Gardening And Keeping Hands Soft

Dayle Haddon: How To Make Gardening Easier On Hands And Feet

(CBS)  Summer is finally here, and for many people that means time to toil their gardens.

It also means chemical, dryness, wetness and sun exposure — elements that can contribute to bad skin. Beauty and wellness contributor Dayle Haddon visited The Early Show Tuesday to give tips on how to prevent skin from getting damaged while gardening.

Haddon says various gardening tools such as kneeling pad, water can, candles and gloves can help make gardening easier. And, she suggests some creams, soaps and scrubs that will make hands and skin feel fresh and smooth all summer long.

The skin on hands and feet is like most ornamental plants, says Haddon, because neither likes the extremes of being dried out or kept too wet. She recommends treating the skin as tenderly as the most sensitive plants. And safeguard your horticultural health.

She explains that cold, chemical and sun exposure, drying, and persistent wetness can damage skin and nails on hands and feet. Soil and potting mixes, whether in the garden or in containers, deplete moisture from the skin on hands and fingers.

Prolonged contact with soil can be very drying to your hands. Add the abrasive effect of grit in soil, and skin begins to lose its protective barrier to further water loss. As water loss from skin increases, it loses flexibility, and skin may begin to crack like dry leather. This can lead to further loss of water, wounding skin and underlying tissues.

While air circulation can have many advantages for your plants such as reducing pest problems, it can also speed up water evaporation from your skin. Combine the effects of water loss from wind with water loss from soil, and hands can chap severely enough to lead to eczema. Eczema is inflamed skin with red, itchy, cracked, even blistery areas, which may require medical treatment.

To prevent dry skin, Haddon says the best protection is a dry fabric barrier between the skin and soil. In other words, wear appropriate gloves and shoes. Pick gloves appropriate for different garden chores. Cotton jersey is good for all around work, while thick leather gloves are good for wet work or work around plants with thorns or spines. For really wet work, including handling chemicals, wear rubber or plastic gloves with cotton liners. When cotton gloves get wet, change them immediately. When handling chemicals make sure that none gets inside your rubber gloves. Wet chemicals have a more toxic effect on the skin if trapped inside gloves, and the risk of an irritant or allergic reaction to the chemicals increases.

Dry skin needs moisturizing. The best moisturizer is water, but adding water alone to dry skin aggravates the condition through chapping, says Haddon. The result is that skin splits and becomes rough and sore. A barrier of natural oils, like the waxy cuticle on a leaf, prevents water from the skin being quickly lost into the air. Remember that air circulation around wet skin increases evaporation and chapping.

Evaporation is slowed by frequently applying petrolatum, glycerin, or lanolin-based skin care products. Haddon says don't use lotions or oils because they are too thin and won't work on thick palm and finger skin. After hands get wet, apply cream or ointment to damp skin.

Haddon says to don't forget fingernails when moisturizing. Nails are more than 10 percent water. As with skin, when water is lost from fingernails, so is its elasticity. Long nails get dirtier and are more likely to catch on objects and peel back from the nail bed than short nails. Constantly cleaning accumulated dirt from under a separated nail adds to the problem. When applying moisturizer, work it from the hand down to the fingernails, coating the nails. Haddon says to moisturize cuticles too. Cuticles are a seal to prevent moisture from getting under the nail folds. Apply an extra amount of moisturizer on the side nail folds to stop hangnails. To ease the most painful site for skin cracks, also work moisturizer under fingernails.

Though foot skin is similar to hand skin, the problem gardeners usually have to deal with on their feet is wetness. Proper footwear is the best protection, says Haddon.

Look for shoes and boots that breathe and absorb perspiration from feet. Dyed leather and canvas absorb perspiration well. Be aware of the insole material since perspiration is greatest from the bottom of feet. Insoles that specify the ability to keep feet dry can be obtained over-the-counter at drugstores. Haddon says absorbent material should be used under feet as well as around them.

Haddon warns that the gardener who wears leaky shoes or boots risks developing trench foot from prolonged exposure to moisture. Unfortunately, waterproof boots can hold moisture in as well as keep it out, so make a good choice in socks. Orlon or polypropylene socks help wick moisture away from the skin. Haddon explains cotton doesn't wick moisture away from the skin, it actually keeps sweat close to the skin. Wool socks can be warm even when wet, and are good when worn with a wicking fabric sock liner close to the skin. When socks get too wet and no longer wick water away, change to dry socks. For really wet feet, Haddon says, cotton balls between the toes will help.

Dusting with an absorbent powder will also help. Haddon says to try dusting feet, not the floor or carpet, by putting foot in a paper bag before shaking out the powder. If you have excessively wet palms and soles, Drysol can be obtained by prescription.

Haddon says you also need to protect yourself from the sun. Some ways you can do that are: wear a wide brim hat, sunglasses and sunscreen when you are out in the sun. The latest research suggests that sunscreen may not prevent melanoma (skin cancer) but it does offer some protection against the sun's damaging rays. The following guidelines may help you avoid danger this summer:

• Limit gardening to the early morning hours or late evening after the sun has gone down.
  
• Wear protective gear - sunglasses, a visor and lightweight, white or light colored clothing that reflects the sun rather than absorb it.
  
• Wear a waterproof sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 or greater

Here are some products Haddon demonstrated on The Early Show:

Bug Repellents
OFF!: The bug repellant provides hours of effective protection from mosquitoes, gnats and flies. Also repels ticks, chiggers and fleas from treated skin and clothing. It's non-greasy and doesn't stain. It also resists perspiration.

Avon: The bug repellent, says Avon, keeps skin soft.

Skin Products

Coppertone SPF 30: Coppertone says it's sunscreen helps prevent sunburn and provides broad spectrum protection (protects from UVB and UVA rays).

Bag Balm: Ointment for soothing chapped skin, small scrapes and cuts. It's thick and greasy and great to wear under gloves, says Haddon, but it's ideal for horses, cattle, pets or other domestic animals suffering from occasional skin irritations.

Burt's Bees Hand Salve: This product is made with botanical oils, herbs and beeswax. Burt's Bee says the hand salve is specifically formulated to deeply penetrate dry, chapped hands and other areas that need extra moisturizing. For best results, gently massage the salve into the skin daily before and after gardening and other outdoor activities.

Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Cream: Burt's Bees says this hand cream is great for chapped, dry or rough hands; elbows; knees and feet.

Poison Ivy Soap: This blend of jewelweed, clay and pine tar is mild and cleansing for people who enjoy the outdoors, according to Burt's Bees.

Dr. Hauschka Hand Cream: The hand cream restores and soothes hands while providing an essential protective covering, says the maker. They also say the rich plant juices of kalanchoe help retain skin's moisture, leaving hands soft and smooth without an oily residue.

Lubriderm Daily UV Lotion: This product combines light, a daily moisturizer with dermatologist recommended SPF 15 sun protection. Lubriderm says the non-greasy feeling lotion moisturizes and protects against the damaging rays of the sun, so skin can feel clean, smooth and protected every day.

Crabtree and Evelyn Scrub Grains: This product is made up of fine pumice, soft wood fiber and emollients. Gently exfoliates and cleanses the skin, leaving the hands smoother and softer, according to Crabtree and Evelyn.

Crabtree and Evelyn Gardeners Helping Hands Tote: This tote includes two different hand creams, Hand Therapy and Hand Recovery.

Davies Gate Cleansing Mud: Davies Gate says the dense clay combined with natural minerals to lightly exfoliate and wash away impurities.

Davies Gate Hand Salve: This product is made with shea butter to treat dry and chapped skin.

Davies Gate Mineral Bath: Contains a mix of vitamins and mineral including nutrient rich Spirulina Algea and Vitamin E. Davies Gate says the water condition the skin and leave it with the refreshing scent of garden herbs and a touch of citrus.