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At this time of year we get inundated with queries about dry, cracked fingertips. It may seem like a minor annoyance compared to health problems like diabetes or high blood pressure. For those who suffer, though, this can truly make life miserable. Here are just a few sad stories:
“I have suffered from split fingertips for years, as has my brother. Even as I write, I am having difficulty typing with bandages on my fingertips!”
“Every winter my wife and I are bedeviled with split skin on the tips of our fingers. The tiny cuts are extremely painful.”
“I’ve been suffering since I was 17 (I'm 64 now). I thought after menopause my splits would go away or ease up some. Instead, I don’t get relief in the summer anymore. There are times I literally cry with pain. It gets so bad I drop stuff. I can hide them under gloves in the winter, but in the summer they’re out in plain view. Bandages bring me some relief, but don't solve the problem. As soon as they come off, the splits start to open again. I've seen so many dermatologists in my lifetime I have lost count. They prescribe a steroid cream and tell me to keep my hands out of water as much as possible... ha!”
Readers of this column love to offer suggestions to fellow sufferers. We have received dozens of suggestions. Here is a sample of the solutions people have offered to be helpful:
“As a lifelong sufferer of those painful cracks on fingers and hands, I am compelled to pass along a word-of-mouth tip. Zim's Crack Creme--a product I have never seen advertised--was recommended to me. It works wonders, and I am not one to exaggerate. It is just that good. It not only prevents cracks, it quickly heals the ones you have. It’s at pharmacies or discount stores in the first-aid section, or sometimes the skin care section.”
“I also have a similar problem which I treat very effectively with Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm. It works like magic for me. In the past before discovering this remedy, my fingers would crack so bad they sometimes bleed and hurt like fury.” (Other readers have suggested ChapStick for cracked fingertips.)
“Here's my solution for split fingertips. Use grey duct tape. Cut in small pieces and cover the split. This keeps in the moisture and helps keep the split from opening up further. It may take several weeks. You have to be persistent to keep it covered and you may have to answer dumb questions about it, but it works.”
“I am a carpenter and I have had split fingers and thumbs every winter for years, I read about Super Glue being used in Vietnam by medics so I tried it. It works great, seals splits so the pain is gone.” (Some readers use liquid bandage for a similar result.)
“I have cracked fingertips every time the weather gets cold. The skin on my finger joints and knuckles will even split. I found a product called Badger Balm at the auto parts store and it is wonderful. I try to grease my hands in it at night and wear gloves to bed when having this problem.”
With cold dry weather getting worse this winter, many folks will be looking for a way to cope with splitting fingertips. We hope that some of these suggestions from other readers will help skin heal and ease the pain.
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I have done the bandaid/neosporin/finger cot thing, but after reading this article, I tried superglue-FANTASTIC! Waterproof, so the wound stays closed when I wash my hands, cook, etc.
I recommend eating more essential fatty acids (or essential skinny acids as I like to call them). For the past several months I have been eating ultra healthy and getting in daily doses of things like Avocados, nuts and seeds. Throw in a portion of sesame seeds, flax seeds or sunflower seeds with every bowl of cereal/oatmeal, with every salad; eat a handful of nuts as a snack. Have a side of avocado or blend it in with fruit for an added touch. I require far less lip balm than before
My fingertips have cracked every winter for most of my adult life. I used super glue for awhile and it did stop the pain but they would eventually crack again. Someone told me to try triamcinolone cream and it worked. I apply a small amount every night before going to bed and I haven't had a problem since I started using it.
I have had this condition for years. I have tried everything and I finally found my cure...Vasoline petroleum jelly! I used Watkins PetroCarbo Salve for a long time as well. That works very well too, but it smells yucky to me. So, I've learned to just rub Vasoline on my hands liberally and let it soak in for several minutes. Then wipe off the excess that doesn't soak in.
My dry, cracked heels respond in the same way. Rub it on liberally and put on thick socks for a while. It almost always works for me!
When the Vasoline doesn't do everything I want it to do for my hands I return to the Watkins PetroCarbo Salve for one day.
I sound like a commercial! But I'm not!!!
For dry cracked and painful split finger tips I use Emu Oil. A few days of applying the oil and whamo, no more pain and splitting.
have had this problem in winter only and have found that if I use rubber gloves when washing dishes, problem is greatly minimized. Could it be something in dish detergent is extra drying to skin?
My dermatologist wrote me a prescription for a lotion - Ammonium Lactate 12%-works like a charm! Occasionally, I've had to resort to super glue, but only for a day or two.
For other health-related reasons, I recently increased my intake of fish oil from one to two grams a day. Coincidentally I noticed that the painful cracking I get every winter on my right thumb is not occurring this season. Could it be...?
Abreva is orginally prescribed for cold sores , and it works so well on those , I decided to try it on the cracked fingertips , it takes the pain away immediately and causes the cracked skin to heal faster .
I find that what works best for me is lanolin slathered on my hands, with particular attention to fingertips, applied at night before bed. Then I put on cotton gloves (found in cosmetic department) so that the bedding doesn't get grease marks. I put more on fingertips that are the worst split, and apply bandaids during the daytime as well. Problem is, they heal up and then split again, with cold weather, but the lanolin does heal them quickly at least.
My fingers used to split all year around until I tried wearing cotton gloves to hold my newspaper in the morning while I read it. I had read somewhere that some people are sensitive to either the acid or ink in the paper!
A water softener has solved my dilemma of sore and cracked finger tips! The cost of installing and maintaining this over the years has been worth every penny as I seldom ever have to use hand lotion!
Have had the same problem for a long time, working outside doesn't help, but if I remember to drink water all winter it doesn't seem as bad. I think we tend to drink too much coffee or tea once it gets cold, and that dries us out even more.
Hi Terry, hi Joe.
Thanks for the tip. When I go to Florida in less than two days my fingers are healed.
I did use a steroid but was told it only worsened the problem by thinning out the skin
Me too. I use Glycerine/allantoin/water/petrolatum combo made by local pharmacy. Cheap. Dip it up, smear it all over generously and sleep with it under cotton roping gloves.
I believe that I have finally found why my thumb and forefinger on my left hand in particular have cracks down to the flesh. It is caused by the acid in the apple and red peppers which I snack on while driving! Strange, but true!
Has anyone heard of Raynauds Disease? My 18-year old daughter is convinced she has it and I have to say after reading the mayo clinic link she sent me, I'd have to agree. She has always had extremely cold and dry hands, and lately they have been turning actually grey. Shes a student at NYU and I'm urging her to go to the clinic there, but she says she is too busy and also that its a chaotic place. Has anyone else run into this and to a good solution that does not involve consistent drug usage? Thank you.
I too have suffered from painful split fingertips in winter time. I've tried lots of different lotions and salves, including many that have already been mentioned. The last few years I have been using Nexcare Skin Crack Care, which is like liquid bandage or "New Skin" liquid bandage, but doesn't sting as badly. But I have to keep reapplying it several times a day. Eventually the split gets too deep and I end up taping up my fingers with butterfly bandages and Nexcare adhesive tape, until the splits start healing. When the splits are painful, I've also used rubber finger protectors (CVS sells them in the bandage section) when I take a shower to protect them from the water.
My father also got very bad split fingers in the winter. No one else in my family suffered from this. I've always assumed I'd inherited the tendency from him.
Interesting note: Several years ago I was on a prescription drug called Topomax. It's actually an epilepsy drug, but I was prescribed it as a migraine preventative. It didn't help my migraines much but the year I was on it I had no split fingers that winter and another skin condition (Milia) went away altogether until I stopped taking the Topomax. It did have one bad side effect, though, depression. I'm curious why this drug had good side effects for these two skin conditions.
About cracked fingers- I teach culinary arts in a high school. I am constantly getting my hands wet and exposed to drying soaps. If I'm not very careful I develop cracks on my fingertips which can be very painful (and almost debilitating). I have found that the product which is the most effective, particularly in the winter, is Zim's Crack Creme. It is actually a liquid that can soak into your skin as opposed to something like cocoa butter or vaseline that really sits on top of the skin. One of the ingredients is arnica extract. I'm not sure if that is the ingredient that makes this product so unique. Zim's crack cream is also good on very dry feet. If I use this product two times a day on my hands and feet, it prevents problems. Their product that works the best is the liquid form that's sold in a spray bottle. It's available on line or in many pharmacies.