Warming Up Hands For Favorite OutdoorActivities (NAPSA)—Getting hands and fingers in shape for outdoor activities such as softball, gardening or tennis may require a little “finger first-aid”—especially for hands that suffered from the harsh winter elements. Decreased humidity in both the cool outdoor and heated indoor air causes skin to become dehydrated and susceptible to a variety of uncomfortable skin problems, including the tiny cuts and cracks that form on fingers. Although small in size, these painful finger cracks can bleed and sometimes become infected. Regular application of moisturizing creamsis the best way to pre- vent skin from becomingirritated. Once you have finger crack, it’s important to keep the area protected to prevent infection and speed the healing time. Fortunately, there’s a new way to cover and protect minor wounds and tiny finger cracks. BAND-AID Brand Liquid Bandage creates a clear, flexible, breathable seal— keeping out water, dirt and germs to help prevent infection—so cuts are better protected and heal quickly. The BAND-Aip Brand Liquid Bandage seal bends and flexes during movement and stays on until it naturally sloughs off when the wound heals. It also promotes fast healing on contact, stays on hard-to-cover areas such as fingers and knuckles even when wearing tightly fitted gloves and, because it’s 100 percent waterproof, it won’t come off when you shower, swim, do the dishes, gardenorgolf. Extensive medical research consistently shows that allowing a woundto dry out and form a scab prolongs the healing process, 1 as Keeping skin fissures covered can help speed healing. A liquid bandage can help. while covering a wound helps prevent scabbing, thereby helping to speed healing and reduce the appearanceof scarring. “What wounds really need is oxygen, which is obtained from the body’s blood supply,” noted Linda Franks, M.D., F.A.A.D., a leading dermatologist from New York University School of Medicine. “If the wound is exposed to too muchair, it dries into a scab that prevents healthy skin cells from merging to form new skin. It’s best to keep a wound moist and covered until it heals.” Additionaltips for keeping skin healthy include: Avoid taking long, hot showers and using hot water to clean dishes for an extended period of time since both will continue to dry out skin and increase the likelihood of developingirritating, flaky skin and painful finger cracks. Keep yourself well-hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day, especially when exercising. Assess your skin often and don’t delay in caring for minor wounds. The earlier a wound is cleaned, treated and protected, the faster the healing processwill take.
