Why are my hands so dry?

Published: August 2018

Last Reviewed: October 2024

Dry skin on hands is common and normally is not harmful but it can be irritating, especially for extremely dry, cracked hands that may be itchy or chapped. In most cases, dry hands are caused by environmental factors such as weather conditions or exposure to chemicals which could dry your skin out. Washing your hands too much or more than normal can also cause sudden dry skin on the hands, but there are some medical conditions which can cause extremely dry hands too. In this article, we will outline the signs and symptoms of dry hands, potential causes and how to treat dry skin on the hands.

The signs and symptoms of dry hands vary depending on the severity and cause of the dryness:

• Mild Dry Hands: Dry skin patches on the hands, with the skin feeling parched, tight and sensitive. Your hands might appear red and flaky or feel itchy due to their heightened sensitivity as a result of dryness. Dry skin on the hands most commonly affects the knuckles and wrists but can affect the palm, back of the hand and fingers.
• Severe Dry Hands: In more severe cases, extremely dry hands can feel rough and itchy, with skin that is chapped, cracked, and even bleeding with scaly, tight patches.

There can be both external causes and internal triggers which can cause dry skin on the hands.

• Environmental factors:  Harsh weather conditions, especially in winter when temperatures get colder can cause dry skin as the body struggles to hold onto moisture as effectively.
• Dry air: Dry air, both hot and cold, can leave your hands dehydrated and dried out. This is particularly common in colder months as winter causes cold dry air and declining humidity levels which can cause skin to become dry and itchy. Warm dry air from central heating and indoor dry air from air conditioning can also cause your hands to suddenly lose moisture. 
• Washing your hands too much: Frequent hand washing, using hand sanitiser multiple times a day and exposing your hands to hot water too often (such as when you wash the dishes or take showers) can cause your skin to become dry and chapped. 
• Chemicals:  A lot of products such as washing up liquid, hand wash and laundry detergent can contain harsh chemicals which can irritate your skin. This can result in damage to your skin’s natural barrier, making it harder for your hands to keep in their natural moisture. 

• Diet: An unbalanced diet and a lack of fluid intake can cause dry, flaky skin.
• Alcohol: Alcohol is diuretic, meaning that it dehydrates your body which can cause your skin to look and feel drier and less plump.
• Nicotine: Nicotine impacts the immune system, skin inflammation and skin cell growth, all of which can contribute to the development of dry skin conditions.
• Stress: When we are stressed, our bodies produce cortisol, a hormone that can weaken the skin barrier and make it dry out faster and crack. Stress also causes our bodies to sweat more, leading to dehydration and dry skin. Finally, stress can also trigger flare-ups for conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
• Ageing Skin: As part of the skin ageing process, as we get older our skin generally becomes drier and less elastic. Our skin’s barrier function also becomes weakened, causing a loss of moisture in the skin.

Dry hands can also accompany other diseases and conditions such as:

• Atopic Dermatitis
• Diabetes
• Psoriasis
• Ichthyosis
• Allergies

There is a range of Eucerin hand care products specially formulated to care for dry hands.

For very dry and rough hands we recommend Eucerin UreaRepair PLUS 5% Urea Handcream. Made with Urea, Ceramide and other Natural Moisturising Factors (NMFs) it has been clinically and dermatologically proven to deliver both immediate relief and intense moisturisation for dry skin on hands and is suitable for those with Xerosis, Psoriasis, Diabetes and mature skin. 

Sometimes the skin on our hands can get so dry and tight that it cracks. To care for dry, cracked hands, we recommend Aquaphor Soothing Skin Balm. This balm provides intense, long-lasting moisture that helps restore and protect the skin’s barrier.  

The balm’s rich, occlusive texture creates a protective barrier over your skin to lock in moisture while Glycerin and Panthenol support the natural healing process. 

If you have atopic dermatitis (commonly known as eczema) on your hands, try Eucerin AtoControl Acute Care Cream. It soothes, smooths, and regenerates irritated, reddened and itchy hands and can be used during both a flare-up of Atopic Dermatitis and in the calmer phase between flare-ups. Active ingredients include Licochalcone A (an extract of Liquorice which soothes irritated skin), Ceramides (to help restore skin’s natural barrier and support regeneration) and Menthoxypropanediol (a derivative of menthol with the same cooling and itch-relieving properties).

Apart from using hand care products, you can also make small changes in your day to prevent dry, cracked skin.

Keeping your hands covered, especially in cold temperatures and windy weather, will help to preserve the moisture in your skin. By wearing gloves outside you will help to prevent dry, itchy skin on your hands developing.

Frequently putting your hands in water, especially hot water such as during baths, showers or washing the dishes, will dry out your hands and cause irritation. By keeping the temperature of your showers and baths lukewarm instead of hot, you can reduce the risk of your skin being dried out. When washing dishes, wear rubber gloves to avoid immersing your hands in hot, soapy water and protect your skin from harsh cleaning products which could cause irritation. 

If your dry hands are being caused by washing them too much or using hand sanitiser, you can help to treat dry skin by trying to wash your hands in lukewarm water only. Hot water can dry out your skin and worse conditions such as eczema. You should also use mild hand soap that supports your skin’s natural pH levels and restores moisture to the skin.

After washing your hands, it’s essential for soft skin to dry your hands carefully. Leftover water will evaporate and further dry out your hands. Make sure to fully dry your hands after washing, including in between your fingers. It’s better to pat your skin dry than to rub it as this is gentler on your skin; rubbing creates friction on your skin which can cause irritation.

If your hands are sensitive and rough it’s important to use a moisturising care product regularly after hand washing – especially if you work in damp conditions or are in regular contact with dirt, lubricants and chemicals. If working conditions are the cause of your dry hands, consider carrying a product with you such as a dry hands cream to apply throughout the day.

Other tips for preventing dry and cracked hands include moisturising your hands before going to bed and wearing fine cotton gloves overnight so that the dry hand cream can be fully absorbed. 

We use our hands everyday, they are one of the most used parts of the body. All this hard work puts the skin on our hands under pressure. Our hands are also rarely covered and as a consequence are directly exposed to harmful external irritants such as cold, heat, frequent hand washing, pollution and dirt. These can all weaken the skin’s natural barrier and cause the skin on our hands to dry out, resulting in dry skin patches forming on our hands.

Our hands have a different skin structure to other parts of our body which helps them perform their key function in movement and motion control:

The skin on the palms and balls of the fingers and thumbs:

• is rich in fatty and connective tissue (such as elastin and collagen)
• has a high density of sweat glands but very few sebaceous glands 

The skin on the backs of the hands:

• has hardly any fatty tissue
• is especially thin and sensitive
• has few sebaceous glands

These qualities help to make our hands nimble and yet able to grip and lift heavy objects, but they also make the skin on our hands prone to drying out. In particular, the fewer number of sebaceous glands means that the skin on our hands is less able to bind in moisture than other parts of the body.

The sebaceous glands are responsible for the production of sebum which provides the skin with lipids (or fats) and moisture-binding components. With fewer sebaceous glands, our hands are, therefore, more prone to dryness. To prevent dry skin, looking after your hands is essential.