Sanitizer+skin=ouch?

Dulcius_ex_asperis

The sanitizer we use (all the time, for everything) has done quite a number on my hands. The skin on the back of my hand looks and feels like it is sunburned. It hurts like hell. I can hardly sleep because of it. Everyone else I work with says "Oh yeah the hand sanitizer sucks lol" and told me it would dry out my skin, but holy shit. My skin is crackin' and peelin' and BLEEDING. I feel like such a wuss for complaining but it is waking me up in the middle of the night. And keeping me from sleeping.

So. Any suggestions? Any handy extra-moisturizer and non irritating lotion suggestions? Or should I see a doctor because I might be having an allergic reaction?

It's a standard quat sanitizer, if that makes a difference.

Belruel

yea this happened to me when i worked at a smoothie bar.

if you think it is really really bad see a doctor about it, but what we did was just use aveeno lotion often and avoid keeping your hands in the water whenever possible.

edit- be careful with your hands though, for me the step after red irritation was the skin cracking and bleeding all over. moisturize often

MuddBudd

I had the same thing and it fucked up my hands to the point I got an infection. A VERY BAD, drug-resistant Staph infection.

Don't use it. Just wash your hands with soap and water. Tell them to go fuck themselves if they say you have to.

Thylacine

Talk to your manager about this. I know in food service you have to use hand sanitizers, but tell him you need a different kind and get your own(if you could get the store to pay for it, that would be cool...otherwise, I think it's a small price to pay for not having hands that are cracked and bleeding(which is just as unappetizing and unsanitary as unwashed hands).

If another sanitizer doesn't help, talk to your manager about getting you some plastic food handling gloves.

Belruel

where i worked the sanitizer was put into the water we washed everything in, it wasn't a 'wash your hands with this' it was a 'put three pumps of this in when you fill up the sinks'

and the health inspector came randomly to measure the pH levels and reprimand us if not enough was put in.

often it isn't even something the manager can change, it is state health laws, and the op saying 'fuck you i won't use it' is like saying 'please fire me, i'm new anyways and expendable'

Bendery It Like Beckham

if it's the sanitizer you are using to wash dishes, get rubber dish gloves. If it's what you are using the keep your hands clean, buy some mild anti-bacterial hand soap or bring your own sensitive skin sanitizer. since this is your hands, you can control what is touching your skin etc etc. But you have to provide an alternative, you can't just not wash your hands.

At the pizza place i work at the sanitizer causes me to break out in hives, so instead of using it I just wash my hands before i touch any food. I use a shit ton of paper towels but my hands aren't bleeding.

as for your hands cracked and bleeding, using neosporen or something similar to keep the wounds clean, and Vaseline is great for restoring moisture to your hands and should help with the burning as well.

FyreWulff

You're not being a sissy. My skin peels back every winter / if I handle lumber. One of the women at my mom's church had her hands burn and look sunburned from the sauce that a bunch of sausages were in.

Either ask to use soap and water, or switch to using plastic gloves.

Dulcius_ex_asperis

Just as clarification, I got some rubber gloves for dish-doin', but the sanitizer is what we use to wipe down tables/wipe down the steaming wands, so I can't really just not touch it, especially if I am working alone. I try to wash my hands immediately afterwards, to limit exposure, and have been covering my hands with vaseline every night, then wearing gloves to let it absorb. It works ok to soften them back up a little, but they seem to lose moisture as soon as I touch the sanitizer again. But my left hand is much much worse than my right. Like, my right hand is mildly irritated and my left is way red and ouch and burning.

Thylacine

If you can I would just get gloves to wear while you're cleaning the other stuff. A box of plastic food handling gloves is pretty cheap. If you have to get a rag out of a bucket to clean tables and such, just wear the gloves and fill the bucket up less full and more often so that you don't have to dunk you hand in all the way to the bottom.

Keep a close eye on it because it could possibly get worse with prolonged or repeated exposures, so do whatever you can to keep your hands out of it.

To be honest, I would say you probably have a type of contact dermatitis. Which, in and of itself is a pretty vague term. I have no idea of knowing if this is just a chemical your skin is just more sensitive to than most people or if this is a full blow skin allergy. If it persists and doesn't heal at a normal rate, or if it gets worse I would recommend going to a dermatologist if you can afford it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contact_dermatitis

Szechuanosaurus

Vaseline just creates a protective layer, it won't heal or replace lost moisture only prevent further loss of moisture (and perhaps protect your skin from external irritants). Try using something like Sudocrem which gives you the protection of vaseline, along with healing the damaged skin and providing some mild relief from the discomfort and Aqueous Cream, which will replace the lost moisture from your skin. These are topicals that are used for treating extreme skin conditions like eczema and the side effects of radiotherapy but are mild enough that they are also standard equipment for daily care of babies.

Pulvaan

buy some hand lotion.

I've been using this. St Ives Mineral Lotion. $5 for a big ass bottle (18 0z). Not greasy at all.

Other one to try is Restoration hardware's hand cream.

edit - you might also try to use nitrile gloves at work. it might be weird to wear them all the time, but that might be the only solution to this issue, other than finding some industrial strength moisturizer that will cost you $$$$$.

-Phil-

Can you possibly work with a pair of latex gloves on at all times?.

Pulvaan

some people are allergic to latex, nitrile is probably a better choice.

Dulcius_ex_asperis

I'm not allergic to latex, but wearing gloves the whole time I'm at work isn't really an option. Here's a pic of my left hand, which is currently cracking and burning like whoa (shine is due to vaseline) (spoiler'd for gross):

is it normal for this kind of reaction to happen, or should I be looking for a dermatologist?

Bendery It Like Beckham

looks like you got yourself a first degree chemical burn. Seriously, rubber gloves. You can talk to a dermotologist, they will probably just prescribe you a really strong moisturizer and tell you to avoid contact with the sanitizer (gloves)

Zeon

Youre definately flat out allergic to the sanitizer. Get some gloves to use before you touch the sanitizer. It sounds like the sanitizer isnt really for you, its for objects at work, so i dont see how wearing gloves before handling it will be a problem.

Otherwise, if thats not possible, youre going to have to quit, because seriously eventually that will start to blister and basically you'll look like youve got leprosy.

Seattle Thread

Dulcius_ex_asperis wrote: »

the sanitizer is what we use to wipe down tables/wipe down the steaming wands

You mean... bleach water? You've been dousing your hands with bleach water?

Dulcius_ex_asperis

Makershot wrote: »

Dulcius_ex_asperis wrote: »

the sanitizer is what we use to wipe down tables/wipe down the steaming wands

You mean... bleach water? You've been dousing your hands with bleach water?

Nonono, it's a standard quat sanitizer, used to neutralize germs at room temp. Not bleach water. We tested the pH today and it was right, so apparently it's just me that's allergic/gets a fun chemical burn. At any rate, I am avoiding that shit as much as possible.

And yeah, it's for wiping things down, not to be used on my hands...although it's nigh on impossible to keep my hands completely out of it.

ceres

I'm sorry to say this, but speaking as someone who went through this (although for different reason), you're just going to have to wear gloves whenever you're handling something with the sanitizer on it. Doing dishes? Put on gloves for cleaning. You can pick up a pair at any supermarket, they are not cumbersome at all. Wiping down tables? Put on the gloves. Handling it in any way? Put on the gloves. Keep them with you, just in case. You don't have to wear them when you're doing other things, but you WILL need to wear them when you're about to come in contact with the sanitizer.

It's a big deal. You're slowly destroying your hands by CHEMICAL BURNING. If that doesn't sound fun to you, wear the gloves.

As far as treating what you have I wouldn't go the vaseline route. Eucerin makes a cream that is very good, and it should help moisturize where vaseline won't.

supabeast

The alcohol in the sanitizer is drying out your skin, start moisturizing your hands with one of the Vaseline healing moisturizers a couple times a day, and always put a heavy layer on before bed.

DatDishman

I have been doing dishes at a spot for 8 months and have fought the same prob but worse. My issuse is from my hands to inner arm and it will heal then ill have a day where im out of good gloves and go bare armed and it starts all over. The sanitizer creates a film on your skin i think. It causes non stop itching which i end up sctratching in my sleep and causing more problems. Its autofed in the dish machine on the last cycle so when a bowl or something flips and fills with sanitizer and i grab it i often splash it in my face etc... The stuff should be illegal. I have yet to find a solution. Gloves help but at some point the saniwater drips inside them and your hit...Right now its so bad i think i may have to go to the dr.

Gabriel_Pitt

Dulcius_ex_asperis wrote: »

Nonono, it's a standard quat sanitizer, used to neutralize germs at room temp. Not bleach water. We tested the pH today and it was right.

And that pH number was?