can be detected with dermatitis. Dermatitis is a disease that can have various forms and causes. But in our case, we are most often talking about atopic and contact dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis is a pathology of an allergic nature, which in most cases has a chronic course. Most often diagnosed in childhood in people who have a predisposition to the disease. One of the features of the pathology is that it increases the sensitivity of the skin to various irritants.

Contact dermatitis is also considered an allergic disease, but its symptoms only make themselves felt through direct contact of the skin and the irritant, which is allergens, aggressive chemicals, ionizing radiation, etc. In fact, this is a peculiar reaction of the body to a specific stimulus. Symptoms of contact dermatitis appear during the second and subsequent contact with an irritant. In the acute form of the pathology, there is redness, swelling, and weeping on the skin and, as a result, the formation of cracks. In the chronic course of the disease, cracks appear on rough dry skin.

Cracks in the hands can also appear in eczema  , a pathology in nature and manifestations similar to contact dermatitis. Typically, cracking is characteristic of dry eczema on the hands, when a dense, inelastic crust forms on the skin. When moving with fingers or wrist, it can burst with the formation of sufficiently deep cracks.

Cracks in the hands of allergies and diseases of an allergic nature usually appear after skin contact with an irritant and are accompanied by the appearance of other symptoms characteristic of an allergic reaction.

Sometimes the appearance of cracks in the skin reminds of psoriasis. Scientists suspect the autoimmune nature of this pathology, and skin rashes in this light look like an inadequate response of the body and in particular the immune system to stimuli. In psoriasis,  quite often specific eruptions appear on the hands (palmar-plantar form of psoriasis), which are most in contact with various media, which means that unusual reactions should be expected there: inflammation, rash, peeling, cracks. The fact is that on the surface of the skin, with this pathology, a dry stratum corneum is formed, which does not have the elasticity of healthy skin and can burst when stretched to form multiple small gaps.

Symptoms such as increased dryness of the skin on the hands and cracking can be observed in other pathologies with external manifestations:

• In case of ichthyosis (hereditary pathology, manifested in excessive keratinization of the skin in different parts of the body, including the hands), cracked skin areas may appear on the skin.
• Reiter's disease (a pathology of a rheumatic nature with complex damage to the organs of various body systems, which is manifested by the development of urethritis, prostatitis, conjunctivitis and inflammatory diseases of the joints), in addition to other symptoms, is characterized by the formation of hyperkeratosis on the palms and soles of the reddened foci of hyperkeratosis with peeling and cracking.
• For ringworms caused by fungi and dermatophytes, cracks in the hands are also not a rare symptom. In case of fungal lesions caused by microorganisms from the Candida genus, the lesions are most often concentrated in the interdigital space, where itching, thickening of the skin and the appearance of cracks with white patches are noted. Diseases caused by dermatophytes (trichophytes and athlete's), have similar manifestations: itching on the skin, reddening and keratinization of lesions, the appearance of cracks on them. But the localization of lesions is somewhat different: the back and side surface of the fingers, the palms in the area of the folds. At the same time, rash in the form of nodules or blisters can also be noted.

Disturbances of metabolic processes are fairly quickly reflected in the state of human skin. Now we are not talking about skin diseases, but about systemic pathologies, a symptom of which is dryness and hypersensitivity of the skin. What pathologies is this symptom typical for?

First and foremost, it is worth mentioning deficient states (avitaminosis). We have already mentioned that the lack of certain vitamins in the body can adversely affect the skin. But some rare types of avitaminosis can not only affect the condition of the skin, but also cause severe disruption of the work of various organs and systems. So the disease from the category of avitaminosis, caused by a deficiency of vitamin PP, proteins and amino acids and called pellagra, causes keratinization and peeling of the skin of the hands, exposed to ultraviolet radiation (increased sensitivity to sunlight). That is, we are talking about the defeat of the entire hand, on which painful cracks subsequently appear. In this case, the disease covers both hands, but its foci can be observed in other parts of the body, especially those that are exposed to the sun's rays.

With a decrease in thyroid function, a pathology such as hypothyroidism may develop. A deficiency of thyroid hormones leads to a slowdown of metabolic processes inside the skin, a violation of its nutrition. As a result, the skin becomes dry, its thickness increases, but the elasticity decreases. Most of all, such changes are noticeable in the elbows and knees, but the dryness of the skin and its cracking in some cases can also be observed on the fingers and palms.

Cracks in the hands are not uncommon in  diabetes. This endocrine disease is associated with impaired glucose metabolism, but in fact, with this pathology, all types of metabolism are violated. At the same time, there is a constant loss of fluid in the body, the water-salt balance and the nutrition of the tissues are disturbed. With any type of diabetes mellitus, the skin and mucous membranes become more dry and thin over time, and itching appears. Due to the weakening of the skin and the violation of its elasticity, cracks appear on it that become inflamed and do not heal for a long time.

Increased dryness of the skin of the hands can also be observed with such rare autoimmune pathologies as Sjogren's syndrome, in which there is a lesion of the connective tissue and external secretion glands (salivary, lacrimal, sweat). In this case, a crack in the hands appears due to severe dryness of the skin. But while there are many other warning signs.

Pathogenesis

The skin is considered to be the largest in terms of the occupied area of the human body, consisting of several layers and protecting the body from external influences. In addition to protection, it also provides many other functions: respiratory, thermoregulatory, excretory, exchange receptor, immune, etc. It is clear that various injuries on the skin reduce the effectiveness of the work of this important organ, which means that this issue requires much attention.

Sometimes even a small scratch on the skin when an infection gets into it becomes later a considerable problem, but what can we say about cracks in the hands. The cracks of the skin is called linear tissue tissue breaks. Such breaks are usually localized along the lines of the greatest stretching of the skin (the Langer line).

Most often they appear in those places that are most susceptible to tension and directly interact with various negative factors (thermal, chemical, environmental, etc.). Hands can be considered the most unprotected areas of the human skin. In this case, the arms are a very mobile part of the body with many joints, when flexing which, the skin is strongly tensioned. And it is not surprising that in such places it can crack.

Collagen and elastin, which are synthesized on the body, are responsible for the elasticity of the skin fibers. At different age periods, the production of these substances in the body will be different. It is clear that young skin is smooth, sufficiently moist and elastic at stretching will be more durable than the skin of a person of middle age. Needless to say about older people, whose skin becomes dry and thin over time.

And if at the same time, the skin of the hands regularly experiences a negative impact on it of weather and environmental conditions, aggressive household chemicals, excessively high or, on the contrary, low temperatures, microdamages and painful cracks appear over time.

There are many cosmetic products that help slow down aging of the skin and minimize the impact of negative environmental factors on it. They help to maintain the necessary moisture of the skin, metabolic processes inside it, supply the missing substances: collagen, vitamins, trace elements. All these measures provide the skin with optimal thickness, strength and elasticity.

But back to the fact that hand creams are able to act only from the outside. And the structure and, accordingly, the strength of the skin can change not only under the influence of external factors. Sometimes the reason for such changes lies in the violation of metabolic processes inside the body. And then not only the skin suffers. Cracks in the hands in this case are simply visible symptoms of the disease.